ARE
ARE THE
ARE THE ONES WHO ARE COMING IN I SHOULD SAY WITH FROSTBITE. SO OUR NINE HEALTH EXPERT DR.
PAUL KELLY IS WITH US NOW TO
TALK ABOUT YOUR SAFETY DURING A
COLD SNAP LIKE THIS FROSTBITE
JUST ONE OF THE HEALTH RISKS
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS EXTREME
COLD.
DR. KOHLI, TELL US ABOUT SOME
OF THE OTHERS.
SO THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO
YOUR BODY.
TOM, WHEN YOU STEP OUTSIDE AND
IT'S EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER IS
THAT WIND IS BLOWING.
WE REALLY FEEL IT.
SO THE BLOOD VESSELS IN GOING
TO OUR FINGERS AND OUR TOES
START TO CONSTRICT AND THEY
START TO CONSTRICT SO THAT THAT
BLOOD CAN GET DIVERTED TO OUR
CORE TO REALLY RAISE OUR CORE
TEMPERATURE.
SO WHEN THOSE BLOOD VESSELS
CONSTRICT, THAT'S HOW THEY CAN
LEAD TO FROSTBITE BECAUSE
YOU'RE NOT GETTING GOOD BLOOD
FLOW TO YOUR DIGITS, TO YOUR
FINGERS TOES AND IF YOU'RE OUT
THERE FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD
OF TIME THAT CAN CERTAINLY BE A
PROBLEM.
NOW REMEMBER THE BLOOD IS
SHIFTING TO THE CORE TO TRY TO
RAISE YOUR CORE TEMPERATURE.
BUT IF THERE'S NOT ENOUGH BLOOD
THEN YOU CAN GET HYPOTHERMIC
WHERE YOUR CORE BODY
TEMPERATURE CAN DROP BELOW 95
DEGREES AND THAT CAN LEAD TO
DANGEROUS ARRHYTHMIAS.
LOTS OF OTHER TYPES
OF COMPLICATIONS AS WELL.
YOUR HEART STARTS TO BEAT
HARDER AND FASTER IN ORDER TO
RAISE YOUR CORE TEMPERATURE SO
THAT YOU CAN REALLY KEEP UP
WITH THAT COLD WEATHER AND THAT
CAN CAUSE STRESS ON THE HEART.
IT CAN ACTUALLY EVEN
PRECIPITATE HEART ATTACKS WHICH
CAN OFTEN HAPPEN IN THE COLD
PARTLY ALSO BECAUSE
OF INCREASED INFLAMMATORY
FACTORS.
NOW THE SAME COLD AIR ALSO GETS
YOUR LUNGS SO YOUR LUNGS START
TO REACT AND THE MUSCLES IN
YOUR LUNGS GO INTO SPASM SO YOU
CAN HAVE TROUBLE BREATHING, YOU
CAN HAVE SOME SHORTNESS
OF BREATH OR SOME COUGHING.
OF COURSE YOUR SKIN AND ALL
YOUR MUCOUS MEMBRANES DRY OUT
BECAUSE OF ALL THAT COLD AIR
AND THEN BECAUSE OF THE ICE YOU
CAN CERTAINLY FALL AND PEOPLE
CAN ALSO HAVE BALANCE PROBLEMS
THAT GET WORSE WHEN THAT COLD
AIR STARTS TO HIT THEIR EAR.
SO THERE'S JUST SO MANY WAYS
THAT THIS COLD WEATHER CAN
AFFECT OUR BODY.
IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE.
THOSE ARE ALMOST ENTIRELY
PHYSICAL.
BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR BEHAVIOR?
YOU SAY THAT CAN CHANGE AS WELL
BECAUSE OF COLD WEATHER.
THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
SO UNLIKE THE POLAR BEAR,
THAT'S YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL THAT
WE SAW ROLLING AROUND IN
THE SNOW WHEN IT'S WHEN IT'S
COLD OUT, WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE
BECOME INSIDE?
THEY SIT BY THE FIRE.
THEY TURN ON THE TELEVISION,
THEY EAT SNACK FOODS AND THEY
DRINK MORE ALCOHOL.
SO THOSE ARE ALL ADVERSE
BEHAVIORS THAT CAN OBVIOUSLY
AFFECT OUR HEALTH IN A NEGATIVE
FASHION AND CAN CERTAINLY LEAD
MORE PROBLEMS.
