Syracuse.com - Tips to avoid frostbite and hypothermia during CNY's deep freeze

[HuntingNY-News]

Have a frostbite/hypothermia tale you'd like to share? Send it to David Figura at [email protected].

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- With the thermometer hovering around zero today and the wind chill factor making it even colder, the danger of frostbite and hypothermia are ever-present.

Dr. Jeremy Joslin, director of Upstate Medical Center's Wilderness and Expedition Medicine program, discussed the dangers of frostbite and hypothermia, and steps to take should an individual have these medical conditions.

What is frostbite?

It's when the water in the cells in a part of your body actually freeze and the cells die. You can have it at the skin level, or deeper in your muscles or bones. If it's only at the skin level, that's not so bad since skin cells will grow back. I wouldn't want to diminish the seriousness of frostbite to the your skin, though. That can have serious consequences. If it's down to the muscle or bone level, those cells won't grow back and you may have to have that body part amputated.

How do you know you have frostbite?

Pain is number one. As it advances, the pain starts and the skin turns a bright red. Once cell death occurs, you get a waxy appearance without redness. Sometimes blisters form. I've seen frostbite plenty of times here at Upstate. Frostbite doesn't just happen on Mt. Everest. It will turn black weeks or even months later. Read more about this.

If you have it or suspect you have it, what should you do?

Rewarm the body part. For your hands, run them under warm water. It will sting, but that's OK. A common mistake, though, is for an individual to misjudge how hot the water is. Sometimes individuals end of scalding themselves. It's best to test the water temperature with another part of your body that's not affected. If rewarming the body part doesn't help, it's best to seek medical help immediately.

What is hypothermia?

It's when your entire body temperature drops below normal. The average body temperature is 98.6 degrees. You go into hypothermia when your temperature drops below 95.

What are the warning signs?

The first warning sign is you start to shiver. Shivering is your body's way of combating the drop in temperature. The muscles created heat by shivering. If you continue to stay out in the cold, your ability to shiver decreases. You get drowsy and confused, and you start having sluggish thinking. Your coordination is impacted and you have trouble moving your body, particularly your arms and your hands. Your ability to rescue yourself becomes affected. Some people have been known to just lay down and go to sleep and end up never waking up. In some cases, the person exhibits paradoxical undressing, where they think they're burning hot and take off their clothing, which makes them even colder.

If you or someone you know has hypothermia, what should you do?

Once again, warm yourself. Use common sense. If you come across someone who is any colder than the mere shivering stage, it's wise to seek medical help - immediately. Your heart can have arrhythmia (irregular fast or slow beating) when you get too cold.

One wonders about individuals who are outdoor sports enthusiasts, such as duck hunters, ice fishermen or snowmobilers who travel across frozen bodies of water. If someone falls in the water today, about how long would it take before hypothermia sets in?

There's two phases. The first is when you first go in the water. Initially, the shock response hits you, so if you don't get your head above the water almost immediately there's a danger of your lungs filling up with water and drowning. This isn't like a shock that sets in like other kinds of shock. This is like "shock and awe." shock. The first 10 seconds are the most dangerous. Get your head above water as soon as you can and keep it above the water.

If you fall through the ice, get your hands and arms out of the water and on to the top of the ice as soon as possible. Get out as soon as you can. It's not uncommon, though, for people to survive after being in the water for 45 minutes to an hour under such conditions.

If you're initially getting cold or you start getting the chills, is it a good thing to drink alcohol, such as taking a shot of whisky?

It makes things worse. First, it can affect your judgment and behavior. It will initially make you feel better. However, alcohol causes your blood vessels to dilate, which results in you actually losing more body heat and making your condition worse.

What about a drink of a hot drink, such as coffee, tea or cocoa?

When you're cold, that's the best way to reheat yourself.

HAVE A FROSTBITE/HYPOTHERMIA TALE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE?

Send it David Figura at [email protected]

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog