Dealing with the Heat: Part XXIV?

The official start of high school football around here is tomorrow.   Sure, teams have been working out, running drills, and getting everything into full swing for a while now, but tomorrow, they can all put on the pads and get serious about it.

Because of that, I'm going to talk about the topic I have most frequently addressed in this space:  Dealing with the heat.  This is like "Dealing with the Heat--Part XXIV" or something like that.  It may be redundant but it is important.

We live in the hot, humid south and it is a huge problem for our athletes and the athletic trainers that take care of them.   Rare is the year that among the hundreds of athletes that we take care of, that no one has problems with the heat.

This time, I'm going to keep it real simple:  Stay hydrated and stay as cool as you can.  Basic care and prevention of heat problems, what we call "heat-related illness," really is that simple. 

As for hydration, the debate about water or sports drinks continues.  I happen to agree with  Dr. Dan Benardot, a friend and acquaintance of mine who also happens  to be a nutrition professor at Georgia State University and  a world-renowned authority on heat and hydration.

Dr. Benardot is an advocate of sports drinks.   We know that sports drinks exit the stomach more slowly than water but are absorbed in the intestines more quickly.  What that means is that the water (which is what it's all about anyway) makes it into your system more quickly that way.

We also know that we drink fluids more readily if they taste good, giving further nod to the sports drink side of the debate.  The bottom line is that you need to drink lots of fluids--probably a lot more than you think you should.

We also need to stay cool.  There is a reason that there are so many high-tech, synthetic sports wear companies.  That stuff works. 

We sweat for a reason--cooling by evaporation.  Our skin is a very good mechanism for keeping us cool but these garments help the skin do its job more effectively.  Cotton or dark clothing just don't work and may impede the body's ability to dissipate heat.

In sports like football where the equipment (helmet, shoulder pads) get in the way of evaporative cooling, it becomes more important to take breaks, get in the shade when you can, and stay hydrated.

The best first aid when someone is getting too hot is ice and water.  The very best method is cold water immersion;  putting someone in a tub of cold water.  That's why you'll see a kid's wading pool or horse trough at our football practice sites, since that's where the most frequent heat-related problems occur. 

Above all else, remember that if anyone stops sweating, you have a medical emergency on your hands.  If you don't do the right thing, they may have only minutes to live. 

All about sports?

OK.  Somebody (besides my wife) has complained that I occasionally use this space for something other than sports.  Guilty.

In about 28 years of writing this column, I've covered about everything.   Originally only about sports injuries, I have since strayed far and wide.

I get stopped all the time with folks saying "I read your column."  Just a couple of weeks ago, in the parking lot of a local grocery store (always buy local), a lady pulled in beside me just so her husband could chat about my column.

But I'm obviously not pleasing all the people, all the time.

My wife prefers that I write about what I probably know best--health care, especially as it pertains to athletes.  When I wrote about cats and dogs a couple of weeks ago, she wondered out loud if I had finally run out of topics.

I suppose when I'm getting all preachy about what it takes to be a good parent maybe that should be in the Lifestyles Section but then those parents that seem to need the most help seem to be found around youth sports.

Or when I address obesity, maybe that should go somewhere else too except that the single most important ingredient in controlling your weight is to lead an active lifestyle and exercise and sports are vital components of that.

My personal anti-smoking campaign has little to do with sports except that if you smoke your kids are likely to smoke and your kids are my athletes and I want the best for them (and I think that you do too).

And then there's religion and politics.  I avoid those mostly but I have gone there a time or two, against sage counsel.   I'm not an evangelist but I hope that you see my spiritual side when you read my words.

As for politics, I'm pretty involved in that too.  I truly believe that you are part of the solution or you are part of the problem.  I know with certainty that if you are not involved in the political process, someone else is going to be making decisions about you, how you live your life...pretty much everything.

