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I MET A FRIEND for lunch recently who I hadn’t seen in several months. Time passes so quickly, it seems. As I joined her at our table, she couldn’t wait to tell me

about all the wonderful changes in her life.

“Do you remember the Chr istmas par ty I almost skipped because we were work-ing so late at the hospital that night? But Darlene demanded I meet her there! Well, I met someone at the party...” As the last sentence drew from her lips, she pulled her lef hand from her lap to reveal Brianna Ward

EVERY CELL , T I SSUE AND ORGAN in the human body contains water. Without water, your body can’t maintain its temperature, get rid of waste or per-form a host of other essential functions.

At the same time, you are constantly losing water— through urine, sweat and even your breath. And you lose more fuids than usual in hot weather, when exercising, if you’re running a fever, or if you have diarrhea or are throwing up.

All that means that you need to take in water every day—and plenty of it. When your body doesn’t get the water it needs and there isn’t enough fuid for proper circulation, you become dehydrated. And that can mean big problems. Severe dehydration can damage internal organs, such as the liver, kidney and brain, and can even cause death.

WHO’S AT RISK? Older people are at high risk of dehy-dration, because they may not easily sense when they are thirsty or they may have a physical condition that makes it difcult to drink. In addition, some medications can increase the risk of dehydration.

Children can also easily get dehydrated if they are not drinking enough and have diarrhea or are feverish

or vomiting.

Symptoms of mild or moderate dehydration in adults include: ● Tirst. ● Reduced sweating. ● Dry or sticky mouth. ● Small amounts of concentrated, dark yellow urine or no urine at all.

Adults who are severely dehydrated may feel light-headed or confused or may faint.

Babies and toddlers who are mildly or moderately dehydrated may: ● Urinate less frequently (infants will have fewer than six wet diapers a day). ● Have a dry mouth. ● Not produce many tears when they cry. ● Have a sunken sof spot on their head.

Severely dehydrated infants and toddlers also may be very fussy and excessively sleepy, and they may have sunken eyes; wrinkled skin; and cool, discolored hands and feet. They may also only urinate once or twice a day.

WHAT TO DO Drinking lots of water may be all that is needed to treat mild dehydration.

Te American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you call your child’s doctor right away if you suspect your child is dehydrated. Over-the-counter electrolyte drinks (such as Pedialyte) can help restore needed fu-ids in kids.

More severe cases of dehydration require treatment with intravenous solutions that contain sodium chloride.

HOW TO PREVENT To help prevent dehydration, drink plenty of fuids when you are exercising (both during and afer activity) and when the weather is hot. Choose water rather than sugary drinks.

Additional sources: American Medical Association; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DEHYDRATED? HOW TO KNOW

When your body doesn’t get the water it needs and there isn’t enough fluid for proper circulation,

you become dehydrated.

a beautiful diamond ring! Continuing her story by in-viting me to her wedding, I sat in cheerful silence and thought to myself, “Wow, what if she hadn’t gone to the Christmas party?”

I share her story to encourage you. Never let the ob-stacles in your life, or your own fears and reservations, cripple your ability to embrace opportunity. Try a new restaurant; it may be the best meal you’ve ever eaten. Have a conversation with a stranger; you may make a new friend. Buy a pair of red stilettos. Change your hair color. Find a job that makes you happy. Go on a blind date. Travel to Italy. Dance in the rain. And even if you’re tired afer working all day, go to the Christmas party. You never know what wonders await.

Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now you

Time to hit the highway. Car keys? Check. Wallet? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Sunscreen? Indeed.

It’s easy to forget that the hours you spend behind the wheel—be it driving to work, to the store or to the beach—may add up to prolonged exposure to the sun. Even though you’re behind glass, you’re not pro-tected from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. Car windows may flter out UVB rays, but whether you’re the driver or a passenger, your skin is still being exposed to UVA rays while traveling. This can result in premature aging, wrinkles and even skin cancer. And if you’re not wear-ing UV-blocking sunglasses, your eyes—especially the cornea, lens and retina—are at risk for damage from the sun’s radiation.

So when you’re out on the road, the American Acad-emy of Dermatology recommends that you: ■■ Wear long-sleeve shirts and pants to protect your skin from the sun.

■■ Protect any exposed skin, such as your hands, neck and face, by putting on sunscreen that has a sun pro-tection factor (SPF) of 30 or more.

■■ Shield your eyes from UV exposure by wearing sun-glasses that block both UVA and UVB rays.

Scan your skin

If are concerned about a mole or if you fnd a spot on your skin that changes shape, itches or bleeds, see a dermatologist. To fnd a dermatologist, visit our website, www.SAHealth.com.

Be streetwise about sun damage

will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

Brianna Ward

Membership Services Manager WomanPlus® and 55PLUS®

Articles in Keeping Well do not necessarily represent the opinions of doctors practicing at Methodist Healthcare facilities.

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