Hypothermia

The condition of hypothermia can be defined as the lowering of the body temperature to such an extent that vital processes within the body begin to shut down. Hypothermia generally occurs when a person remains out of doors in very cold weather with insufficient clothing over a long period of time, staying in water for very long time-especially cold water can also cause hypothermia to develop in a person. Physical symptoms of localized hyperthermia include frostbite and chilblains affecting the coldest areas of the body. The body copes with cold by the behavior known as shivering, it is the first sign of that the body is chilled, but it helps the body to stay warm-it is thus a coping mechanism to cold, this mechanism can be stopped during hypothermia, particularly if the hypothermia progresses for a very long time. Severe hypothermia has several symptoms including complete physical exhaustion, mental dullness and confusion. Hallucinations start to affect the person as the body's temperature continues to fall during hypothermia, the rate of breathing and the heartbeat slow down to a crawl, all vital processes within the body begin to shut down and lastly the consciousness is lost and the person goes into a coma like state-if left untreated, the person will die.

Though a number of factors can increase the susceptibility to hypothermia, the main reason is an over exposure to cold for prolonged periods of time. The chances of hypothermia increases if a person gets wet, becomes physically exhausted or remains still for long periods of time out in cold water or in cold weather. The coping mechanism to cold in young children and the elderly is slower and they are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia. Because of this susceptibility, young people and elder people must be particularly well equipped to handle cold temperatures especially in the extreme winters. The ability of the body to cope with cold is also reduced by the presence of excessive alcohol and some medications within the body, these substances increase the risk of hypothermia affecting the individual. Internal factors like hunger, dehydration and external factors like a wind-chill also contribute to the probability of a person suffering from hypothermia.

Recovery is aided by consuming foods like hot tea or warm milk with honey; these liquids are effective in helping the body recover quickly from hypothermic shock. Alcoholic drinks can aggravate the conditions, and under no circumstances should alcoholic beverages be given to a person suffering from hypothermia. The natural vasodilating effects of the cayenne pepper can be utilized to aid in recovering from hypothermia; this herb will help open all the blood vessels and promotes proper circulation to continue.

Supplements and herbs

The herbs and herbal remedies given here can be used to treat hypothermia in affected individuals.

Make the affected individual drink a warm ginger tea to warm the body from within. The circulation within the body is supported by ginger which is a mild stimulant and this result in an increased flow of blood to the stomach. Sweating can result if the herbal tea is drunk boiling hot, this can result in the loss of body heat-to avoid this situation make sure the tea is used only after it has cooled down a little.

What else you can do

To return some warmth into the affected person’s body as quickly as possible, make sure to remove the source of cold or shelter the person from the cold. If the person is out of doors, get him or her indoors as quickly as possible and make them lie down-if in the water, then pull them out of the water as quickly as possible. Make sure to remove all the wet clothing and carefully dry the body. Use warm and dry blankets to wrap the victim, if a sleeping bag is available make the person lie inside along with another person-this will heat him or her faster. A hot-water bottles applied to the side of the chest can also warm the person really fast.