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13| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,June 14,2018 theifp.ca ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday, June 21, 2018 | 5:00 - 6:00 pm Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital 3001 Hospital Gate, Oakville, ON By-law changes will be recommended. Audited financial statements will be available at the meeting. RSVP to aradford@haltonhealthcare.comwww.haltonhealthcare.com New OptOmetry Office in DOwntOwn GeOrGetOwn Dr. Ben Giddens Dr. Andrea Kozma Dr. Stephanie Britton has opened a 2nd location at the mill Street medical centre. DOwntOwn GeOrGetOwn 83 mill St | 905 873 1867 metrO plaza 371 mountainview rd S | 905 873 1861 family eye care ServiceS Day, Evening and Saturday Hours | Same day appointments for urgent eye care. Please phone. GIDDENS OPTOMETRY 221 Miller Dr., Georgetown 905-873-6776 www.GenesisHealthTeam.com WALK-IN & FAMILY CLINICFAMILY CLINIC Walk-in and Appointment Call for details We see this every year: Parent leaves kid alone in the car on a hot summer day. Child has heat stroke and dies. The question I'm often asked is: how does that happen? Heat-related illnesses are very common. Heat stroke is the byproduct of not recognizing and treat- ing an overheated person. Normal human temper- ature is 37 C (98 F). Heat stroke occurs when core body temperature rises above 41 C or 106 F. This can happen anywhere hot and humid - in a room, a car or, more commonly, outside. You see, when your en- vironment is hot, your body temperature rises. Your body will try to cope in two ways. First, you will get red and flushed as the tiny blood vessels just be- low your skin dilate. That will cool you down a bit. Then, you'll sweat. As the sweat evaporates from your skin, your body will cool down some more. These coping mecha- nisms fail when humidity is above 75 per cent. Sweat cannot evaporate, your body can't cool down, and that's when heat stroke be- comes a real danger. Certain things make you prone to heat stroke: . Hard exercise on hot, humid days . Being a kid or a senior . Poor physical fitness . Obesity . Dehydration . Exercising when sick . Being loaded down with extra clothing, sports equipment or protective gear Knowing this, a bit of common sense can pre- vent heat stroke: . Schedule activities early in the day. . Don't sit in a hot car. . Don't leave kids in the car on a hot day. . Drink lots of water. . Wear light clothes. . When you feel hot, take a break, sit in the shade, take a cool shower. When you can't prevent heat stroke, recognizing it can save a life. Symptoms include: severe muscle cramps, racing heartbeat, hyperventilation, incredi- ble thirst, headaches, light-headedness, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, confusion or even halluci- nations, collapse. If un- treated, heat stroke can lead to kidney failure, car- diac arrest and death. Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Call 911. While waiting, ask people nearby for help. Get the victim out of the heat. Remove heavy equipment, hats, shoes, even clothes. Fan them. Stick ice packs under their neck, arms, between their legs. If they're awake, get them to drink water - hos- ing them down with cool water helps. Keep cooling them until help arrives or they start to shiver. With summer around the corner, staying safe means enjoying the warm weather without worry. - Nadia Alam is a Georgetown physician and president of the Ontario Medical Association. She can be reached at na- dia.alam@oma.org. OPINION Knowing the signs of heat stroke can save a life With summer around the corner, staying safe means enjoying the warm weather without worry, writes Nadia Alam NADIA ALLAM COLUMN l GET CONNECTED Visit theifp.ca/events to submit your own community events for online publishing.