By Sue Danielson

Winter Weather Health Tips

With winter comes the potential for illness and injury. When temperatures drop significantly below normal, staying warm and safe can be a challenge. Here are some helpful reminders for winter:

1. Eating well-balanced meals will help you stay warmer. Do not drink alcoholic beverages—they cause your body to lose heat more rapidly. Instead, drink warm, sweet beverages such as hot chocolate to help maintain your body temperature.
    
2. If you plan to use a wood stove, fireplace, or space heater, be extremely careful. Store a multipurpose, dry chemical fire extinguisher near the area to be heated.

• ​Do not burn paper in a fireplace.
• Ensure adequate ventilation by opening an interior door or slightly opening a window if you must use a kerosene heater.
• Use only the type of fuel your heater is designed to use.
• If your heater has a damaged electrical cord or produces sparks, don't use it.
• Use fireplaces, wood stoves, and other combustion heaters only if they are properly vented to the outside and do not leak flue gas into the indoor air space. Make sure chimneys and flues are cleaned periodically.
• Do not place a space heater near things that may catch on fire, such as drapes, furniture, or bedding.

    3. What is the best clothing to wear?

Adults and children should wear a hat, scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth, sleeves that are snug at the wrist, mittens (they are warmer than gloves), water-resistant coat and shoes, and several layers of loose-fitting clothing. Be sure the outer layer of your clothing is tightly woven, preferably wind resistant, to reduce body-heat loss caused by wind. Wool, silk, or polypropylene inner layers of clothing will hold more body heat than cotton. Stay dry—wet clothing chills the body rapidly. Excess perspiration will increase heat loss, so remove extra layers of clothing whenever you feel too warm. Also, avoid getting gasoline or alcohol on your skin while de-icing and fueling your car or using a snow blower. These materials in contact with the skin greatly increase heat loss from the body. Do not ignore shivering. It’s an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors.

1. What should I do if I get stranded in winter?

• Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna as a signal to rescuers.
• Move anything you need from the trunk into the passenger area.
• Wrap your entire body, including your head, in extra clothing, blankets, or newspapers.
• Stay awake. You will be less vulnerable to cold-related health problems.
• Run the motor (and heater) for about 10 minutes per hour, opening one window slightly to let in air. Make sure that snow is not blocking the exhaust pipe—this will reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• As you sit, keep moving your arms and legs to improve your circulation and stay warmer.
• Do not eat unmelted snow because it will lower your body temperature.

1. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death if inhaled. When power outages occur during natural disasters and other emergencies, the use of alternative sources of fuel or electricity for heating or cooking can cause CO to build up in a home, garage, or camper and poison the people and animals inside.
    
2. Hypothermia—when exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may not know it is happening and won’t be able to do anything about it. Hypothermia can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.Warnings signs of hypothermia in an adult include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands,          memory loss, slurred speech, or drowsiness.If you notice any of these signs, take the person’s temperature. If it is below 95°, the situation is an emergency—get medical attention immediately. If medical care is not available, begin warming the person, as follows:

• Get the victim into a warm room or shelter.
• Remove any wet clothing.
• Warm the center of the body first—chest, neck, head, and groin—using an electric blanket, if available. Or use skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry layers of blankets, clothing, towels, or sheets.
• Warm beverages can help increase the body temperature, but do not give alcoholic beverages. Do not try to give beverages to an unconscious person.
• After body temperature has increased, keep the person dry and wrapped in a warm blanket, including the head and neck.
• Get medical attention as soon as possible.

1. Frostbite

Frostbite is an injury to the body caused by freezing. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in affected areas. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body, and severe cases can lead to amputation. The risk of frostbite is increased in people with reduced blood circulation and among people who are not dressed properly for extremely cold temperatures. At the first signs of redness or pain in any skin area, get out of the cold or protect any exposed skin—frostbite may be beginning. Any of the following signs may indicate frostbite:

• a white or grayish-yellow skin area
• skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
• numbness

            A victim is often unaware of frostbite until someone else points it out because the frozen tissues are numb. If you detect symptoms of frostbite, seek medical care. Because frostbite and hypothermia both result from exposure, first determine whether the victim also shows signs of hypothermia, as described previously. Hypothermia is a more serious medical condition and requires emergency medical assistance.

If (1) there is frostbite but no sign of hypothermia and (2) immediate medical care is not available, proceed as follows:

• Get into a warm room as soon as possible.
• Unless absolutely necessary, do not walk on frostbitten feet or toes—this increases the damage.
• Immerse the affected area in warm—not hot—water (the temperature should be comfortable to the touch for unaffected parts of the body).
• Or, warm the affected area using body heat. For example, the heat of an armpit can be used to warm frostbitten fingers.
• Do not rub the frostbitten area with snow or massage it at all. This can cause more damage.
• Don’t use a heating pad, heat lamp, or the heat of a stove, fireplace, or radiator for warming. Affected areas are numb and can be easily burned.

Hypothermia is a medical emergency and frostbite should be evaluated by a health care provider.

1. Be prepared at home:

• Keep matches, candles, flashlights, extra blankets, food and water, and medications you might need in case you are snowed in or there is a power outage.
• Removing snow and ice from sidewalks after a snowfall is very important. Snow-covered or icy sidewalks can be slippery which can cause people to fall and injure themselves. Because of this, many municipalities have laws stating that the snow must be removed from sidewalks within a certain amount of time after the snow has stopped falling. Wearing sturdy, rubber-soled boots and taking care where you step can go far in preventing slips and falls.
• When you do go outside after a storm be properly dressed: wear layers of windproof and waterproof clothing including a hat and gloves. To prevent injuries while shoveling, try pushing the snow with short strokes instead of lifting it. Also, use your leg muscles and not your lower back to move the shovel. Take frequent rests, and again, be aware of the precautions to take with extreme cold temperatures.

1. Winter colds and flu: If you get sick, here are tips to stay healthy:

• Stay home when you are ill.
• Get plenty of fluids and rest.
• Use a vaporizer/humidifier in your room, or take long, hot showers to break up congestion.
• Gargle with salt water or diluted mouthwash for a sore throat.
• Suck on cough lozenges.
• Wash your hands often.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Elevate the head of the bed at bedtime to improve congestion and cough.
• Take ibuprofen or Tylenol for fever and body aches.
• If you have a high or persistent fever, severe headaches, have a chronic condition which may be worsened by a cold or flu, if you cannot hold down liquids, or aren’t getting better after a period of time, seek medical attention.

For more information, contact health services at 608-796-3806 or scdanielson@viterbo.edu. (Information obtained from cdc.gov.)