Cold-weather advice: Avoid brain freeze

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Baby, it’s cold outside. Real cold. And it’s going to stay that way through Monday.

A wind-chill advisory that began Saturday night continues until noon today, and the forecast from the National Weather Service calls for highs around 14. Winds will be 15 to 20 mph, with wind-chill values as low as 17 degrees below zero.

Temperatures tonight will be around 3, with a wind-chill as low as 13 below. On Monday, highs will be in the mid 20s.

Common sense should tell you to bundle up if you’re going to be outside for awhile, and if you need a reason why, a local emergency room doctor has your answer.

“Most of your heat is dissipated through the scalp, so you need to cover the head if you’re going to stay warm,” Dr. David Jackson, of St. Elizabeth Health Center, said Saturday.

A stocking cap protects the ears from frostbite; and a scarf protects the nose from frostbite, he said. “As long as it’s semi-loose, you want to wear a couple of pairs of socks,” he said, warning that tightness around the feet is inadvisable because it constricts blood flow.

“If you can stay inside, do that,” he advised. Those who must go out should make sure they carry two blankets and extra hats and gloves in their vehicles so they can keep warm in case they get stranded, he added.

Hand-warmers from a sporting goods store, which can be placed on fingers and toes and under the armpits should also be carried in the vehicle, he said. They are useful for four to six hours, he said. Keeping the armpits and groin warm will keep the body’s core temperature warm, he added.

Those with asthma should wear a scarf or painter’s mask over their noses and mouths to warm the air they breathe, he advised. People with heart conditions should avoid cold-weather exertion because it puts extra strain on the heart, he added.

If someone experiences frostbite, a condition in which ice crystals form in body fluids, the affected hand or foot should be warmed in 105-degree water, Dr. Jackson said.

Avoid extremely hot water, to avoid causing burns, he said. “Don’t put them over a dry heater,” he said, referring to frostbitten hands and feet.

“Don’t rub snow on it,” Dr. Jackson said of a frostbitten extremity. “That’ll make things worse.”

If someone suffers hypothermia, the lowering of body temperature due to the cold, it’s important to change immediately from wet to dry clothes. “If they’re wet, you need to get them dry,” he said of victims.

“You lose body heat much faster when you’re wet than when you’re dry,” he explained. “You’re better off with light clothing that’s dry than heavy clothing that’s wet,” he said. “Get in a warm environment. Drink warm fluids,” and enter a bathtub or shower with warm water, he advised.

“If you’ve gone through shivering and then you stop shivering, then you’re in a very dangerous situation. You need to get to a hospital,” he said.

Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. “If you’re down into the 95-96 range, you’ll be shivering. Once you get below that, you’re not shivering. That’s very, very dangerous, because then your body is not able to produce heat to warm yourself up internally and body functions can shut down. It can be life-threatening,” he added.