"Henan Health" 24 Solar Terms · Minor Heat丨Midsummer is here, check out the "cool" measures to prevent heatstroke while it's hot

As the saying goes, "Minor Heat and Greater Heat bring a lot of heat." On July 7, we ushered in the eleventh solar term of the twenty-four solar terms, Minor Heat. "Heat" means hot, and Minor Heat means that the weather is starting to get hot, but it's not the hottest yet.

Hearing this, you will definitely wonder if you have encountered a "fake" Lesser Heat, because since the beginning of summer this year, extreme high temperature weather has frequently occurred in many parts of my country. According to the forecast of Henan Meteorological Bureau, the maximum temperature on the 7th can reach 42°C. Under the continued hot weather, the risk of heat stroke is also increasing.

"Hot to death" is not a joke

According to media reports, on July 2, a Beijing tour guide was sent to a doctor due to heat stroke while leading a tour group in the Summer Palace. He died after failed rescue efforts. As soon as this news came out, a new term "heat stroke" entered everyone's field of vision, triggering a heated discussion on "heatstroke prevention" in summer. Many netizens found it incredible that heat stroke could also be life-threatening? Why did they still get heat stroke when they were clearly paying attention to sun protection? What should they do if they get heat stroke? In response to the rising temperatures in recent days, the reporter interviewed Xie Zhongli, director of the Warm Disease Teaching and Research Section of Zhongjing College of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and asked him to answer everyone's questions.

Grill mode is on

"What we call 'heatstroke' in daily life should actually be called 'heatstroke'. Although both have the word 'heat' in them, the symptoms are quite different. Heatstroke refers to a disease caused by dysfunction of the body's temperature regulation center under high temperature and heat radiation." Xie Zhongli told reporters that in other words, the body is out of control and cannot regulate its temperature by sweating, so too much heat is accumulated in the body, causing damage to the nerve organs. The symptoms of heatstroke are usually excessive sweating, fever, thirst, shortness of breath, weakness in the limbs, and yellow urine.

Heat stroke, which is known as the "high temperature killer", usually occurs in "high temperature" and "high humidity" weather and is the most serious type of heat stroke. Xie Zhongli introduced that when the temperature is higher than the body surface temperature, the air flow is poor, and the air humidity is high, the temperature felt by people will be higher than the actual temperature. For example, when the temperature is 35℃ and the humidity is greater than 50%, the perceived temperature must be greater than 35℃. At this time, people who are outdoors are more likely to experience symptoms of heat stroke. If the precursor heat stroke or mild heat stroke is not taken seriously at this time, it may develop into heat stroke, and the mortality rate of heat stroke is as high as 80%.

Who should be targeted for heat stroke?

"Dizziness, nausea, chest tightness, etc. are all early symptoms of heat stroke and must not be ignored. If you feel uncomfortable, you must intervene immediately." Xie Zhongli reminded everyone that it is okay to feel a little dizzy and you can just hold on. This may be a distress signal from the body. Once the maximum "load" is exceeded, symptoms such as muscle cramps and fainting will follow.

Who is more likely to get "heatstroke"? Xie Zhongli explained that people who work in high temperatures or the elderly with poor physical fitness are more likely to get heatstroke. "The elderly usually have underlying diseases, and their ability to regulate body temperature is poor, which reduces their ability to dissipate heat. They may also experience symptoms of heatstroke even in weather that most people do not feel is very hot." Xie Zhongli said that if the elderly feel unwell in high temperatures, they must go to a nearby hospital for treatment and not treat it themselves at home.

Xie Zhongli, director of the Febrile Diseases Teaching and Research Section of Zhongjing College of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was interviewed by reporters

"Many parents think it is normal for children to sweat a lot in the summer, and thus ignore the possibility of heatstroke." Xie Zhongli told reporters that when children are playing outdoors and suddenly experience symptoms such as dizziness and lack of energy, they should pay attention to whether they have heatstroke.

Xie Zhongli reminded that the high temperature period is generally between 10 am and 4 pm. During this period, both children and the elderly should avoid going out. For mild heat stroke, it is necessary to leave the hot and humid environment as soon as possible, replenish water and electrolytes, and most symptoms can be quickly relieved. In addition, wearing light and breathable clothing in summer can help the body dissipate heat and reduce the risk of heat stroke. It is recommended to choose cotton, linen and other breathable clothing and avoid wearing heavy clothing.

Learn more about refreshing drinks

Since the human body is prone to salt and vitamin deficiencies and heat stroke in hot weather, what are some "small drinks" that can help us replenish water while preventing heat stroke?

"Of course there are. Watermelon rind juice and mung bean, lily and yam soup are both good choices." Xie Zhongli told reporters that Chinese medicine believes that watermelon rind has the effects of clearing away heat and relieving summer heat, promoting fluid production and quenching thirst, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, and lowering blood pressure and relieving restlessness. It can treat a variety of diseases caused by excessive heat and damage to body fluid.

"We just need to wash and cut the watermelon rind into sections, put it in a pot, add rock sugar, add appropriate amount of water and boil it for 15 minutes, then let it cool and drink." Xie Zhongli said that eating watermelon will cause a significant increase in blood sugar, which is not good for diabetic patients who want to relieve the heat by eating watermelon. In comparison, the watermelon rind is suitable for all kinds of people and has less effect on blood sugar changes. It is a good choice for diabetic patients to relieve the heat in summer. Diabetic patients do not need to add rock sugar when boiling water, and the effect is the same.

Xie Zhongli reminded everyone that only by cooking mung beans in the right way can they achieve the effect of clearing away heat. "There are two schools of thought on the cooking method of mung beans online. Some people think that they should be boiled until they bloom, while others say that ten minutes is enough. It depends on what you want to do." Xie Zhongli said that if you want to clear away heat, you need to boil the mung beans until they bloom, and then eat all the beans and soup. If you want to detoxify, you don't need to boil them until they bloom, and just let the beans separate.