Beware of heat stroke

“The stroke of death is as a lover’s pinch, which hurts and is desired.” William Shakespeare

By Alex P. Vidal

FEUDING Bacolod politicians, Mayor Monico “Nyok” Puentevella and Rep. Evelio “Bing” Leonardia, are expected to meet again in Las Vegas, Nevada during the Fight of the Century between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. on May 2.

Both Negros leaders are actually close buddies of the eight-time world titlist, who speaks fluent Hiligaynon like them.

Sometime in August 2005, Puentevella visited Pacquiao in his training camp in the house of our friend, international promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud, in Cebu City.

Pacquiao stopped training when he noticed that his friend, who was then “Congressman Puentevella”, was present.  

Pacquiao was then revving up for his September bout against Hector Velasquez in Los Angeles.  

Leonardia has been holding Pacquiao’s WBC belt during the introduction since 2008 when Pacquiao eked out a 12-round split decision in a rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez.

When other interested characters (not Puentevella) tried to grab the belt from Leonardia during the Ricky Hatton fight in 2009, the traditional holding of belt has been stopped.

Leonardia was still there in the ring during introductions in Pacquiao’s succeeding fights, but he was already holding the Philippine flag.

Both Leonardia and Puentevella have not displayed any rancor and hostility while they were beside Pacquiao.

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WARNING to would-be politicians who are now starting to make rounds in the villages amid the searing summer heat in preparations for the 2016 elections: beware of heat stroke.

A 53-year-old tour guide from Guimaras Province, who spent many years in Canada after his retirement as sailor in the 90s, recently died of heat stroke in Iloilo City.

The tour guide, who once dabbled as bodyguard of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago when the later was campaigning for president in 1992, wanted to run for a public office in his province next year, thus he frequented various villages to shake the hands of constituents even if humidity was on its alarming heat these past months.

In one of his sorties, he collapsed and didn’t make it to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao district, Iloilo City recently.

Who are prone to heat stroke?

According to health experts, they are those who have chronic illnesses like heart disease, obesity, alcoholism, old age, Parkinson’s disease, uncontrolled diabetes, those who use certain medications such as diuretics and antihistamines, and those who use some psychoactive drugs as alcohol and cocaine.

SUNSTROKE

Also known as sunstroke, thermic fever or siriasis, heat stroke occurs when our body’s mechanisms for controlling temperature fail, according to C.Health.

In other words, it’s a life-threatening emergency needing immediate treatment.

“While many people feel sick and faint during heat waves,” it explains, “most of these people are suffering from heat exhaustion, a related condition usually less serious than heat stroke.”

C.Health stresses that the causes of heat stroke is working or exercising in hot conditions or weather without drinking enough fluids.

“You can get heat stroke by not replacing lost fluids over days or weeks, or you can bring it on in a few hours by exercising strenuously on a hot day without drinking plenty of liquids first,” warns C.Health.

Why we need more liquids in the body, especially this summer?

C.Health says liquids help to cool us down by allowing the body to produce sweat.

“However,” it stresses, “liquids are also necessary for bodily functions, such as keeping up blood pressure. You can lose large amounts of body fluid in the form of sweat without noticing any effects, but at a certain point the body will reserve the remaining fluid for vital functions and stop sweating.

“The body’s core temperature then shoots up, and cells start dying. Sweat evaporates more rapidly in dry weather, cooling the body more efficiently than in humid weather.

“When working in humid conditions, the core temperature rises more rapidly. This is why forecasts add a humidity factor or heat index to represent how you will actually feels outdoors.”

HEAVY

Health experts also warn that heavy clothing and some skin conditions can also contribute to the occurrence of heat stroke.

The symptoms of heat stroke are quite different from those of heat exhaustion, C.Health warns further.

A person suffering from heat exhaustion will usually be sweating profusely in an attempt to get rid of excess heat, it explains.

“Someone with heat stroke has stopped sweating, due to a failure in his or her heat control system. High core temperatures damage the internal organs, especially the brain. The fluid loss can also produce dangerously low blood pressure,” C.Health points out.

“Most people who are killed by heat stroke die when their heart stops pumping effectively (circulatory failure). Even people who survive are likely to have permanent brain damage if their core temperature has been over 40.6C (105F) for more than an hour or two.”