When hot drinks help keep you cool
Drinking something hot might actually cool you down.
Why it matters: As millions of Americans experience record-breaking heat this summer, finding ways to cool down and stay hydrated is more important than ever.
What they're saying:"When we have a hot drink, we sweat more, and when we sweat more, it cools us down more than, say, a cold drink," William Kornrich, internal medicine specialist at NYU Langone Medical Associates – Riverhead, told Axios in 2023.
Yes, but: That's true as long as you're not wearing a lot of clothing and not in an extremely humid place — because sweat needs to evaporate to draw heat from the body.
"The real important thing is that you're getting fluid into your system on a regular basis," Kornrich said.
Be smart: Listen to your body, Kornrich said.
"Water is wonderful," but if you're exerting yourself, consider supplementing with electrolyte drinks.
If you need more help cooling down, you could use ice or a cold compress on your skin "where veins are a little bit more prominent, such as our groin and underarms."
Hydrate and get out of the sun if you've got cold and pale skin, a rapid or weak pulse, muscle spasms, dizziness or nausea. Those are signs of heat exhaustion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
ICE agents entered UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. It wasn't a raid, officials say
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Westwood on Tuesday afternoon to seek emergency care for a detainee, drawing a crowd of protesters concerned about the agents' presence, university officials said. Two ICE officers brought a detainee into the emergency room for treatment, Steve Lurie, UCLA associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety, told The Times. The patient's medical evaluation did not require them to be admitted to the hospital, and they were later discharged into ICE custody. No information was available about the patient's health. "Despite reports on social media, there is no ICE operation happening at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center," said UCLA Health in a statement. Hospital staff called UCLA police officers to the building to verify the federal agents' identity. Officers checked the agents' credentials and confirmed they were with ICE, Lurie said. Read more: In Southern California, many are skipping healthcare out of fear of ICE operations A crowd of around 50 people gathered outside the hospital Tuesday afternoon in response to reports of ICE's presence, underscoring the heightened level of community tension around ongoing immigration actions in the Los Angeles area. Healthcare facilities that serve low-income patients have reported a recent spike in no-shows as residents lacking documentation opt to skip medical visits amid rumors of raids at hospitals and clinics. On Wednesday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass plans to speak at an 11 a.m. community briefing hosted by St. John's Community Health in response to fears that medical facilities are being targeted by immigration agents. "As a former healthcare professional, Mayor Bass is deeply concerned by the ripple effects these raids are having when families are not able to safely access essential healthcare services," said a spokesperson for the mayor in a statement. Trained observers from the L.A. Rapid Response Network witnessed a woman being escorted out of an underground parking lot at the medical center by two federal agents and loaded into a van at 3:37 p.m., said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of communications for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights L.A. This network, led by CHIRLA, trains volunteers, attorneys and educators to respond to and verify reports of ICE activity in Greater Los Angeles. "At some level, there's a little bit of relief that at least ICE brought the patient in rather than just hauling them away without any care," said Randall Kuhn, UCLA professor of public health, who came to the facility in response to reports of agents. "ICE doesn't necessarily have a reputation for being very focused on detainee health." However, he added, he is worried about the risk of the patient experiencing another medical emergency if their health issue was triggered by the stress of being detained by ICE. He also raised questions about whether the patient received linguistically and culturally appropriate care. "Was the person assessed for social determinants of health?" said Kuhn. "Were they [doctors] able to address the possibility that the person would be at risk if they were released, given that ICE agents were present?" Lurie said that the process for discharging the detainee was the same that is used when any law enforcement agency brings a person in custody into a hospital for treatment. If Tuesday's incident at the medical center had actually been an enforcement action, UCLA Police could not have intervened. The agency does not have the authority to block federal immigration agents from entering areas on campus or medical facilities that are open to the general public. If immigration enforcement officers seek to enter a limited-access healthcare area — such as patient rooms or closed wards — UCLA advises staff to contact their administrator and the medical center's legal representative to review any warrants or subpoenas to determine whether entry is allowed. Staff are told to ask the agents for their name, identification number and agency affiliation and to tell them that they are not obstructing their process but need to contact administrators for assistance. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
RFK Jr. wants every American to use ‘wearable' health data-collecting technology
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. wants all Americans to use 'wearable' technology to track their health as part of his 'MAHA' agenda. The Kennedy-clan strongman revealed his agency's plan Tuesday for a massive push for Americans — who have an obesity rate of 40% — to use wearable data-collecting technology such as FitBits, Oura Rings, and Apple Watches, to promote healthier lifestyles. 'We're about to launch the biggest advertising campaign in HHS history to encourage Americans to use wearables,' Kennedy said in a House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on Tuesday. Advertisement 3 Robert Kennedy Jr. said he wants all Americans to use 'wearable' technology to track their health as part of his 'MAHA' agenda. X / @SecKennedy 'It's a way people can take control over their own health. They can take responsibility. They can see, as you know, what food is doing to their glucose levels, their heart rates, and a number of other metrics, as they eat it,' the secretary said in the statement, which was also posted to X. 'We think that wearables are a key to the MAHA agenda of making America healthy again and my vision is that every American is wearing a wearable in four years,' he concluded. Advertisement Kennedy expressed the belief that with accurate and timely health data, Americans will exert better judgment in their diet and will even opt for more exercise. The Trump official has previously argued during his Senate confirmation hearing that obesity in the United States poses a national security risk affecting military readiness. 3 Close up of a hand touching a smartwatch with a health app on the screen, a gadget for a fitness active lifestyle. sitthiphong – President Trump's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means, is also an advocate for wearable Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) products. Advertisement In a blog post for her own CGM-producing company, Levels, Means argued that the 'small plastic discs' can 'reduce global metabolic suffering' and provide much-needed help to the '93.2 percent of people' in the US suffering from metabolic issues. Means' Levels technology attaches to the users' arms and sends accurate, second-by-second metabolic data to their smartphone. 3 A diabetic woman with a glucose sensor uses a mobile phone to measure her blood sugar level. Pixel-Shot – Advertisement Kennedy revealed last week that coffee giant Starbucks will make MAHA-inspired amendments to its menu — though the company already avoids artificial flavors, dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and other unhealthy additives. RFK Jr. took his first pound of flesh off of Americans earlier this year when he outlawed the use of artificial dyes in American food products.
