University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

UB physician discusses staying cool

Even healthy people need to take care to stay cool and hydrated during heat waves, says Richard V. Lee, professor of medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and social and preventive medicine at UB, who offers this timely advice to university employees, their families and the public at large.

“It’s important for everyone to maintain their water-electrolyte balance,” he says. “For that reason, if you are drinking 8 to 12 glasses of water per day, you need to make sure that one of those glasses contains Gatorade, or fruit or tomato juice so that you are replacing the electrolytes. If all you do is drink water, you can dilute the amount of sodium in your blood. When you do that, you don’t sweat as efficiently, which can cause you to stop thinking correctly, and lead to fatigue and muscle weakness.”

An expert in geographic medicine and public health, Lee adds that young people who may be attending sports practice sessions during this heat wave need to heed their coaches’ advice about resting and drinking.

“This is the kind of weather that fosters heat stress and heat stroke,” he says. “That’s when you can’t thermoregulate the way you normally do. Normally, our bodies thermoregulate by dilating the blood vessels in our skin and radiating heat, but if you get really dehydrated and your electrolytes become depleted, then you no longer have the ability to cool your skin by sweating. That’s when people become a sort of hot box and that’s when heat stroke can occur.”

Both the very young and the very old need special attention, he adds. “Older people, especially those with medical conditions who are taking medications should probably check with their family doctors about what they need to do during this heat wave,” he says. “People taking diuretics for blood pressure, for example, will be urinating a lot so they need to be careful about maintaining the water-electrolyte balance,” he says. “They shouldn’t overdo their salt intake.”

Lee adds that just like the elderly, babies don’t thermoregulate well either and they, too, can become feverish just because they are too hot. In those cases, he says, a cool bath and more fluids are helpful.

Employee discounts offered

UB employees can take advantage of numerous discounts at local restaurants and hotels, banks, wellness providers and many others. The discounts are part of the university’s commitment to helping employees establish “the proper balance between a meaningful work experience and time for family, friends and self,” according to a statement on the Human Resources website.

To take advantage of the discounts, employees are asked to show their UB card or print out the coupon attached within the site. For full details, go to the HR website and click on “Campus Discounts.”