Preventing heat exhaustion in children

DALENCIA THANK YOU. WELL, IT’S THE TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN CHILDREN I MEAN, EVERYBODY’S OUTSIDE A LOT, BUT ESPECIALLY KIDS, AND IT CAN GET DANGEROUSLY HOT. SO HOW DO YOU KEEP THEM SAFE? WELL, JOINING US LIVE IS MERCY MEDICAL CENTER PEDIATRICIAN, DOCTOR ASHANTI WOODS. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. OF COURSE. SO HERE’S THE BIG DIFFERENCE. WHEN ADULTS ARE OUTSIDE, WE KNOW WE’RE GETTING HOT. MOST OF THE TIME WE’RE JUST GULPING IT DOWN. RIGHT. KIDS ARE OUTSIDE. THEY’RE PLAYING. THEY DON’T WANT TO STOP. AND THAT’S WHEN THINGS GET DANGEROUS. BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT TELL US THAT THEY’RE NOT FEELING WELL. THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT. KIDS HAVE FEAR OF MISSING OUT FOMO. WE JUST HEARD DALENCIA WONDERFUL WEATHER FORECAST THAT KIDS, THEY THEY ARE AT RISK FOR GETTING SICKER, QUICKER. CHILDREN. THEY DON’T EVAPORATE HEAT LIKE WE DO. AND SO AS A RESULT, THEY GET HOTTER QUICKER. AND THEN AS YOU SAID, THEY DON’T WANT TO STOP WHAT THEY’RE DOING. SO IF I’M OUTSIDE RIDING MY BIKE, FIGHTING MY SIBLINGS, DOING WHATEVER, I DON’T WANT TO SAY, OH YEAH, LET ME TAKE THIS BREAK. DRINK SOMETHING, GO IN A COOL AREA AND THEN GO BACK TO HAVING FUN. SO THAT’S WHY IT’S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT TO US, THE PARENTS, THE CAMP COUNSELORS, THE TEACHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT KIDS ARE, IN FACT, TAKING THESE BREAKS AND THAT THEY’RE HYDRATED EVEN BEFORE THEY START SOME OF THESE ACTIVITIES. YEAH, THAT’S A BIG THING. LOOK, MY MOM HAS A DAYCARE. I GREW UP WORKING AT A SUMMER CAMP. SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE WERE ALWAYS TAUGHT TO LOOK OUT FOR. THE BIG THING IS WHEN YOU STOP SWEATING, THAT’S WHEN YOU REALLY HIT THE DANGER ZONE. THAT’S ACTUALLY THE BIGGEST ONE. THAT’S CALLED HEAT STROKE. BUT BEFORE YOU EVEN GET TO HEAT STROKE, THERE’S SOMETHING CALLED HEAT CRAMPS. HEAT CRAMPS, OF COURSE, IS YOUR VIGOROUSLY HAVING. EXERCISE. IT’S THE HOT OUT IN THE FIELDS SUMMER CAMP PERHAPS, AND YOU DIDN’T DRINK ENOUGH. AND SO YOU’RE GOING TO GET SOME PAIN IN YOUR ARMS, YOUR LEGS, MAYBE EVEN YOUR STOMACH. THAT’S HEAT CRAMPS. THAT’S FIRST. BUT THEN YOU CAN HAVE HEAT EXHAUSTION. HEAT EXHAUSTION IS ANOTHER TYPE OF HEAT ILLNESS THAT’S ONE OF THE MORE SEVERE WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE SOME HEADACHES, MAYBE SOME NAUSEA. THAT’S FAINTING. IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO A WEDDING, PERHAPS SOMEONE’S PASSED OUT. THAT IS ACTUALLY HEAT EXHAUSTION. BOTH OF THOSE HEAT CRAMPS, EXHAUSTION PRECEDE HEAT STROKE. YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THAT’S WHERE YOU STOP SWEATING. THAT’S A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. AND THIS IS WHERE WE’RE AT RISK FOR SEIZURES BEFORE WE GET TO THE SEIZURES. THIS IS OFTEN SOMEONE WHO’S GOING TO BE CONFUSED, AND IT’S UP TO ALL OF US, NOT ONLY PARENTS OF CHILDREN, BUT THEN JUST FAMILY MEMBERS OF EVEN OUR ELDERLY, MAKING SURE THAT WE DON’T GET TO HEAT STROKE. BECAUSE AGAIN, IF