What to do in hot weather

 

My wife just complained to me of hot weather these days, and she told me she took Panadol (paracetamol) for her headache and “heatiness”. Let me advise everyone that it is highly inappropriate and inadvisable to take any antipyretic (fever reducing) drugs in hot weather or in heat stroke or heat exhaustion. The body thermostat mechanism (situated in the hypothalamus in the brain) regulates body temperature to 37 degrees through sweating, and this mechanism should NEVER be inhibited by taking any drugs such as paracetamol which is also an analgesic (painkiller). Suppressing internal body heat built up due to hot weather may lead to heat stroke and convulsion. NEVER do this. 

I was alarmed when she told me she took Panadol because she got a headache and discomfort due to the hot weather these days. All we need to do is to drink a lot of cold water, go under a fan or switch on the air con., stay indoors or in a shade, sponge the body in large areas of the body to extract the excess heat and do not do strenuous exercise or physical activities that increases body metabolism and body heat production. Best is to take a cold bath starting from lukewarm water and slowly bring down water temperature.

 Bathing suddenly with cold water will immediately shut down cutaneous (skin) blood circulation that attempts to bring heat to the surface for dissipation. Slowly adjust the water temperature from lukewarm to around 25 - 28 degrees Celsius. Do just that. Do NOT pop in pills and medicine to get rid of body excess heat and "heartiness".   

The daily loss of sweat is about 400 ml in an adult. The heat loss can be quite significant because there is a loss of 0.58 kcal for every ml of water evaporated. The maximum rate of sweating and perspiration is up to 50 ml/min or 2000 ml/hr in an adult. 

Furthermore, the heat of extraction of body water or sweat through sweating and evaporation is around 540 calories / gm. So just drink a lot of water and go under a fan. Do just that simple measure, and not take Panadol or any antipyretic drugs to "reduce" body temperature. 

By giving an antipyretic drug we are essentially blocking the body from getting rid of the excess heat, making the situation a heat stroke worse. The heat came from outside the body, and was not internally generated by the body as in the case of an infection. There is nothing the body can do except to sweat to get rid of the excessive heat by evaporating the sweat  in a cool windy environment, or draining or transferring heat out by sponging the body or bathing in cool water  

See here on:

The Physics of Drinking Water in Hot Weather

https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-physics-of-drinking-water-in-hot.html