Families without air conditioning should pull shades over the windows and ventilate their rooms with fans. A person suffering from heat exhaustion may look pale, feel weak or tired, dizzy or nauseous, sweat profusely, and experience muscle cramps. He or she may also demonstrate other warning signs, including a weak but rapid pulse and fast, shallow breathing. If someone demonstrates these signs, get him or her to a cool, dry environment immediately and provide plenty of fluids. If someone with heat exhaustion is not treated, the illness can progress to heat stroke.
Heat stroke occurs when a body's cooling system shuts down.
The person stops sweating and the body temperature escalates rapidly. The physicians of the Texas Medical Association urge parents to take precautions with their children, so they won't have to regret decisions they made in the heat of the moment. Texas Medical Association is a professional organization of more than 36,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 118 component county medical societies around the state. The Association represents 85 percent of the medical doctors licensed and residing in Texas.