THAT HAPPENS, THAT’S WHERE WE NEED TO CALL 911 AND THEY NEED TO BE AGGRESSIVELY REHYDRATED, OFTEN HOSPITALIZED, MAYBE EVEN ICU LEVEL CARE. RIGHT. AND ALL THESE THINGS ARE WHAT YOU LAID OUT IN ESCALATION, RIGHT? YOU START OUT HERE, THEN YOU GET TO THE HEAT ILLNESS, YOU GET TO THE HEAT STROKE. THE GOAL IS TO CATCH IT HERE. CRAMPS. SO IF ANYTHING IS HURTING, STOP. WE TAKE A CHILL PILL. IT MIGHT SHUT DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, BUT WE WANT A COOL PLACE. AGGRESSIVELY HYDRATE AND WE COULD GET IN FRONT OF ALL OF THESE. THE CRAMPS, EXHAUSTION AND STROKE WE GET IN FRONT OF ALL THESE, BUT JUST HYDRATING BEFORE IF WE KNOW WE’RE GOING TO BE OUTSIDE, WE KNOW WE’RE GOING TO BE AFRAM. TODAY, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU NEED TO BE DRINKING RIGHT NOW 8:00 TO TO TO HYDRATE YOUR PRE PRE-GAMING RESPECTFULLY WITH WITH NICE LIQUIDS. COOL. LET’S PAUSE RIGHT THERE AND LOOK IN THIS CAMERA. WE ARE PRE-GAMING WITH WATER TODAY. RESPECTFULLY. THERE WE GO. RESPECTFULLY. SO WE’RE PRE-GAMING. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE AND YOU MAKE A GREAT POINT BECAUSE IF YOU DRINK THE WRONG THINGS SUCH AS ALCOHOL OR COFFEE, EVEN TOO MUCH COFFEE, THAT’S GOING TO MAKE YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM. AND NOW YOU’RE DEHYDRATED. SO YOU DO WANT TO MAKE SURE IT’S EITHER WATER OR SPORTS DRINK AND SPORTS DRINK. THEY TYPICALLY ARE GOING TO HAVE YOUR ELECTROLYTES, WHETHER IT’S GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT HAS SUGAR OR EVEN SOMETHING THAT HAS SALT. BECAUSE WHEN WE SWEAT, WE’RE LOSING OUR SALT. RIGHT. AND THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY TO DO THIS TOO, IS TO JUST BUILD IN BREAKS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO KIDS LIKE, HEY, EVERY HOUR, MAYBE EVERY 45 MINUTES, COME IN, TAKE A BREAK, GET OUT OF THE SUN, GET OUT OF THE HEAT. AND I LIKE TO INCORPORATE WATER. LIKE IF YOU WANT TO BE OUTSIDE RUNNING AROUND, THROW SOME WATER BALLOONS. YOU KNOW, WATER GUN, JUMP IN A POOL, SOMETHING. ABSOLUTELY. I THINK IT’S GREAT JUST TO HAVE A COOLER OUTSIDE. COOLER WITH ICE, THROW WATER, CAPRI SUNS, WHATEVER YOU WANT. HAVE THAT OUTSIDE FOR YOUR KIDS. THIS IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO USE OUR ELECTRONICS. SO IF YOU HAVE AN APPLE WATCH, IF YOU HAVE YOUR SMARTPHONE, SETTING A TIMER ON IT TO SAY, ALL RIGHT, NOW IS HYDRATION BREAK FOR EVERYBODY EVERY 45 MINUTES OR SO. ALL RIGHT. AND ADULTS TOO, DON’T TAKE THIS LIGHTLY, BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS GOING TO BE EXTREMELY HOT THIS WEEK. AND YOU HAVE TO CHECK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS, ESPECIALLY THE ELDERLY FOLKS AS WELL. CHECK ON EVERYBODY, ESPECIALLY THE ELDERLY, ESPECIALLY THE KIDS. AND THEN EVEN THOSE TAKING OUR BABIES OUT FOR A WALK. BE CONSCIENTIOUS OF THE BABY INSIDE THE STROLLER, BECAUSE THAT CAN CREATE A GREENHOUSE EFFECT INSIDE THAT STROLLER, EVEN THE STROLLER. SO YOU JUST WANT TO BE CAREFUL. CHECK ON EVERYBODY LIKE CLOTHES, LIGHT, WATER, LIGHT CLOTHES, LIKE COLORS. LOTS OF WATER, LOTS OF WATER, SUNSCREEN, SPF 30 OR GR