NOW THE MENTAL HEALTH EFFECTS
OF COLDS ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE
MIXED.
SOME PEOPLE WOULD THINK THAT
SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER
FEELING MORE DEPRESSED WHEN
IT'S COLD OUT IS A DIRECT
CONSEQUENCE OF THE COLD.
BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT'S MORE
RELATED TO THE LIGHT.
SO IT'S NOT SO MUCH THE COLD
WEATHER BUT HOW MUCH LIGHT
THERE IS OUT DURING THE DAY
THAT AFFECTS SEASONAL AFFECTIVE
DISORDER.
SO WHAT DO WE DO TO STAY SAFE?
I'M SURE THERE'S SOME OF THE
FUNDAMENTAL TIPS WE KNOW BUT
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ADVICE
THAT YOU GIVE PEOPLE AS FAR AS
BATTLING COLD WEATHER?
YEAH, REALLY GOOD IMPORTANT
QUESTION.
SO FIRST I WOULD SAY TO
SOMEBODY WHO'S NOT USED TO
HAVING ANY KIND OF PHYSICAL
EXERTION OR ACTIVITY OUTSIDE
TRY TO LIMIT YOUR TIME OUTSIDE
ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE ELDERLY
BECAUSE YOU'RE ONE OF THE
HIGHER RISK GROUPS FOR GETTING
HYPOTHERMIC AND YOU'RE ONE
OF THOSE HIGHER RISK GROUPS FOR
POTENTIALLY PRECIPITATING A
HEART ATTACK.
THE OTHER PIECE OF ADVICE IS TO
WARM UP BEFORE YOU GO OUT SO
YOU GIVE YOUR BODY A LITTLE
BUFFER.
SO DO SOME JUMPING JACKS OR DO
SOME STRETCHES WHATEVER IT IS
TO GET YOUR HEART RATE UP A
LITTLE BIT KIND OF ALMOST AS A
PREPARATION FOR WHEN YOU GO OUT
SO THAT THE HEART RATE DOESN'T
SUDDENLY HAVE TO JUMP UP WHEN
YOU STEP OUTSIDE WE LOSE ABOUT
10 TO 20 PERCENT OF OUR BODY
HEAT THROUGH OUR HEAD.
SO WE WANT TO BE SURE TO
COVER YOUR HEAD AND
PARTICULARLY COVER YOUR YEARS
OF COURSE WITH ALL THE SNOW
THAT CATHY HAS BEEN TELLING
US ABOUT.
WE ALSO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT UV
SO YOU'LL BE LIGHT REFLECTS OFF
OF SNOW ALMOST LIKE A MIRROR.
SO YOU WANT TO BE SURE TO WEAR
SUNSCREEN, YOU WANT TO BE SURE
TO WEAR YOUR SUNGLASSES AND
THAT ALSO KEEPS YOUR SKIN AND
EYES FROM DRYING OUT.
AND THEN THE FINAL PIECE
OF ADVICE I HAVE TIME IS
RELATED TO COVID-19 WHEN WE'RE
WEARING MASKS AND WE'RE OUT
OF THIS EXTREME WEATHER WE CAN
ACTUALLY GET CONDENSATION
DEVELOPING THE INSIDE OF OUR
MASK THAT CAN NOT ONLY REDUCE
THE EFFICACY OF THE MASK BUT
ALSO MAKE IT A MAGNET TO PICK
UP OTHER BACTERIA AND SUCH THAT
ARE OUT THERE.
SO YOU WANT TO BE REALLY
MINDFUL OF YOUR MASK IS WET TO
PUT IT OUT SO THAT IT DRIES OUT
BEFORE YOU REUSE IT OR TO KEEP
IT IN A NICE CLEAN FASHION SO
THAT YOU'RE NOT IGNORING THAT
CONDENSATION THAT'S FORMING ON
THE MASK.
I WAS JUST THINKING THAT
I THINK YOU AND I HAVE SPOKEN
THREE HUNDRED FORTY DAYS IN A
ROW ABOUT COVID19 AND THIS WAS
GOING TO BE THE ONE TIME WE
DIDN'T UNTIL THEN.
SO IT'S STILL COLD EVEN WHEN
WE'RE TALKING