Heat stroke is a critically dangerous state your body enters into when your are vary dehydrated and body temperature remains high., and is having difficulty cooling down.

If you suffer with joint pain you can use this to your advantage. Joint pain will increase as the body becomes dehydrated if you are in a hot working environment. If you feel acute joint pain here take it as a strong warning you are very dehydrated and advancing toward a heat stroke crisis.

Learn the signs of heat stress, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke and how to avoid dangerous dehydration and avoid further health risks.

Water Is Water and All Else Is Food

Your body processes and utilizes water in a very different way than it processes and utilizes food. This is why, to your body, water is water and all else is food.

At any time anything is added to water and you drink it, your body assimilates it, or digests it as food and not water.

It is a very common error thinking you drank many different liquids and have plenty of water in you to keep you hydrated. Not so. You may have a lot of water in what you drank, but not in a way your body can fully utilize it as water, to keep you well hydrated.

For this reason low level dehydration is an ongoing chronic epidemic condition in the greatest part of our population. Critical body functions that water alone serves, are continuously not fully met.

This is a dangerous condition because it puts your body in a position to become more easily diseased. It also puts you in a dangerous category, in the right hot working environment, to accelerate you to levels of dehydration that lead to Heat Stress, Heat Exhaustion, and Heat Stroke.

You don't want to go there! Once you have experienced Heat Stress or Heat Stroke you have crossed a line for which there is no return. You will always be more sensitive and more susceptible to Heat Stress or Heat Stroke the rest of your life, and may suffer permanent health damage for the rest of your life.

Signs of RISK for Heat Stress

Not acclimated to heat (normally requires 10 – 14 days) Exposure to accumulative days (2 – 3 days) of any of the following: Increased heat exposure Increased exertion levels Lack of sleep Taking medications (prescription or over the counter drugs) Sunburn or heat rash preventing effective sweating Age over 35 Poor fitness Overweight Use of alcohol in the past 24 hours Minor illnesses that labor the immune system placing you in a weaker condition for Heat Illness.

Signs of Dehydration

Low level dehydration is often indicated by low energy that tends to linger for hours if not all day. Foggy thinking is noticeable, too.

As dehydration increases warning signs become more evident telling you of approaching danger of Heat Stress or Heat Stroke with it's threat of possible pending death.

Learn to recognize the signs of Heat Stress or Heat Exhaustion or Heat Stroke.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Heat Stress

Low energy. Loss of mental clarity. Headaches and / or dizziness Upset stomach, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting. Muscle cramps (increase salt intake for a day), Unsteady walk, hyperventilation, cool moist skin Acute joint pain

Serious Signs and Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion or Heat Stroke

Excessive tiredness or heavily fatigued. Hot red or flushed dry skin in hot dry environments, dry or moist skin in humid environments. Incoherent and labored thinking, loss of focus, loss of memory, confusion, high irritability, seizures. Hot body with high fever. Weak or rapid pulse. Vomiting, convulsions. Pinch an area skin – if does not retract instantly person is critically dehydrated. Exhaustion to a point of collapsing and the body progressing into shock. Unresponsive. Coma.

Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion Treatment

Rest in shade or cooled building, loosen clothing. Take sips of pure water (water at room temperature only) – not to exceed a quart in the hour. (Pure water would be reverse osmosis water, or better yet, distilled water) May need to contact medical personnel to discuss evaluation of heat victim.

For Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion – Call 911

Lay person down in shade with feet elevated one foot. Treat for shock except cool body – do not cover to warm body. Respectfully remove or loosen some clothing to eliminate restraint and allow cooling. Reduce body temperature rapidly, but do not chill. Apply cold water over person and fan – apply ice packs in crotch, under-arms, and back of neck only – nowhere else for ice packs. Give sips of water while awaiting ambulance – never gulp or take large swallows, body will likely reject it, or patient can suddenly die (especially if cold water). Monitor airways and breathing while awaiting ambulance.

Drink pure water throughout the day not to exceed 1 ½ quarts in an hour and not more than 3 gallons a day, but not less than 1 ½ gallons in high heat working conditions – aim for 2 gallons. One quart per hour is recommended guideline in high heat working environment.

Do not sip water continuously – it confuses digestive processes and can lead to water intoxication (too much water consumed in a short time, and can cause a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions). Plan 30 to 60 minutes between drinking 16 to 32 fluid ounces of pure water.

Refreshing as it seems, AVOID drinking cold water as it restricts water absorption making it difficult to rehydrate or recover from heat exposure.

If this is surprising to you then you need to consider improving your water drinking habits. Assuming past habits are still acceptable will be proven otherwise by accelerated aging and future poor health.

Eat regular meals. Do not skip meals, and separate water and food by at least a half hour on one side of one or the other. Drink small amounts of water during a meal only to assist swallowing (chew your food long enough till it becomes liquid and you won't require water assistance to eat – for better health, too). Salt may be added to the meal, but high salt intake or salt tablets are NOT recommended.

Rest more often (in shade) in high heat work environments. Rest means minimal physical activity.

Other fluids. Maintain vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes through diet, drinks, or good nutritional supplements. Many of these nutrients are lost in high heat working environments, and it is important to replace them sometime during the working day.

Sports drinks are very poor choices for re-hydration as they are commonly low in needed electrolytes and have excessive salt content. Search for quality drinks such as juices, or special quality brand electrolyte drink mixes.

Any drinks containing caffeine dehydrate your body slightly more than the fluids they supply. Some of these drinks include coffee, high energy drinks, soda pop, green tea and most other teas. Be aware: Some medications act as diuretics and remove fluids from the body – plan for this situation.

Urine Test: Monitor your urine that it is very light yellow telling your you are drinking enough water. Yellow to very yellow tells you you are dehydrated and are not drinking enough water.

Heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and heat stress are easy to avoid with good planning and water usage. They are also easy to treat. Learn to recognize the difference in joint pain when working in hot environments. Discover how it can be a party of your early warning systems. You will quickly learn how important good hydration is to joint pain relief.