Medium Readers Weigh in on Heat and Health
Wise & Well Weekly: Advice from our experts, great reads, and your feedback
Welcome back to your weekly dose of wellness. Below you’ll find a delightful mix of informative, compelling stories on a variety of health and wellness topics. But first, a nod to you, dear reader…
When writer Kathleen Murphy pitched a story about why heat kills so quickly, it spurred a big idea. Other Wise & Well writers — physicians, research scientists, mental health experts and journalists — were inspired to weigh in on various related topics, resulting in a 12-part special report: Extreme Heat and Human Health. Readers have responded with personal tales, a welcome stream of praise and gratitude, and some intriguing questions. The overwhelming response is a testament to the power of the Medium community. Here’s a sampling of what you are saying:
“Thank you for publishing this great collection of highly topical articles. The effect of heat on the human body and our planet is something we should all be concerned with.”
— Gill McCulloch
“I’m literally reading this while overheating at my computer in a warehouse in NYC…. it is too damn hot….”
— Desperado Supreme
“Terrific report… The depth of research illuminates the urgency of this heated issue. Your section on how heat exacerbates mental health conditions struck a chord. The implications are frightening, yet critical to understand.”
— Marshall Stanton
“It’s scary to think about how vulnerable we are to changes in temperature.”
— Sage Green
“Thank you for raising awareness about this pressing issue. Together, we can make a difference and build a more resilient and healthier future for everyone.”
— Kaouther
Reader Luciano Latouche asked something we hadn’t thought of: Can a person get used to higher temperatures? My response: Yes, it’s possible to become acclimated to heat, at least to a degree. With time and repeated exposure, sweat efficiency can increase and lower core body temps can be maintained. I’m not suggesting anyone try it though! Here’s more about that from the CDC.
Here are some of the Heat and Health articles that published since last week’s newsletter:
- Emotional Meltdown: High Temperatures Exacerbate Mental Health Conditions
- Heat Really Does Make People Hot-Headed
- The Truth About Sleep on Hot Summer Nights and How to Get Some
- The Brain Science Behind Forgetting Kids in Hot Cars
- A Simple Solution in a Warming World: More Shade Trees
The project wraps up this week with a fascinating (and kinda scary) piece about the risk of rising vector-borne diseases in the United States and around the globe, as mosquitoes, ticks and other insects expand their range and thrive in a warming world. Did you know the United States recently saw, for the first time in decades, in-country cases of malaria transmission recently? Save the Special Report page and check back for this one.
THIS WEEK’S PRESCRIPTION: Nix Ticks to Avoid a Meat Allergy
Tick bites, in addition to causing other ailments, can produce an incurable allergy to red meat. “More specifically, tick bites can cause our body’s immune system to see certain components of red meat as a threat, and attack it,” writes researcher Sam Westreich, PhD. “An infected individual may become allergic to commonly enjoyed entrees like hamburgers, steaks, and meatballs.” And cases are rising. Among the preventive measures: If you’ll be out in the woods, use DEET or another effective tick repellent, change clothes soon as you get home, shower, and do a full-body tick scan. Westreich has more suggestions, and lots of science to unpack here, so …
HEALTHY READING
A selection of this week’s other informative and insightful articles:
Is Everyone a Narcissist These Days?
Narcissists are ruining all our lives, if you believe all the talk and look at the spike in web searches for narcissism. But science finds otherwise: About 1% of the population are true narcissists. What’s really going on? As this psychiatrist explains, “our own self-centeredness, and our practice of concocting stories about what motivates other people… confuses us and causes us to mislabel their actions.” Oh, and Narcissus, that gorgeous Greek dude? There’s something you need to know about him.
— By John Kruse
Fake Meat: Good or Bad for You and the Planet?
Where’s the beef? Not in alt-meat. But, here’s what you might not know: The complex industrial food processes required to recreate meat texture and flavor of fake meat are antithetical to nutrition and health. If you understand what’s in it and how it’s made, you might question whether it should be considered food at all.
— By Amy Sterling Casil
Hospitals are Not Good Places to Heal
Anyone whose ever spent a night in a hospital knows that sleep is not one of the prescriptions. In fact, research finds that between the noise, the constant interruptions to draw blood or otherwise check on a patient, and the lousy food, hospitals are in many ways the worst place for patient recovery. This physician explains why it is like this and why it doesn’t have to be this way.
— By Dr. Julian Barkan
Your Complementary Anxiety Checkup
Next time you go for a checkup, don’t be surprised if you get some unusual questions that leave you with questions of your own. Somebody weighs you, checks your blood pressure, and asks if you are worried. Wait, what? New recommendations suggest healthcare professionals incorporate a new routine anxiety disorder screening.
— By Chris Arestides, RN MPH
RANDOM BIT OF WISDOM
“Each side of the spectrum seems convinced that the other side routinely spawns conspiracy theories in a febrile delirium while its own conspiracy theories are reasonable and factual.”
— Joseph E. Uncinski and Joseph M. Parent in American Conspiracy Theories
If you like what you see, please follow Wise & Well and/or subscribe to this newsletter. Meanwhile, I hope we’ve helped you make tomorrow a little better than today. — Rob
