Heart, Teeth & Heatstroke

I know it's a silly title but it quickly covers the latest happenings here in the Rocky Mountains.

HEART: Whitley was checked out by Children's Hospital of Denver and was given a clean bill of health. Everything is A-OK and she can proceed with the meds! Thank the Lord!

TEETH: Whitley's sceince experiment proved several things: 1) Never suck on lemons; the lemon juice (acid) was highly corrosive to the teeth compared to sugar. 2) Mouthwash only freshens breath; it is not a subsitute for brushing and the teeth rotted! 3) Flouride toothpaste was the best all around. Because the enamel was spared, the tooth was whiter, healthier and cavity free! 3) Stay away from tartar control toothpaste; results may prevent tartar, but the rest of the tooth decayed and rotted anyway 4) Baking soda didn't do a bad job, but there were still many "spots" (starts of cavities), so this applies to the "natural/organic" toothpastes.

The bottom line is, everyday your teeth and bones break down and repair themselves, leaving microscopic holes. Left unbrushed, malnourished and uncared for the breaking down process would exceed osteogenesis, or bone building. The neat thing about fluoride is is contians PO 34 which is phosphorous. It bonds easily to teeth and fills in those microscopic holes that would otherwise lead to cavities. Always, look for fluoride toothpaste. However, too much of a good thing can be just as harmful. Check to make sure that fluoride levels are adequate, neither too high or too low if you have a natural well for drinking water. Happy Brushing!!!!

HEATSTROKE: Here in Colorado, we are experiencing a heat wave! it is supposed to be close to 70 by Tuesday!!! I know that seems hard to believe because many of you in the Midwest have been in subzero temps. for most of the week. How us Coloradans wished we were getting that cold as that is what is needed to kill the Lodgepole Pine Beetle that is said to have destroyed another 400,000 acres of our forests in 2008!!! Research shows that for nature to kill the beetle, we need -30 to -50 degrees weather sustained for 3-5 days, while the beetle is in the pupa or larva stage.

Back to you in the Midwest: Fear not, Winter Solstice is over, which means our days are now getting longer and summer will be here before we know it. Only 17 weeks of school left in the year!!! If we are lucky enough, we can squeeze a trip to somewhere warm and welcome summer a little sooner. Before you know it, summer will once again return! Think warm!!!!

Here are some things to keep in mind about HEATSTROKE (also known as hyperthermia):

A heat stroke is when the body's internal temperature exceeds 106 degrees. The body has tried to sweat profusely to cool itself; this is why being hydrated is so important. Dehydration means there is no water left to sweat, and therefore, this natural evaporative cooler begins to break down, causing other organs to shut down to conserve energy. No organs, no heart, no life!!!

Heat Strokes are preceeded by heat exhaustion which includes the following: nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headache, weakness, muscle cramps and dizziness. The next symptoms give warning that the body is in dire straights: high body temp., loss of sweating, confusion, disorientated, agitation, hallucinations, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing and last, seizures and coma.

Infants, small children and the elderly are most susceptible to these dangers as their body processes and protein synthesis work more slowly and are not able to rapidly correct situations that throw the body out of homeostasis. These age groups, coupled by their inability to care for themselves also explains how easily it is to get behind on life-saving fluids.

We hope today's blog on the heart, teeth and heatstroke were helpful!!!