Including sports.   Politics and sports?  Sure.   Think about the BCS, Congressional steroid hearings, and laws about what to do when an athlete gets a concussion.

I guess the family vacation piece last week was a little far-fetched for the Sports Section but then (you knew something was coming, didn't you..) most of the best athletes that I know have a strong support system and I believe that starts with families.

So at least for a while, I'm going to write about dealing with heat and sprained ankles and concussions and all that.  And about my bicycle.  Can't forget the bicycle.  I might digress a bit now and then but I'll try and stay focused. 

But I guess the reality of it is that I'm still gonna write about life.   Because, in the end, isn't it all wrapped up in the same package?

Prescience

I just got back from a family vacation, a week at the beach.  We had fun but Tropical Storm Debby arrived the same day we did and with four kids under 6, there was always a crisis.   Somebody was always stressed for some reason or another.   Some cried, some whined, and then there were the kids.

I think when we plan these things, our vision is for perfect weather, beautiful scenery, and absence of conflict.   The food is just what everyone wants and the world is perfect.

The reality is usually quite different.   We burn the toast, run out of milk, and the toilet runs over because of something that shouldn't have been put in there.

In my opinion, that's part of what makes these trips special.  I mean, come on...what do you remember about your vacation 5 years ago?  Do you remember the  sunsets and the camaraderie or do you remember the flight delays (which forced everyone to build a living room in your own corner of the airport terminal) or the time you had to make a meal out of just what was in the fridge because the rain was coming down too hard to venture a repeat trip to the grocery store?

Do you remember that you simply found a way to get along?  Or played games for hours because the car broke down and you couldn't get out of the hotel?

We simply don't remember the easy times as readily.  It's the mistakes and problems that we encounter that really stick in our minds.

I bet your family starts lots of conversations just like ours does.  "Remember the time..." is the precursor to many a fine discussion.  

Don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of wonderful trips and this one was most excellent.  I've been blessed to travel a lot and have enjoyed times far and wide.   My family gets along well and we laugh and enjoy each other's company.

But to tell you that they have all been lovely and without conflict is a stretch.  

I think that's the way life is.   We might want everything to be perfect and smooth and always easy but that really isn't real.   Life is filled with obstacles and difficulties.  

Life isn't all about those majestic mountains and walks in the park, hand in hand.  It's not about everything being easy.  Life doesn't mean that you'll never be hurt, that you will never have an argument, that everything will always be perfect.

In fact, that may not be the way it needs to be.   What would we learn if life never taught us the lessons to be learned about dealing with difficulty, hardship, and conflict? 

Life is about saying what you mean and meaning what you say.   About treating others as you want to be treated.  It's about seeing others for who they are and not what they've done for you or what they have.

Life is about who you love, who you trust, and who is there for you at the end of the day. 

Protect your noggin

If you read this even occasionally., you probably already knew that I ride a bicycle.  

Friends, family, and bare acquaintances often question my sanity since I choose to share roads on a two-wheeled, self-propelled vehicle that weighs barely 20 pounds with vehicles weighing in excess of 2000-4000 pounds, wearing what is not much more than a piece of plastic covered Styrofoam on my head.  

I mean, there is no doubt that if a bicycle collides with a car or truck, the bicycle loses.   Every time.  Yet, I'm still out there and plan on being out there as long as my body allows.  

But one thing I will not do:   Ride without a helmet.   Ever.  I won't roll down my driveway without a helmet on my head.

Statistics tell us that bicycle helmets save lives.     According to the New England Journal of Medicine, riders with helmets had an 85% reduction in their risk of head injury and an 88% reduction in their risk of brain injury.  

Unfortunately, the Center for Disease Control, reports that  only 15 to 25 percent of children 14 and under usually wear a bicycle helmet.

In Tennessee, that is against the law.   The Tennessee Bicycle Helmet Statute  (Tennessee Code Annotated 55-52-105) says:  "With regard to any bicycle used on a state roadway, it is unlawful for any person under sixteen (16) years of age to operate or be a passenger on a bicycle unless at all times when so engaged such person wears a protective bicycle helmet of good fit fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet...."

