Our Opinions
Beating the heat

It is hot, in case you didn't know. Hotter than it has ever been.

Records have been broken all over the state with temperatures soaring into the triple digits every day for the past several days.

Saturday it was 103 degrees in the shade at The Democrat. It dropped a degree or two in past days but temperatures continue around 100 degrees.

This extreme heat can be dangerous. Many of us have the luxury of working in air conditioned environments now but many still make their living outside- timbermen, farmers, service providers. They need to be careful as do high school football players readying for the upcoming season.

Over in Mississippi, a local judge tried to ban daytime practices at high schools in his six-county district but the Mississippi Supreme Court overruled him, saying he didn't have jurisdiction. The high court was probably right but we admire the judge's concern.

Here are recommendations of the American Red Cross for coping with the heat. Most are just plain old common sense but it doesn't hurt to restate them.

• Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.

• Stay indoors as much as possible. If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor, out of the sunshine. Try to go to a public building with air conditioning each day for several hours. Remember, electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help sweat evaporate, which cools your body.

• Wear lightweight, lightcolored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun's energy.

• Drink plenty of water regularly and often. Your body needs water to keep cool.

• Drink plenty of fluids even if you do not feel thirsty.

• Water is the safest liquid to drink during heat emergencies. Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them. They can make you feel good briefly, but make the heat's effects on your body worse. This is especially true about beer, which dehydrates the body.

• Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat.

• Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.

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