Heat-related illnesses happen on a continuum, from heat stress to heat exhaustion to heatstroke.

Whilst colloquially we might call heat stress ‘heatstroke’ or ‘sunstroke’, they’re two totally different beasts and it pays to be able to tell the difference!

Heat stress and heat exhaustion primarily are issues of dehydration but in heatstroke, the body’s temperature regulating mechanism malfunctions and we can no longer cool ourselves down.

Heatstroke is a medical emergency and you need to call 000 right away. Let’s learn to recognise the signs of heatstroke and what to do while we’re waiting for the ambulance.

This article’s about heatstroke, but if you want to learn herbal remedies and DIY recipes for heat stress and heat exhaustion, you’ll love my upcoming course: Make your summer apothecary: 3 week medicine-making course, starting October 21

What is heatstroke?

Heatstroke occurs when the body overheats and our inbuilt cooling system fails. Normally, sweating and evaporation help regulate body temperature, but in heatstroke, the body temperature rises to 40°C (104°F) or higher and can no longer cool down effectively.

Without quick treatment, heatstroke can lead to serious organ damage and even be fatal.

A recent report showed 1000+ people died of heatstroke between 2016 and 2019, with other reports showing there’s heaps more hospitalisations from heat-induced complications, or exacerbations in other medical conditions.

Even though most of us don’t really give it a second thought, heatstroke from heatwaves is the biggest killer from natural disasters in Australia

Heatstroke symptoms

Recognising the signs of heatstroke early is key to preventing serious complications. Common symptoms include:

• Very high body temperature where skin feels hot and flushed (VS heat exhaustion when people feel hot but still have a normal body temperature)
• Little or no sweating despite the heat (vs heat exhaustion where people are still sweating)
• Confusion, agitation, or dizziness
• Severe headache or nausea (headache can also by symptoms of heat exhaustion but nausea is usually associated with heatstroke)
• Collapse, seizures, loss of consciousness

If you or someone else shows these signs, it’s time to act immediately.

(In case it’s helpful, in the Make your summer apothecary course, you’ll get a table with a side-by-side comparison of symptoms for heat stress, heat exhaustion and heatstroke)

Who’s at risk of heatstroke?

Anyone can suffer from heatstroke, but certain groups are more vulnerable:

• Young children and babies because they heat up more quickly than adults
• Pregnant women
• Older adults who have reduced ability to regulate temperature
• People with chronic conditions, particularly heart or breathing problems. If you take regular medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist about extra heat precaution.”
• Athletes and outdoor workers in hot or humid conditions

Heatstroke first aid: what to do

If you suspect someone has heatstroke, treat it as an emergency. Here’s what to do:

1. Call 000 emergency services right away
2. Move the person to a cooler location, in shady area or indoors with air conditioning or fan if possible
3. Hydrate slowly, electrolyte/ rehydrating drinks are best if you have them, or water. Don’t give fluids if the person is unconscious or confused
4. Cool the body quickly. Apply cold wet cloths, ice packs (armpits, neck, groin), or immerse in a bath or shower if possible.
5. Stay with them until medical help arrives

How to prevent heatstroke

You probably already know how to prevent heatstroke because it’s summertime commonsense in Australia (whether we follow it or not is another matter, health advice is kinda like that, easy to know hard to follow (but that’s a tangent for another day 😉)

Here are my heatstroke prevention tips:

• Stay hydrated, drink water and on especially hot days (or if you know you’ll be out in the sun), drink herbal electrolyte drinks to replace electrolytes. Coconut water can be a good natural electrolyte drink in some circumstances, but if really sweating or already starting to feel heat stress you’ll need to add some extra salt for adequate mineral replacement.
• Wear light, breathable clothing, and a wide-brimmed hat outdoors.
• Avoid peak heat hours, usually 11am to 3pm.
• Take regular breaks in the shade if working or exercising outside.
• Check in on vulnerable people
• Have a household and heatwave plan, make sure everyone in your household knows what to do during heatwaves, including how to store heat-sensitive medication if relevant, where and how to access cool locations, and a plan to check vulnerable family, friends and neighbours

Like many issues in home herbalism, if we catch symptoms when they’re small, they don’t have a chance to progress to more serious illnesses. This is true here too. If we can catch heat stress in its early stages it’s unlikely to progress to heatstroke

Learn how to use herbs for heatstroke and make your own herbal remedies and DIY electrolyte drinks join my upcoming course: Make your summer apothecary: 3 week medicine-making course

The post Heatstroke: symptoms, first aid and prevention tips appeared first on Everyday Empowered.

