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00:17It's hot and for many the heat is harder to escape.
00:21But beyond the discomfort, high temperatures can place stress on the body's natural cooling system.
00:26Family practitioner Dr. Vinish Diyal Singh says dehydration can affect several parts of the body
00:32and in serious cases increase the risk of major health complications.
00:37Dehydration is when you don't have enough water in the body, which is important for a lot of bodily functions.
00:43And some of the things it can do are it can affect certain organs.
00:47Some of the organs which it can affect are the skin.
00:50So you have increased blood flow to the skin and increased sweating, which can reduce the blood volume.
00:54In turn, that decreased blood volume could cause the heart to work a little harder to pump blood throughout the
01:00body.
01:00You could get something called tachycardia, which is an increased heart rate,
01:03and that in turn could put you at risk for a heart attack.
01:05It could affect the brain in terms of causing cognitive dysfunction.
01:09What it can do is it could cause confusion, agitation, hallucination, loss of consciousness,
01:15and even seizures, which are some signs of heat stroke.
01:18That's a medical emergency.
01:19D.L. Singh says the body has its own ways of trying to stay cool,
01:23including sweating and increasing blood flow to the skin to release heat.
01:27The first is you increase sweating.
01:30What sweat does is as it evaporates, it causes heat to dissipate from the body.
01:34Secondly, it causes vasodilation, which is increasing the size of the blood vessels,
01:40and that would carry all the hot blood away from the organs to the skin for evaporation.
01:45And thirdly, what it does is the hairs on the body would stay flat as opposed to standing upright.
01:51Usually when you are cold and get goosebumps, the hairs stand upright, that is to trap heat.
01:56So the opposite happens when the body is overheating.
01:58He says the body is composed of 60% water, and it is very important to maintain certain bodily functions.
02:05Water is our main component of blood, which is important for transporting oxygen throughout the body.
02:09Also, it helps to eliminate waste via sweat, and also transporting through the blood those waste products to the kidney
02:16to be filtered out.
02:18Also, it helps in digestion.
02:20It helps to cushion the joints and the spine from shock.
02:24And finally, it helps with brain functions such as memory, cognition, mood.
02:29Hydration can also come from the foods we eat.
02:32Fruits and vegetables with high water content can contribute to our daily fluid intake.
02:38But not every drink or meal is equally helpful.
02:41In terms of fruit, vegetables, and foods, so for fruits, they have strawberries, peaches, oranges, and watermelons.
02:50In terms of vegetables that are high in water content, lettuce, tomatoes, celery.
02:56And in terms of foods, things like soup, fruit, and even yogurt are very high in water content.
03:01The heat also means taking care of our skin.
03:04Sun exposure can cause sunburn while hot conditions, and sweating can contribute to skin irritation.
03:10But how do we know when the heat is becoming dangerous?
03:14Some warning signs would be increased tooth, increased sweating, lethargy or tiredness.
03:21You may have an increased heart rate.
03:23In the case of infants, you would have a sunken fontanel, which is a soft spot in the middle of
03:29the head.
03:29Also sunken eyes.
03:31Decreased urine output.
03:33If you're not passing any or little urine in about eight hours, that's a sign of severe dehydration.
03:39Also, the urine would tend to be very dark yellow.
03:41Dr. Diel Singh says staying hydrated, finding ways to keep cool, and recognizing the warning signs can help protect our
03:48health when temperature rise.
03:50I am Charlotte Histo with tonight's Health Watch.