Yet, I see kids all the time riding without a helmet.  

Again, according to the Center for Disease Control,  Head injuries account for 62% of bicycle-related deaths, for 33% of bicycle-related emergency department visits, and for 67% of bicycle-related hospital admissions.

The Snell Memorial Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to research, education, testing, and development of helmet safety standards.   They have found that the number of bicycling head injuries requiring hospitalization exceeds the total of all head injuries from baseball, football, skateboards, horseback riding, snowboarding, ice hockey, in-line skating, and lacrosse.  Combined.

That indirect costs for injuries to unhelmeted cyclists are $2.3 billion yearly. 

And According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, Ninety-one percent of bicyclists killed in 2009 weren't wearing helmets.

Convinced yet?

What I also see too often is mom and/or dad riding without a helmet but the kids are wearing theirs.  What, your brain isn't as important as theirs?  Suffer a serious brain injury and see how it impacts your kids.

So, the bottom line, is if you're on a bicycle, wear a helmet.   And not the cheapest one you can find at the big box store.   Your noggin is too important for that.

Go to a bike shop and get a good one.  Get a bike shop employee to help make sure it is a good fit and then ask them to teach you how to wear it properly.   If they don't seem to have time, you're in the wrong shop.

Cats and Dogs

I've always heard that there are "Cat People" and "Dog People."  I've had a few cats through the years but I may  be a dog person since I can't remember any of their names.

There are also "True Dog People" that are totally devoted to their pets.   Their lives revolve around their dogs.  Dog sitters, dog walkers, dog groomers...I can understand all of those.  Dog psychologists and doggie day-care, not so much.

I really haven't owned a dog since I was a teenager.   Back then it was a non-descript mutt that was brown so was named Brownie and was notable only because she really didn't like anybody.  I really didn't consider Brownie a real dog.

I had a real dog once.   It was a beagle that I got when I was about 6.   I named it Bubbles after a killer whale that I saw at Sea World right before I got him.   The bad news is that he died not too long afterward.   We think he got bitten by a snake.

There was another real dog that lived at our house but it really belonged to my daughter.   But then said daughter moved away to college and Bubba the Dalmatian became mine, heart and soul.   This dog lived for me to get home in the evening, forgoing food all day until I got home and he could confirm that it was truly me.

Forget fetching or chasing squirrels--riding beside me in the front seat of our Jeep with the top down and the doors off was truly heaven on earth for Bubba.

Bubba helped me understand True Dog People.  He grieved when I was gone on a business trip or was otherwise away from him for a few days.   I was gone for a week one time and we thought he would starve.

The night I buried him, I cried like a baby.

My wife and I had one other dog but it wasn't a real dog either.   It was a Shih Tzu named McGhee after our favorite character on a TV show we used to watch, back when we had time to watch TV.  This dog was rendered permanently insane when we were forced to shave her after not properly caring for her long coat.  Really.

The reality of it though is that dogs love you no matter what you do.   Despite the cruelty, I bet Michael Vick's dogs probably at least liked him.   Such is the devotion of a dog.

Dogs are loyal companions that really don't care what mood you're in.   Happy when you come home?  Oh heck no...they are deliriously joyful!  Your arrival simply made their day complete.

That's probably why I never really liked cats.   A dog looks at you and thinks: "He feeds me, he pets me, he must be God".  A cat looks at you and thinks: "He feeds me, he pets me, I must be God"

Dogs are so good at this love thing that we can actually learn about love from them.   Maybe that's why some people seem to like dogs more than people.  You can hardly blame them.   I think I'm the only person in America that has been disappointed by a dog.

OK, so it's pretty clear I'm a Dog Person but I think my wife and I will probably never own another.   After Bubba, it would be all downhill.