Beat the heat

The sunny days are back and we need to prepare ourselves to deal with the searing temperatures and humid weather conditions. The heat is not good for health and we must drink a lot of liquids to neutralize the heat. Water, tender coconut water, butter milk and fruit juices are our best defense to combat the scorching hotness. Summer brings along with it a bouquet of diseases like dehydration, chicken pox, gastroenteritits, heat stroke and skin infections. Dehydration is a common problem during summer which can be avoided by simply consuming large amounts of water. Doctors advise patients to keep sipping in water every 2 hours even if they don't feel thirsty and munch at least a couple of juicy fruits everyday. For some reason in summer there is an abrupt increase in the number of chicken pox cases reported. Gastroenteritits can be prevented by abstaining from eating out. Even if you eat in hotels ensure that you eat only boiled food which is served hot. Never buy fruits cut and sold in the open. Refraining from sweets like basundi and cakes with icing is a good option because they tend to favor salmonella virus growth. Fungal infections of the skin arise due to high humidity and excessive sweating. The sun can bake our body leaving boils on the skin. We must try to wear light-colored loose cotton attire during summer that can bring down the impact of high temperature.