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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Ways to cope with the
summer heat in stride
This time of year hear
ing “Is it hot enough
for you?” is as ines
capable as the heat itself.
Just as northerners endure
their winters, we southern
ers persevere (and perspire)
through each summer, often
using selective memory to
wonder “if it’s ever been this
hot before."
And just as our northern
neighbors take pride in their
ability to cope with winter,
we take the heat in stride
(often with stubborn pride)
and continue with outdoor
activities.
However, the heat can
cause some serious heath
problems and shouldn’t
be taken lightly. According
to a CDC website (www.
bt.cdc.gov/extremeheat.asp),
“From 1979-1999, excessive
heat exposure caused 8,015
deaths in the United States
and on average approximate
ly 400 people die each year
from exposure to heat.”
The CDC website also
states that “the elderly, the
very young and people with
mental illness and chronic
diseases are at highest risk.
However, even young and
healthy individuals can suc
cumb to heat if they partici
pate in strenuous physical
activities during hot weath
er.”
Overweight persons also
have a higher risk of suf
fering from heat related ill
nesses.
Now I have to admit that
even though I grew up in
Georgia, I really didn’t know
that much about heat relat
ed illnesses. But as I’ve got
ten older, a little less active,
and a little more physically
affected by the heat, I’ve
become more concerned
about the adverse effects of
heat.
I often wonder how I sur
vived playing baseball and
football in South Georgia in
the 19705.
That was back in the day
when coaches (especially my
football coaches) thought
you’d get bad muscle cramps
if drank any water during
practices.
Fortunately, we’ve come
a long way since then and
we know the importance of
water during the hot days
of summer. There are also
a few other common sense
measures we can take to
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E
David Voltz
Pharmacy Q&A
voltzrph@hotmail.com
help prevent heat related ill
nesses.
First, wear loose Fitting,
light clothes and try to limit
outdoor activities to early
morning and evening hours.
Second, drink lots of water
before, during and after
outdoor activities. Try to
avoid alcoholic beverages,
beverages with caffeine,
and excessive use of “sports
drinks” which often contain
a lot of sugar.
Third, avoid too much
exposure to the sun and
wear a sunscreen. Sunburn
can reduce the body’s abil
ity to cool itself and lead to
increased risk of heat relat
ed injury.
Lastly, it’s important to
know the three categories
of heat emergencies, their
symptoms and what to do
for them. These three cate
gories (in increasing order of
severity) are: heat cramps,
heat exhaustion and heat
stroke.
According to the Federal
Emergency Management
Agency, heat cramps are
characterized by painful
spasms, usually occurring
in leg and abdominal mus
cles, and profuse sweating.
First aid measures for heat
cramps include firm pres
sure or gentle massage of
the affected muscles and
sips of water.
The symptoms of heat
exhaustion include heavy
sweating, weakness, weak
pulse and cold, clammy and/
or pale skin. Fainting and
vomiting may also occur.
FEMA indicated first aid for
heat exhaustion is to get
the victim to lie down in a
cool place, loosen clothing
and apply cool, damp cloths.
The victim should be fanned
and/or moved to an air-con
ditioned environment. If vic
tim vomits, medical atten
tion should be sought.
The third and most dan-
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gerous type of heat relat
ed illness is heatstroke.
According to FEMA, the
symptoms of heatstroke
are “high body temperature
(106+); hot, dry skin; rapid,
strong pulse and possible
unconsciousness. The victim
will likely not sweat.”
As for treatment of heat
stroke, FEMA states that
“heat stroke is a severe
medical emergency.” “Call
9-1-1 or emergency medical
services or get the victim
to a hospital immediately.
Delay can be fatal. Move vic
tim to a cooler environment.
Try a cool bath or spong
ing to reduce body tempera
ture. Use extreme caution.
Remove clothing. Use fans
and/or air conditioners. Do
not give fluids.” (The
complete text of the FEMA
information is available
online at www.fema.gov/
hazards/extremeheat/heatf.
shtm)
As with any medical con
dition, be sure to check your
doctor if you have any con
cerns or questions about
treatment of heat related ill
nesses or if you are consider
ing taking salt tablets. Also,
make it a point to check on
elderly persons in your fam
ily or community on a regu
lar basis, especially if they
live alone. And even though
it’s like this every summer,
don’t underestimate the
heat.
