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Field Treatment for Hypothermia
The basic principles of re-warming a hypothermic victim are to conserve heat they have and to replace body fuel they are burning up to generate that heat.
Reduce Heat Loss. Find shelter from wind, and cold. This could be under a tree, in tent, or in a sleeping bag. If at all possible, get victim off of ground (a foam pad would be ideal). Remove any wet clothing and replace with layers of dry clothing, increased physical activity.
Add Fuel and Fluids. Keep a hypothermic person adequately hydrated and fueled. Give them warm, sweet liquids but NO coffee or tea - and NEVER ALCOHOL! Alcohol - a vasodilator - increases peripheral heat loss
Caffeine - a diuretic - causes water loss increasing dehydration
Tobacco/nicotine - a vasoconstrictor, increases risk of frostbite Provide Heat Source. Light a fire or a stove.
Seek Medical Attention as quickly as possible. Never leave a hypothermic victim alone.
Prevention of Hypothermia
Dress Appropriately. Wear clothing to keep warmth. Avoid cotton!
Stay Dry - be aware that water comes from both outside (environment) and inside (perspiration). Stay out of wind if possible.
Keep Your Body Burning. Stay hydrated, and eat foods like carbohydrates and proteins to provide energy.
Conserve Your Energy. Exhaustion leads to a quicker onset of hypothermia.
Summary
It's important to keep warm and dry during cold, winter months. Dressing appropriately can make a big difference. Wear several loose, warm layers. Thick wool socks and a cap can combat winter's chills. At night, use extra blankets because hypothermia can develop during sleep. Thermal underwear are excellent for keeping heat in your body.
Get plenty of rest. Fatigue makes you more vulnerable to subnormal heat and cold. Eat nutritious foods, and exercise moderately. Limit your alcohol intake because alcohol speeds up body heat loss.
I hope this information will serve you well when you travel to extremely cold regions of world. As a professional seafarer who had worked in extremely cold regions, I have found that thermal underwear gives excellent comfort even in icy arctic cold weather conditions. Excellent high tech thermal underwear could be obtain from Hi-Tech Thermal Underwear
Many years of working experience in Marine, Facilities, Construction has given the author material for writing e-books and articles related to engineering, and management. Subscribe to facworld ezine More information at Marine and M & E