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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
HEALTH
Humidity can be dangerous to the heart
Special to the Journal
Hot weather can lead to
dehydration, heat exhaus
tion and heat stroke, but
soaring temperatures are
not the only danger when
humidity is also high. The
risk for these life-threat
ening conditions increases
when the temperature rises
above 70 degrees Fahrenheit
and the humidity registers
more than 70 percent.
“People with chronic con
ditions such as high blood
pressure, heart disease,
lung disease or kidney dis
ease are most vulnerable to
Safe Kids of HC warns drowning is second loading cause of death in chidren
Special to the Journal
Drowning is the number
two cause of accidental death
for children ages 14 and
younger. For children ages
five and under, an estimat
ed 350 drown in residential
swimming pools each year,
according to the Consumer
Product Safety Commission.
Overall, approximately 810
children have died each year
from 2001 to 2005 due to
accidental drowning, and, on
average, an estimated 3,600
children are taken to the
emergency room after near
drowning incidents each
year.
“Children drown quick
ly and quietly,” says Patsy
Zoumberis, RN, Health
Educator for Houston
Healthcare and Coordinator
of Houston County’s Safe
Kids Coalition. “A drowning
child cannot cry or shout for
help. If a child is missing,
always check the pool first
- there is no time to spare.”
Even a near-drowning inci
dent can have lifelong con
sequences, adds Zoumberis.
Children who survive near
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the effects of humid condi
tions,” cautions Jonathan
Velasquez, MD, internist
and member of the medi
cal staff of Perry Hospital.
“Elderly adults are also at
risk because the body’s abil
ity to respond to summer
heat decreases as a person
ages.”
Other risk factors that
can affect the body’s abil
ity to cool itself include
being obese; having poor
circulation; following a salt
restricted diet; drinking
alcohol; having inefficient
sweat glands; and taking
diuretics, sedatives, tran
drowning may suffer irre
versible brain damage from
being under the water for as
little as four to six minutes.
“The most important pre
caution is active supervision.
Simply being near your child
is not necessarily supervis
ing,” advises Zoumberis.
Although 94 percent of par
ents say they supervise their
children while swimming,
many acknowledge that they
engage in other distracting
activities at the same time
such as talking, eating, read
ing or taking care of another
child.
“A supervised child is in
sight at all times with your
undivided attention focused
on that child,” explains
Zoumberis. “When there are
children in or near the water,
adults should take turns serv
ing as'the designated ‘Water
Watcher,’ paying undivided
attention to the children.”
To help keep children safe,
Safe Kids of Houston County
recommends the following
precautions:
• If the child’s home has
a pool or spa, or any home
Urgent Care*.*
when you need it.
quilizers or heart or blood
pressure medication, he
adds.
Exercising in humid
weather
Since heat is generated
during exercise, humidity
can affect a person’s heart
rate when they work out,
even at cooler tempera
tures. The body cools itself
by sweating—but only if
sweat can evaporate. “In
humid weather, sweat evap
orates more slowly, so a
person’s body temperature
continues to rise,” explains
Dr. Velasquez. “Fluid loss
New pool/spa law will help save lives
On Dec. 19, 2007, President George W Bush signed the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool
and Spa Safety Act of 2007 into law, which was named for the granddaughter of former
Secretary of State James A Baker, 111, who died at the age of 7 in 2002 after becoming
trapped under water due to the suction from a spa drain.
The law will make it illegal to manufacture, distribute or sell drain covers that do not
adhere to the standards for anti-entrapment safety set by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission.
Another important component of the law is that it will establish a grant program to
reward states that adopt comprehensive pool and spa safety laws mandating that pools
and spas have certain safety devices. Additionally, the law will create a national drown
ing prevention education program and media campaign administered by the CPSC.
For more information, visit the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act
Advocacy Web Page on the Safe Kids website at http://sk.convio.net/site/PageNavigator/
Campaigns/PoolSpaSafetyAct%2o/CampaignPoolHome.
the child visits has a pool or
spa, it should be surrounded
on all four sides by a fence at
least five feet high with gates
that close and latch auto
matically. Studies estimate
that type of isolation fenc
ing could prevent 50 to 90
percent of child drownings in
residential pools.
• A pool or spa should
be equipped with an anti
entrapment drain cover and
a safety vacuum release sys
tem to prevent children from
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from sweating also decreas
es blood volume. So while
your heart is working to
cool your body, it must also
work harder and faster to
get that smaller amount
of blood to your working
muscles.
“That’s why it is always
important to replenish lost
fluids by drinking plenty of
water during exercise.”
Learn the warning signs.
According to Velasquez,
people need to learn the
warning signs of heat stress
and take immediate action
when they recognize them.
becoming caught in the suc
tion of the drain. The power
ful suction forces can trap
a child underwater or cause
internal injuries.
• Do not leave toys in or
near the pool where they
could attract unsupervised
children. For extra protec
tion, consider a pool alarm as
well as alarms on the doors,
windows and gates leading
to the pool.
• Enroll children in swim
ming lessons around the age
Hilary Kate Ellwood, MD
Board Certified, American
Academy of Family Medicine
Kimberley R. Ham, MD
Board Certified, American
Academy of Family Medicine
Cynthia M. Jones, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
Gayatri Kamat, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Internal Medicine
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2008 ♦
"Something to feel good about"
Symptoms that indicate a
person is getting too hot
include headache, fatigue,
profuse sweating, muscle
spasms or cramps, cold and
clammy skin, and swollen
ankles and feet. Move some
one with these symptoms to
a cool air-conditioned area,
give them fluids to drink,
have them take a cool show
er and then lie down.
Call 911 if the person’s
symptoms do not improve
quickly or if their symptoms
include nausea; dizziness;
confusion; combativeness;
warm, dry skin with no
sweating; rapid pulse; high
of four, but do not assume
swimming lessons will make
a child “drownproof.” There
is no substitute for active
supervision.
• Inflatable swimming
toys such as “water wings”
and noodles are not flotation
devices and do not prevent
drowning.
• Learn infant and child
CPR. In less than two hours,
parents can learn effective
interventions that can give
a fighting chance to a child
fever; or fainting.
“The best thing to do is
to prevent heat illnesses
before they occur,” says Dr.
Velasquez. “Pay attention to
your local weather reports
because heat disorders can
occur any time the tempera
ture and humidity both rise
above 70 or the heat index
is greater than 80 degrees
Fahrenheit.
“Drink plenty of fluids,
avoid caffeine and alcohol,
limit activity to a cooler
hour in the morning or eve
ning, and wear light-colored
clothing made of natural
fabrics.”
whose breathing and heart
beat have stopped.
• Keep rescue equipment,
a phone and emergency
phone numbers by the pool.
“These guidelines apply not
only to in-ground pools, but
inflatable and portable pools
as well. A child can drown in
just an inch of water,” warns
Zoumberis. “Kiddie pools
should be emptied and stored
out of reach of children when
not in use.”
Safe Kids of Houston County
works to prevent accidental
childhood injury, the leading
killer of children age 14 and
younger. Its members include
volunteers from the Houston
County community. Founded
in 1992 and led by Houston
Healthcare, Safe Kids of
Houstop County is a member
of Safe Kids Worldwide, a
global network of organiza
tions dedicated to preventing
childhood injury. Safe Kids
of Houston County meets the
third Tuesday of each month,
except for July, at 12:30 p.m.
For more information about
Safe Kids of Houston County,
call 478- 923-9771.
Barbara A. Matthews, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
Jody Velie, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Practice
Ferial Walid, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
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