Heat Stroke is diagnosed when your body starts to overheat from either the sun or long periods of exposure to high temperatures. Heat Stroke has the ability to cause minor or major medical damage to any individual. If left untreated, it can worsen and quickly start to damage your internal organs. If you believe you are starting to see signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, visit our primary care clinic to get treatment immediately.

Heatstroke can be caused or result from:

• Exposure to high-heat temperatures

Heat Stroke can be caused by being out in extreme high-heat temperatures which will lead the body’s core temperature to rise to dangerous levels

• Extreme strenuous activity

Heat Stroke can be caused by an increase in strenuous activity which results in the body’s core temperature rising to extreme levels

• An excessive amount of clothing being worn

Not allowing your body to naturally secret sweat and evaporate to help cool your body down, can also cause heat stroke

• Drinking alcohol in excessive amounts

Drinking alcohol in excessive amounts, especially during warmer temperatures can cause a negative effect on your body, as the limits your body will take will start to decrease and then your body will slowly stop regulating your body’s core temperature which will rise

• Severe dehydration

Not bringing enough clear fluids like water or sports drinks to help replenish the fluids you are losing throughout the day from sweating can cause severe dehydration and lead to heatstroke

Depending on the severity of your body’s signs and symptoms from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, find out if you need assistance from primary care physicians or the emergency room for medical attention. However, if you are able to do these at-home treatments before you leave to help cool your body down faster:

• Relaxing in a cooler place, preferably with air conditioning or in a shady area with a fan directed at you
• Drunk cold clear fluids like water or hydrate with a sports drink
• Wear loose-fitting clothing or remove articles of clothing to help your body sweat and evaporate to cool you down
• Enjoy a cool shower or bath, or layer your body with cold towels on your skin to cool yourself down

If your heatstroke symptoms continue, you will need to visit primary care or the emergency room immediately to be treated. Primary care or an emergency room can offer many things to help with your heatstroke which differ from at-home remedies:

• Immersing you in a cold or ice water bath
• Providing evaporation cooling techniques
• Applying ice packs or cooling blankets to your entire body
• Offer medication to help stop the shivering

Many will suffer from a heat-related illness once in their life, this is when the body’s core temperature starts to rise and go to extremely dangerous levels. Heatstroke is considered one of the worst forms of heat illness you can encounter. A few of the symptoms you need to be on the lookout for include:

• Dizziness
• Light-headedness
• Weakness
• Clumsiness
• Poor coordination
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Muscle aches
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Depending on the circumstances, sweating may not be enough to help reduce your body’s core temperature. If a person’s core temperature rises too quickly, it can start to cause severe internal damage to your organs and other tissues, like your brain cells. A few issues that may also limit your body’s ability to help regulate heat include old age, youth (ages 0-4), obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and substance abuse. If heat stroke goes untreated, it will begin to affect your organs and other vital parts of the body.

Heat Stroke and sunstroke are the same conditions just used under different names depending on where you are from. We have the treatment options to help with your heatstroke symptoms.

If you or someone you know is showing signs or symptoms of heat stroke or sunstroke visit our primary care at Rocky Mount Family Medical. Feel free to call us or book an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 240 East 13th Street Merced, CA 95341. We serve patients from Rocky Mount NC, Nashville NC, Westry NC, Dortches NC, Red Oak NC, and Sharpsburg NC.