On Your Health: Don't let cold temps lead to preventable injury

I have to say it has been a great winter. There’s been plenty of snow and overall the temperature has been very agreeable. I am still expecting some cold blasts to come. With this mind, I thought it would be good to talk about cold-weather injuries.

Excessive cold plays a role in most of the natural-weather-related deaths in the United States. There are certainly groups at higher risk. Older adults, homeless and intoxicated individuals, and outdoor enthusiasts are at higher risk out in the cold.

Injuries include hypothermia or low body temperature, frostbite and frostnip.

Frostnip is when the skin gets cold enough to get numb and white and the skin is painful as it warms up. There is not enough damage to the tissue to cause tissue loss.

Frostbite is more severe and causes the loss of skin and tissue. When the tissue gets cold enough, the water in the cells freezes and expands and causes the damage to the cells. This process causes more damage if the tissue is allowed to freeze, warm and then refreeze.

Frostbite can result in blue skin as it warms and blisters can form. Once the risk of refreezing is eliminated, a warm water bath is the preferred way to rewarm the injured area. It is easier to control the warming with water rather then dry heat like a fire. In severe cases of frostbite, potent blood thinners can be used to help prevent amputations.

Hypothermia is a lowering in temperature of the body to an abnormally low level. It starts when the core body temperature falls to 95 degrees. At the start, the person will shiver and still be awake. As the body temp falls, the shivering will stop and the person’s thinking will become confused. Eventually the person will become unconscious and, if allowed to progress, vital signs will not be able to be detected.

There are many methods used to rewarm a person with hypothermia — from warm fluids to heart bypass machines. The lowest documented surviving temperature is around 56 degrees.

I do not want to discourage anyone from getting outside in the winter. We should all enjoy it.

But there are definitely things that can make it

safe. Clothing is critical. Wicking fibers (not cotton) which pull moisture from your skin and keep you warm are a great base layer. Thicker layers such as wool or fleece over that and then a good outer shell usually work well.

If you are active outside, thin layers that are easily shed are the way to go. Keeping your head warm helps keep your whole body warm since most of the heat loss comes from your head.

As the old saying goes: There is no bad weather, just bad equipment. So go out and enjoy the winter and I hope to see you out there.

Dr. Ken Ripp is a family medicine physician at the Community Memorial Hospital and Raiter Clinic in Cloquet.