Miami Herald
3 hours ago
- Miami Herald
5 surprising stats on alcohol use disorder
5 surprising stats on alcohol use disorder Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a serious and often misunderstood condition affecting millions of people in the United States. Despite alcohol's cultural normalization, AUD contributes to a staggering number of deaths each year and poses a major public health threat. Stigma, misinformation, and a lack of access to care continue to obscure who is affected, the role of co-occurring mental health conditions, and what treatment and recovery can look like. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 178,000 people die each year from excessive alcohol use. These deaths stem both from the effects of chronic alcohol use, including conditions like liver disease, heart disease, and certain cancers, and from acute consequences of binge drinking, such as motor vehicle crashes, overdoses, alcohol poisoning, and suicide. Alcohol-related death statistics Alcohol-related deaths are also rising. Between 2016 and 2021, deaths linked to alcohol increased by 29%, according to the CDC. This jump reflects a 27% increase in alcohol-related deaths among boys and men, and a 35% increase among girls and women, though men still account for a higher total number of deaths. The data underscores a concerning trend: excessive drinking, whether chronic or episodic, is becoming increasingly deadly across all demographics. The financial toll of alcohol use is also massive. According to federal estimates, substance misuse costs the U.S. about $740 billion each year in areas like lost productivity and healthcare. Alcohol use alone accounts for $249 billion of that total, including $27 billion in direct healthcare costs. To better understand the scope of this crisis, Charlie Health examined some of the most striking AUD statistics, from rising rates of alcohol misuse to the possible genetic components of AUD. We also share how people struggling with substance use disorder (SUD), including AUD, can access compassionate, evidence-based care. 1. Just over one in 10 Americans struggles with AUD According to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), just over one in 10 people age 12 or older (10.6%) had AUD in the past year. That amounts to 29.5 million people. While this staggering number highlights how common AUD is across all age groups, there are some populations that are more at risk than others. The percentage of people who had AUD in the past year was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25, about 1 in 7 of whom (15%) struggled with the condition, according to the SAMHSA (that's 5 million people). 2. Teens with depression might be more likely to struggle with alcohol misuse Data consistently shows that mental health and alcohol misuse are closely linked, especially during adolescence, a critical period for emotional development and risk-taking behaviors. According to the SAMHSA, teens ages 12 to 17 who had a major depressive episode in the past year were more than twice as likely to binge drink than those who didn't (6.7% compared to 3.1%, respectively). SAMHSA defines binge drinking as consuming more than four or five alcoholic drinks within a couple of hours on at least one day in the past month. 3. Adults with mental health conditions might binge drink at higher rates Similar links between mental health conditions and alcohol misuse are seen among adults. SAMHSA data shows that adults with mental health conditions were more likely to binge drink alcohol than those without. In fact, over half of adults with any or a serious mental health condition were binge drinkers compared to just 21% of those without a mental health condition. 4. There might be genetic risk factors for AUD Recent genetic research has begun to identify specific genetic variants linked to addiction risk. The 2023 study discovered 19 DNA changes affecting overall addiction susceptibility, including nine tied specifically to alcohol. Understanding these genetic factors may pave the way for more targeted and effective treatments. 5. Most people with SUDs don't get the treatment they need Despite how common substance use disorders (SUDs) are, most people who need care don't get it. In 2023, an estimated 54.2 million people needed treatment - but only 23% received it, according to American Addiction Centers. This treatment gap highlights not just the scale of the crisis, but the systemic barriers - like stigma, cost, and limited access - that continue to prevent people from getting help. Expanding access to affordable, evidence-based care is essential. This story was produced by Charlie Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. Stacker Media, LLC.
