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Hypothermia - The Cold Facts
If you ever go to cold countries, you should undoubtedly have heard of Hypothermia. If you haven't, you should learn something about it. Your very own life may depend on knowing the information below: Hypothermia is a condition marked by an abnormally low internal body temperature. It develops when body heat is lost faster than it can be replaced. Normal muscular and cerebral functions become impaired and death can follow if it becomes worse. This takes place below 96ş F and lower. Signs of hypothermia include confusion or sleepiness; slurred speech or shallow breathing; weak pulse or low blood pressure; stiffness in the arms or legs or poor control over body movements. Severe hypothermia can cause an irregular heartbeat, leading to heart failure and death. Symptoms of Hypothermia Shivering is typically the first sign of hypothermia. It eventually becomes uncontrollable. However with severe hypothermia, shivering stops. One of the key indicators that the victim has moved from mild/moderate hypothermia to severe hypothermia is that he/she is no longer shivering. Behavior changes like complaining, difficulty in speaking, and uncoordinated movements. Victims will struggle to perform simple tasks like walking a straight line or zipping up their coat. With severe hypothermia, behavior changes from erratic to apathetic to unresponsive. Uncharacteristic behavior like inappropriate excitement or lethargy, poor judgment, and poor decision making are common. Cold, pale and blue-gray skin due to constricting blood vessels. May develop into a coma, with dilated pupils making it difficult to determine if the victim is alive or dead. How Heat is Lost from the Body Convection: Heat is carried away from the body by currents of air or water. Wind chill is an example of convection. Conduction: Transfer of heat between two contacting surfaces. Water conducts heat 25 times faster than air and steel is even faster than water. Generally conductive heat loss accounts for only about 2% of overall loss. However, with wet clothes the loss is increased 5 times. Evaporation: Heat loss when water is removed from the body during sweating and respiration. Radiation: The loss of radiated heat from a warm body to a surrounding colder environment. This is more significant on cold, cloudless nights. Factors important in radiant heat loss are the surface area and the temperature gradient. It is important to recognize the strong connection between fluid levels, fluid loss, and heat loss. As the body moisture is lost through the various evaporative processes the overall circulating volume of water in the body is reduced, leading to dehydration. This decrease in fluid level makes the body more susceptible to hypothermia. Field Treatment for Hypothermia The basic principles of re-warming a hypothermic victim are to conserve the heat they have and to replace the body fuel they are burning up to generate that heat. Reduce Heat Loss. Find shelter from the wind, and cold. This could be under a tree, in tent, or in a sleeping bag. If at all possible, get the victim off of the ground (a foam pad would be ideal). Remove any wet clothing and replace with layers of dry clothing, increased physical activity. Add Fuel and Fluids. Keep a hypothermic person adequately hydrated and fueled. Give them warm, sweet liquids but NO coffee or tea - and NEVER ALCOHOL! Alcohol - a vasodilator - increases peripheral heat loss Caffeine - a diuretic - causes water loss increasing dehydration Tobacco/nicotine - a vasoconstrictor, increases risk of frostbite Provide Heat Source. Light a fire or a stove. Seek Medical Attention as quickly as possible. Never leave a hypothermic victim alone. Prevention of Hypothermia Dress Appropriately. Wear clothing to keep the warmth. Avoid cotton! Stay Dry - be aware that water comes from both the outside (environment) and the inside (perspiration). Stay out of the wind if possible. Keep Your Body Burning. Stay hydrated, and eat foods like carbohydrates and proteins to provide energy. Conserve Your Energy. Exhaustion leads to a quicker onset of hypothermia. Summary It's important to keep warm and dry during the cold, winter months. Dressing appropriately can make a big difference. Wear several loose, warm layers. Thick wool socks and a cap can combat winter's chills. At night, use extra blankets because hypothermia can develop during sleep. Thermal underwear are excellent for keeping the heat in your body. Get plenty of rest. Fatigue makes you more vulnerable to subnormal heat and cold. Eat nutritious foods, and exercise moderately. Limit your alcohol intake because alcohol speeds up body heat loss. I hope this information will serve you well when you travel to the extremely cold regions of the world. As a professional seafarer who had worked in extremely cold regions, I have found that thermal underwear gives excellent comfort even in icy arctic cold weather conditions. Excellent high tech thermal underwear could be obtain from Hi-tech Thermal Underwear Many years of working experience in Marine, Facilities, Construction has given the author material for writing e-books and articles related to engineering, and management. Subscribe to facworld ezine More information at Marine Engineer and M & E Engineer
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Alternative Medicine The Arthritis Pain Reliever... A New Program That Just Might Make You Younger! For years, it's been known that regular daily exercise is one of the most important activities that people can engage in to promote good health. Do you suffer from Osteoarthritis Here's how to tell! The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA). This type of arthritis is commonly referred to as wear and tear arthritis or degenerative arthritis." Pharmaceuticals: The Next Frontier in America's War on Drugs America's war on drugs, which has been fought in the opium fields of Afghanistan and the cocaine plantations of Columbia, will have to reinvent itself to combat what is set to be America's biggest drug abuse problem, pharmaceuticals. One in five American's, nearly 48 million, have used prescription drugs for non-medical purposes at least once in their lives. The current past month misuse rate among Americans is 6.2 million. According to a recent white paper by Carnevale Associates, this rate of use is already higher than the historical highs of both cocaine and heroin epidemics. Buy with confidence at Online Mexican Pharmacy The foremost benefit of buying prescription medicines and other medical supplies from a Mexican pharmacy is the secure buying procedure and easy on the pocket rates. The health and medical care laws in Mexico are not that strict infact completely