I’ve chosen the 6 I think are best worked with for acute stress – like you’re in the cyclone and feeling really unsafe and these are the herbal allies you want to call on. There’s some other herbs I mention at the end of the article which can also be helpful during the waiting and post-disaster situations. I’ve also tried to think about what herbs you might already have on hand, in the garden or that might be available.

Here’s 6 widely available herbs to work with during acute distress.

🌿 Rescue remedy

This is a blend of 5 flower essences that help to relieve acute stress and anxiety. Really great for acute emotional stress and panic attacks. Use when needed. Pastilles or spray options. Great option to support kids as well.

🌿 Passionflower (Passiflora Incarnata) or skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

Passionflower and skullcap both soothe the mind when it gets stuck on a relentless worry loop. I personally think passionflower for more rumination when you literally get stuck and skullcap when it’s the sheer torrent of racing thoughts. like a rushing waterfall. But everyone experiences these a little differently. Often these are useful more at night to help you sleep but if you’re experiencing panic attack or high level of baseline anxiety during the day you might find them supportive. Just note they can make you drowsy and not be safe when operating heavy machinery or when you’re some medications. Use individually or pair well together. Can drop dose the tincture (5 – 15 drops taken every half hour as needed) or make as tea (2 teaspoons – 1 tablespoon herb/ cup boiling water, steeped covered for 10-15 minutes)

🌿 Catnip (Nepeta Cataria)

If you’ve got rising anxiety that feels like you wanna hurl your guts up – catnip can be a great support. Catnip can help with rising panic, especially when it’s accompanied (or caused by) sore tummy. Butterflies in your stomach-kinda feeling. It’s got a grounding energy. Pairs well with chamomile (extra nervous system support) and ginger (helps with nausea). Use 2 teaspoons/ cup boiling water, steeped covered for 10 minutes.

🌿 Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)

Anxiety can show up in many ways in our bodies, some of us feel it more in our heads, some in our hearts and some in our guts or in musculoskeletal tension. Identify where it’s showing up for you and pick herbs that have an affinity for that area.

Motherwort in particular works well if you’ve got anxiety with heart palpitations or you’re really really feeling your anxiety or panic attach in your chest area. Drop dose tincture as needed (5 – 15 drops every half an hour as needed.

🌿 Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Yarrow is warrior medicine. That’s obvious as its one of our premier first aid herbs for healing wounds, but when we use it for the emotional body, yarrow also helps give us emotional armour. Yarrow is a protector. She helps with boundaries. She helps when you want someone to lean on. Work with yarrow as flower essence, drop dose or small part in a tea blend.

You could make a tea 1 teaspoon each lemon balm, passionflower and yarrow. Or 1 teaspoon each catnip, lemon balm and yarrow or 1 teaspoon each rose, tulsi and yarrow. (so many options that will obviously depend what you’ve got at home already). Steep tea covered for 10 minutes.

🌿 Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis)

Lemon balm help shift us into a parasympathetic nervous system state, as well as gently uplift out mood. It’s delicious, effective and makes a particularly nice herb for kids. Pairs well with chamomile, catnip and passionflower. Use 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon herb material/ cup boiling water.

Note. If you don’t have any of these, please don’t stress. You might already have other herbs on hand that are useful. Chamomile is easily available and a great option. Lavender essential oil is really grounding and calming if you take a whiff. I haven’t worked with it like this, but common thyme was traditionally given to soldiers going into battle for courage – so maybe chew, sniff or make a thyme tea and see if it gives you courage (Ps – report back if you try this, I’m curious about your experience).

Obviously remember to call on your physiological first aid toolkit

Some breathwork practices can really help us find safety in our bodies

In terms of breathwork, you could try box breath, alternate nostril breathing, 4-7-8 or physiological sigh. I’m not a breathwork teacher, just someone who finds these practices really helpful, so try them and if they don’t feel supportive in your body, discontinue or seek supportive from a breathwork teacher.

Grounding into your senses – listen to music you enjoy, pat your pet or soft blanket, hug and connect with family and friends, move your body in a way that feels good, use 5 -4-3-2-1 grounding practice (list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste).

Post-cyclone or for longer-term stressors – I’ve chosen these 6 herbs for dealing with acute distress. Whilst you certainly can work with them longer, when dealing with post-disaster recovery, you might like to work with other herbs, such as rose, hawthorn, hibiscus, tulsi, chamomile, milky oats, ashwagandha, reishi etc. These herbs help us deal with stress, build resilience and support our physical and emotional heart.

As always, please research safety info for herbs to make sure they’re appropriate in your particularly circumstance.

For advice during pregnancy, check out Dr Aviva Romm’s work – https://avivaromm.com/herbal-medicines-in-pregnancy-safety/

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