Natural Body Guru

When I left work at 5:00 pm, the thermometer said 106 degrees. The temperature in my car had to be 10-15 degrees hotter than that, at least it felt that way to me. I saw a rake in the yard when I got home and our yard looked neat and trim so I knew my husband had cut the grass and trimmed the shrubs. I wondered why the rake was still out and one section of the yard had lots of leaves still on it.

I asked my honey about the rake and he said he started feeling lightheaded around 1:30 pm so he thought he would go in the house for a while and go back out later to finish the yard. He was outside from 7:30 am until 1:30 pm – no wonder he had heat exhaustion. He came in and took a cold shower, continued to drink water and then proceeded to work in the house as usual. When I got home, his muscles had locked on him and I treated him for heat exhaustion. It was a good thing he took a cold shower or I may have had to take him to the hospital emergency room because heat exhaustion can easily lead to heatstroke.

Not drinking enough water or replacing the salt your body loses when the temperature soars into the 100s is dangerous. If you feel dizzy, faint, and nauseous (you may not even feel thirsty) get out of the sun, retire to the shade or go inside. Then drink as much water as you can. Try to drink 3 quarts of water with 1 teaspoon of salt added. Apply undiluted lavender or eucalyptus essential oil to your temples, the back of your neck, and your solar plexus (upper abdomen), and breathe deeply.