different and relaxed as compared to the US laws. Most of the medicines can be bought and sold without an authentic prescription except narcotic agents and some of the other restricted and controlled prescription items in Mexico therefore purchase of prescription drugs in Mexico is considered a unproblematic, easy procedure. The easy purchase method and easily accessible medicines in Mexico may put you to some degree of risk but what about internet frauds and counterfeit pharmaceutical preparations? The world of internet is not much reliable either, but you can save your time when you shop online and in order to secure the money you spend on online buying you should keep you up to date and alert. The text that follows provides you a easy and simple but technical guide line for online shopping of your medications and getting the optimum advantage from online ordering and buying. Bextra, Vioxx and Side Effects Do You Need a Lawyer? The recent withdrawals of the prescription medications Vioxx and Bextra from the marketplace have many people concerned. Studies show that the use of Vioxx could increase the likelihood of strokes and heart attacks; Bextra carries those same risks and also increases the chances of contracting Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a potentially fatal skin disease. Frequently prescribed to minimize the inflammation and pain of arthritis, these prescription drugs belong to a family of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors. Where to Find Maryland Drug Rehab Centers? Everything can be found on the Internet. At various sites there's a comprehensive list of all Maryland drug rehab centers along with contact information and short advertising articles. There are lots of various treatment centers in this State, and from their commercials it seems most of them are well-situated and well-equipped. But it's not a rehab center that counts most. It's the choice of therapist. An addict can get into the best Maryland drug rehab center and still had to spend some very hard time if you don't know how to choose the right therapist. Your Kidney Function Really Matters: A Lighter Look When you (or loved ones) are taking prescription or over the counter medications...there is a lot you should be worried about, and a lot that your pharmacist may not be telling you. Hemorrhoids Treatment - A Variety of Options A variety of options exist for hemorrhoid treatment including surgery, herbal remedies, and hemorrhoid creams that provide temporary relief of symptoms. While prevention is the best hemorrhoid cure, treatment of hemorrhoids is critical to avoid more serious complications. The Basic First Aid for Child Care Programs We cannot help but accept the fact that children do get into trouble and sometimes emergencies when they are left in childcare programs. We just have to pray that most injuries sustained are minor such as cuts, scrapes, bruises, among others. Are You Sometimes Confused by Written Medical Instructions? Now, imagine what it would be like if you were sick, scared and had only third grade reading skills. Your doctor tells you, "You've got to follow these instructions exactly, or you could die." Five Secrets of High Blood Pressure Treatment Thirty percent of human population has a high blood pressure and everyone has a 90% risk to acquire it during the rest of the life. As a result, half of all human deaths are due to the major complications of high blood pressure, mainly stroke and heart attack. The Pharmaceutical Drug Cartel and the FDA According to the Los Angeles Times, the California Association of Physicians and Surgeons, and even the Center for Diseases Control's own admission, well over 100,000 people in this country die each year from "properly" administered prescription drugs. This is absolutely shocking! Curing Lou Gehrigs Disease ALS is the disease that took the life of the famed baseball player. The disease benched Lou Gehrig from the game that he loved and later took his life. Now, ALS is referred to as the Lou Gehrig's disease. Today more than fifty years later there still is no cure for ALS. ALS is a motor neuron disease. ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The disease attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It attacks a persons muscles one at a time. Not unlike being tortured. Sadly there is no cure and no viable treatment. Ativan Side Effects Lawyer The drug Lorazepan is marketed under the names Alzapam, Ativan, Loraz, Lorazepam, Intensol. Ativan is the safest form of this type of drug because it has less of an effect on the liver than other benzodiazepines, which means that a patient can take it in conjunction with other liver affecting medications like birth control pills, anti-abuse drugs, propranolol, and ulcer medications. ADHD - Are there Treatment Options? As an ADD coach I am often asked about the treatment options available for Attention Deficit Disorder. Generally when someone says "ADD" the first thing that will come to the layperson's mind is 'Ritalin' or an image of a hyperactive "Dennis-the-Menace" type. Fortunately, there is a lot more to Attention Deficit Disorder than drugs and hyperactivity. Each individual is unique and therefore different people will respond well to different treatment options. Chronic Headaches and Pain Often Can Be Eliminated By A Special Dentist DENVER Sometimes as Freud once said a good cigar is just a smoke. A headache, on the other hand, occasionally can be a sign of something much more serious than just a headache. Technology Over Drugs for Stress Related Tension Disorders As much as 95% of the population suffers from some form of reoccurring stress and tension related headaches. Risperdal Side Effects: Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome NMS Risperdal is an atypical anti-psychotic drug that balances the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. It helps to stabilize patients with mental illness including the manic stages of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. 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The P Value And Its Significance When diversifying an investment portfolio, one needs to consider investing in the healthcare industries. Pharmaceutical companies that have strong pipelines of investigation drugs have strong growth speculations. In addition to examining its pipelines, one also needs to be able to evaluate the results of its clinical trials. When a news program reports the results of a clinical trial for a new drug to be "statistically significant," what does it mean? And how did they come up with that conclusion? One of the most important values to look for when interpreting the results of a study is the P value.
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