If you have any questions
regarding medications or
pharmacy practice in gen
eral, or comments, or sug
gestions for topics you’d like
to read about in this column,
just write to me. I can receive
email via voltzrph@hotmail.
com or postal mail at
Pharmacy Q&A, c/o The
Houston Home Journal, PO
Box 1910, Perry, GA. 31069.
All questions are confiden
tial, so you don’t have to give
your name.
ffiMy ' ]
LOCAL
All the world)! a stage; the coach as director
CCA ll the world’s a stage,
/\ And all the men and
JL JLwomen merely play
ers: They have their exits and
their entrances; And one man
in his time plays many parts. ”
William Shakespeare, “As
You Like It, ” act 2, scene 7
Pause for a moment from
your busy schedule and imag
ine that your life is a play. Is
it a scripted production where
you pretty much know your
lines, others know theirs, and
the plot twist coming is no
surprise?
Or is your life more like
improvisational theatre, where
something unexpected is being
thrown at you in each new
moment?
Imagine that your work
tomorrow will occur on a large
stage with an elaborate set.
The program has been printed,
and all the members of your
organization are starring in
the lead roles, each performing
in front of a standing-room
only crowd. You are the direc
tor, and it has been your job in
recent weeks to create an envi
ronment for exploration, for
discovery, for learning, such
that every individual excels.
As you’ve coached each per
son, you’ve identified their
strengths and stretched them
to new levels of performance.
You’ve found ways to manage
around whatever limitations
they have in voice, body move
ment, and style. Tomorrow,
the show opens - ONLY
THERE IS NO SCRIPT! Like
it or not, life is sometimes
more like improvisational
theatre than scripted theatre.
Circumstances may not go like
you think they should.
Star performers are chal
lenged by new situations
they’ve never experienced,
and they’ll be making deci
sions that affect the rest of
your organization. In front
of the packed-house audience,
they won’t be able to consult
you for advice!
My attention was recently
directed to an insightful web
site that I encourage you to
visit: www.performanceofalife
time.com/images/thecoach.pdf.
You’ll find some interesting
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FERRY,GEORGIA
Dennis Hooper
Leaders Building
Leaders
dhooper2@juno.com
perspective from the president
of Performance of a Lifetime,
a training and consulting firm
based in New York City.
Cathy Rose Salit’s organi
zation provides an innovative
approach to help executives
become better coaches of those
over whom they have author
ity. Her web-script describes
us humans as having “a natu
ral ability to perform —to pre
tend, to play, to create; to do
what professional actors d 0....
We play different roles and we
speak different lines depend
ing on our environment.”
As a leader/ director/coach
in your organization, you work
with individuals who are not
limited by what has been.
Each of those individuals is
“becoming” based on the role
they currently perform, their
vision of what is possible for
them, and the support and
accountability you provide.
Do you know with certainty
the potential of each person in
your organization?
Why not invest time, energy,
and creativity to allow and
encourage each contributor to
become someone great?
Coaching (directing) involves
helping others to consider new
possibilities, to stretch and
Assessing Your
Leadership Skills
-585 person
Csl
i A'i
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THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2006 ♦
l
fm 0 V
reinvent themselves, to try
and sometimes fail, learning
in the process. That requires
that you, the coach, be more
open about who you are, what
you want to accomplish, and
your commitment to each indi
vidual’s success.
I find that many leaders,
as they plan their days, focus
heavily on what they contrib
ute personally to the organiza
tion.
If true for you, that’s prob
ably a carry-over from when
you were a performer yourself!
Consider the different impact
you might have as “director,”
a coach increasing the aware
ness and skills of the indi
viduals who execute the “real
work” of your organization?
Consider allocating 20 min
utes to read Cathy’s script.
It will change the way you
think about your workplace,
those who perform there,
and even the role you play in
directing its future!
rrr ! !T r ?rni
F. Dennis Hooper
Certified
Leadership Development Coach
Building leaders and
organizations of excellence
(478) 988-0237
5A
34274
dhoopcr2(a juno.com
Hal
Member FD»C