Home Remedies for Heat Stroke
Heat stroke, also called as heat exhaustion or sunstroke can be a life-threatening condition.
Heatstroke is a type of hyperthermia which denotes the body’s inability to regulate its normal temperature (98.6 degrees Farenheit) resulting in high body temperatures.
Heat Stroke Causes
The main cause of heat stroke is high atmospheric temperature. In a situation where people overexert themselves with play or strenuous work with prolonged excessive exposure to the sun, heat and/or humid climate, they lose body fluids via sweat. The body’s failure to deal with the heat can result in dehydration and high risk of illnesses.
People at high risk of heat stroke are sports persons, outdoor laborers such as construction site workers, miners and even chefs and cooks. Young children and elderly people are also vulnerable to sun stroke.
Other common causes of heat stroke are alcoholism, wearing excessive clothing, cardiovascular disease, sweat gland dysfunction, certain medications, obesity and pregnancy.
Heat Stroke Symptoms
Symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion can be similar to those of a heart attack. These are fatigue, headache, dizziness, decreased perspiration or no sweat, fast pulse rate, difficulty in breathing, confusion, agitation, seizure. Dry skin due to dehydration is a common occurrence. Hallucinations, senile behavior, nervousness, anxiety and even unconsciousness may occur in some. Heatstroke symptoms may go away after a while but skin damage of a dehydrated skin takes time to recover. Heat exhaustion treatment care is necessary to deal with heat stroke effects.
Home Remedies for heat stroke
Treatment for heat stroke involves simple dietary management, natural remedies to lower body temperature with simple tips and herbal therapy. It may turn into a medical emergency and hospitalization without prompt care. The idea is to lower body temperature as soon as possible.
- Loosen tight clothes and remove excess clothing to enable inactive cooking.
- Move heatstroke victim to a cool shady place and keep them in a sitting inclined pose so that the airways remain open.
- Damp towel sponging particularly on forehead is great to cool down the person.
- Diet for Heatstroke: Drink plenty of water, electrolytes, juices and glucose water to keep the victim well hydrated.
- Relax and stay in cool sheltered places for a few days.
- Use chamomile flowers as a herbal therapy to treat sunstroke. This is an area for further research as this therapy has not been confirmed as effective as yet.
- Ayurveda speaks about basil seeds, also known as sabja seeds, takmaria or falooda seeds as the best known dietary substance to reduce body heat and produce a cooling effect on the stomach. These are the black seeds which float on milk. The seeds swell up on soaking in milk. Usually rose water is added to this falooda drink. Drink this like a milkshake along with the black basil seeds.
The natural remedies for heatstroke are alleviative and even preventive. Prompt medical attention is absolutely essential for heat stroke and heat exhaustion treatment.
