With July now upon us, more and more people are venturing outside. It’s safe to say that July is typically the month of water activities and theme park adventures. In a previous post I mentioned the importance of limiting sun exposure and how to keep safe while out in it. Another vital habit to keep up while outside is how much water you are drinking. Dehydration can come on fast and is nothing to mess around with.
A few things to note first:
- Just because you are drinking liquid, it does NOT mean you are keeping hydrated! Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages in particular do not help keep your body hydrated.
- Before leaving for the day, be sure to have extra water for yourself and anyone you may be traveling with.
- If heat indexes are high, avoid strenuous workouts, wear light colored clothes that are not tight-fitting.
- Try to stay in the shade when possible.
If you or someone you are with are going through dehydration, some of the symptoms include: increased thirst, dry mouth, feeling weak or dizzy, or fainting. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, immediately have the person sit or lay down and have them take small sips of water (large gulps may upset the stomach and vomiting can occur), if possible, take the person to an air conditioned room to cool off or put a wet towel under the neck or forehead to cool them; HOWEVER avoid ice packs or ice directly to the skin as it may cause more harm than good, better to get the body to cool off a little slower.
In some cases, you can self-treat or help someone without going to the hospital. If the person is pregnant, running a fever, vomiting more than one day, has seizures, headaches, or trouble breathing.
The Medical Assistant, which you will most likely see at the doctor’s office, will take down the patient vitals, get blood and urine examples to help determine to what degree the patient is dehydrated. Most likely, the patient will get an IV with fluid to replace what has been lost. Medical personnel (Doctors, Nurses, Medical Assistants… etc.) are well equipped to help patients in this instance as well as a variety of others. Take the advice of these professionals and share them with your loved ones.
If you have interest in the Medical field, you may want to consider becoming a Medical Assistant. MedQuest College offers an amazing Medical Assisting program that is completed in just 10 months, working with students from many different walks of life who need/want to make a meaningful and lasting career change. MedQuest College has classes that work with just about any schedule you have. Medical Assisting classes are 4 days a week, for 4 hours at a time. Click here for more information.