Preventing Heatstroke: Understanding Symptoms and the Role of High Pressure Oxygen Therapy
In the scorching summer heat, heatstroke has become a common and serious health issue. Heatstroke not only affects the quality of daily life but also lead to severe health consequences.
What is heatstroke?
Heatstroke refers to an acute condition where the body's temperature regulation mechanism is disrupted in a high-temperature environment, causing a rise in body temperature and accompanying symptoms.
Depending on the severity of the symptoms, heatstroke can be classified as mild heatstroke (heat cramps and heat exhaustion) and severe heatstroke (heatstroke).
Mild heatstroke: Heat cramps: characterized by muscle cramps, commonly affecting the limbs and abdominal muscles. Heat exhaustion: manifested by profuse sweating, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, weakness, etc.
Severe heatstroke: the most severe form of heatstroke, characterized by high fever (body temperature exceeding 40°C), altered consciousness, coma, and in severe cases, multiple organ dysfunction, even leading to death.
Heatstroke first aid
1.Basic first aid measures
For mild heatstroke, timely first aid measures are crucial. Common first aid measures include: Quickly reduce body temperature: move the patient to a cool and ventilated area, remove excessive clothing, wipe the body with cool water, or use cold packs or ice packs to cool down. Re-hydrate: provide fluids containing salt and sugar, such as diluted salt water, sports drinks, etc., to help restore fluid balance. Monitor body temperature: closely monitor the patient's temperature and changes in symptoms, and seek medical attention if necessary.
2.Medical intervention
For severe heatstroke patients, in addition to the above first aid measures, professional medical intervention is required, including: Intravenous fluid administration: rapidly replenish fluids and correct electrolyte imbalances. Medication: use antipyretic drugs, antispasmodic drugs, etc., under a doctor's guidance. Professional cooling measures: use equipment such as ice blankets, ice caps, etc., to lower body temperature.
Application of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Heatstroke
We all know that heatstroke patients often present with hyperpyrexia, dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and multi-organ dysfunction. High temperatures lead to heat accumulation in the body, resulting in tissue hypoxia, cell damage, and metabolic disorders. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has significant effects in treating these heatstroke symptoms, including: Improving tissue hypoxia : Hyperbaric oxygen rapidly increases oxygen levels in the blood and tissues, alleviating tissue hypoxia caused by high temperatures, reducing cell damage.
Promoting metabolic recovery: Hyperbaric oxygen helps restore normal cellular metabolic function, promoting tissue repair and accelerating the recovery process. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects: Hyperbaric oxygen can reduce heatstroke-induced inflammatory and oxidative stress responses, protecting cells from further damage. Enhancing immune response: Hyperbaric oxygen increases the activity of white blood cells, strengthening the body's infection resistance, preventing and treating infections associated with heatstroke.
Moreover, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can also improve oxygen supply to the body, enhance the body's tolerance to high temperatures, and prevent heatstroke occurrence.
Understanding Air Conditioning Syndrome: Causes and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
In the scorching summer, people are spending increasing amounts of time indoors in air-conditioned rooms. However, prolonged exposure to air conditioning can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, loss of appetite, upper respiratory tract infections, and joint pain, known collectively as "air conditioning syndrome."
Air Conditioning Syndrome:
Air conditioning syndrome, more of a social diagnosis than a medical one, refers to a range of symptoms caused by prolonged exposure to a sealed air-conditioned environment. These symptoms include dizziness, headaches, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, upper respiratory infections, and joint pain. With the increased prevalence of air conditioning in modern society, the incidence of summertime "air conditioning syndrome" is on the rise, manifesting in various ways and potentially triggering respiratory, digestive, skin, and musculoskeletal issues.
Causes of Air Conditioning syndrome:
Factors contributing to air conditioning syndrome include indoor temperature, negative ion concentration, microbial conditions, individual physical constitution, and mental state. The enclosed environment created by air conditioning systems promotes the growth of microbes, reduces oxygen levels, and dries out the air, leading to discomfort and various health problems.
Role of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy:
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy offers several benefits in addressing air conditioning syndrome:
1.Effective Relief of Dizziness and Headaches: Under high-pressure conditions, oxygen dissolves in high concentrations. Inhaling pure oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber significantly increases oxygen dissolved in the blood, improving oxygen supply to tissues and organs. This can alleviate symptoms like dizziness, headaches, and fatigue resulting from inadequate oxygen levels due to prolonged air conditioning exposure.
2.Improvement of Micro-circulation: HBOT significantly enhances micro-circulation, increasing blood flow and oxygen concentration in the blood to support metabolic functions of tissues and organs, improving blood circulation-related issues and joint pain associated with air conditioning syndrome.
3.Enhanced Immune Response: By enhancing white blood cell activity, HBOT boosts immune function, helping prevent colds and infections due to weakened immunity caused by prolonged air conditioning exposure.
4.Improves dry skin and sore throat: Oxygen is essential for tissue repair and regeneration. HBOT promotes cell proliferation and differentiation, aiding in the repair of tissues affected by air conditioning-related symptoms such as dry skin and throat discomfort.
5.Anti-Inflammatory Properties: HBOT reduces the production of inflammatory factors, exerting a significant anti-inflammatory effect. This can help alleviate joint inflammation and muscle pain induced by prolonged exposure to air conditioning.
Post time: Jul-18-2024