Good morning. It's WGTS ninety one point nine with Jerry and Brennan. Claude is off today. And as we head out into the summer months, there's a lot more you need to do to keep yourself safe. That's why we have the WGTS health minute.
Yeah. Well, you already know this if you've got little kids or you've been around them. Anytime they get out in the sun, especially during the summer, it's like, you can't get them to come back So we're talking about ways that, you can minimize the sun exposure and talking with Neil Roy. He's the chief medical officer at Adventist HealthCare, Shady Grove Medical Center, kinda walking us through some of the earliest signs of, like, heat stress and simple ways to keep kids hydrated all summer. So let's just start with how much exposure to the sun is too much for kids?
So our kids are all outside having a good time, but it's really important to be aware that any amount of sun exposure can cause skin damage. So your children should always be wearing sunblock outside, including if it's cloudy. And if you're darker skin like myself, you should still wear sunblock because despite the color of your skin, you're still able to get sunburn.
Sunglasses go a long way as well. That can help. Hats help. Long sleeve clothes help if you're gonna be outside for a long period of time.
And then there's a second bucket, which is heat.
If your children become really thirsty, they need to be drinking lots of liquids and water. Always have a water bottle with you. If your kids or your loved ones, especially as they get older, typically above sixty five or younger, under one or two, we really need to be cautious about them being outside for periods of time that can go from thirty minutes to an hour or even longer than that. If they start having muscle cramps or becoming weak, they need to be evaluated immediately and brought away from the heat.
Doctor Roy, can you tell us some of the earliest signs of heat stress?
Yeah. That's a good question. If anyone becomes confused, becomes really exhausted, if they stop sweating, then you really have to go into the hospital immediately. If you get sunburn that has significant blistering, it should be evaluated almost immediately at an urgent care or an emergency department to make sure there's not more going on.
If cramps become really severe and you feel nauseous and dizzy, you have to also get evaluated. Same thing goes for vomiting. If your body temperature goes above a hundred degrees or a hundred and one, if you're having some difficulty walking. Also, this sounds silly and not applicable to most of our listeners, but if you have someone that you're around that's drinking alcohol or doing any substances, they are way more likely to have heat related illness and need to be evaluated and removed from the heat as soon as possible.
Now what can we do as parents to make sure our kids are drinking enough water?
Really carrying water or sports drinks with you goes a long way. And making sure that everyone is used to, as part of their daily going out ritual, filling their water bottle, filling their flask and thermos, and hydrating every hour with a bottle that they're outside and making sure to keep that bottle refilled.
Thanks, Doctor Roy. That's good advice, not just for our kids, but for us as well. If you want more health tips, head on over to WGTS919.com.
And thanks to Adventist HealthCare for sponsoring this Health Minute.
