Category Archives: Science

Snoring is not just a nuisance, it is dangerous. Why can't we handle it?

Snoring is not just a nuisance, it is dangerous. Why can’t we handle it?



Martin Parr/Magnum Photos

It has ruined a lot of sleep at night, and no doubt a lot of relationships too. Trying to sleep next to a snoring partner is exactly that: trying. Once the engines go away, there are few countermeasures other than a shove, earplugs and the patience of a saint.

That’s the thing about snoring: many of us consider it little more than an embarrassment or a nuisance and grudgingly accept it. But the accumulated results suggest that this trivialises an important and common health problem.

Snoring is not only associated with broken sleep, it can be a warning sign of problems ahead and also seems to have some serious potential impact on the cardiovascular system of the snorer. Despite a proliferation of remedies, there is little evidence of what works. But as sleep researchers increasingly wake up to the hidden dangers of snoring, there is hope that the nightmare will soon end.

Snoring is very common, although it is difficult to understand exactly how it is. Many snorers are not aware that they are doing it. “If I ask someone ‘Do you snore?’ “, they say “I don’t know, I’m asleep”, he says. Danny Eckertdirector of sleep health at Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute in Adelaide, Australia. “His bed partner could tell him, but a lot of people don’t have a bed partner.” In Eckert’s experience, however, it is rampant. …

Is Brittany Mahomes rethinking her Trump endorsement after her anti-Taylor Swift meltdown?

Is Brittany Mahomes rethinking her Trump endorsement after her anti-Taylor Swift meltdown?


It seems clear that when Brittany Mahomes liked (and then allegedly unliked) a Donald Trump post on Instagram, she didn’t mean to start a national debate, and she probably wasn’t prepared for one. She responded to the backlash not by explaining how or why her values ​​led her to support potential Trump, but by accusing critics of being “haters” and then asking for compassion. Not exactly the best way to talk about who should be the leader of the free world, but a gaffe doesn’t make a monster.

Her friend Taylor Swift, however, has been very forthcoming and measured in when and how she talks about politics (to be fair, she’s been in the game much longer), and her endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket after the presidential debate was still. but finally polite. He did not attack Trump supporters or even mention the man by name, so when the first Apprentice the host responded by saying that he “hates” the pop starIt might have irritated Mahomes (remember, Brittany hates the haters). That’s what the insiders say, anyway.

“She’s questioning her support for Donald Trump after he slammed Taylor, saying she hates him,” a source close to Mahomes said. he said Daily Mail. “Taylor is like a sister to her and has done absolutely nothing wrong. She has not mentioned Trump in her post and is allowed to speak her mind,” they added.

Brittany Mahomes/Instagram

For the source, it’s less about rethinking his vote and more about rethinking his statements. “This doesn’t mean she’s suddenly voting for Kamala. It just made her more aware of supporting (Trump) so publicly,” the source revealed, adding: “She doesn’t believe in hate in any form and she loves Taylor so much . This shook her to the core.”

Mahomes is currently pregnant with her third child with husband Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. When asked recently about political endorsements, Patrick promised not to name a candidate. “I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do anything, in any way,” Mahomes said during a press conference. “I think my job is to inform people to register to vote. It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for themselves and their family.”

Queens driver killed by teenage gunman's stray bullet was hard-working immigrant grandfather

Queens driver killed by teenage gunman’s stray bullet was hard-working immigrant grandfather


William Alcindor, the Queens driver fatally struck in the head by a stray bullet before plowing into a pedestrian and crashing his SUV into a building, was a hard-working immigrant grandfather, his family said Tuesday.

“He didn’t like to fight. He didn’t like to argue,” said Alcindor’s daughter Gabriella Alcindor, 25, a day after the tragic murder.

“He was someone who was just non-confrontational. He just wanted to go to work, go to church, kiss his mother, kiss his children, hug his sisters, love his grandchildren. And he just wanted to go home at the end of the day”.

He didn’t do it. Cops said Alcindor, 66, was driving through the intersection at 117th Street and Farmers Blvd. in Sant’Albanu as soon as a bullet hit him in the head, triggering the horrible chain of events around 4 o’clock on Monday evening.

Relatives described Alcindor as a working Haitian immigrant. How long does it take? Some family members said they didn’t even know Alcindor was back at work after recent health problems sidelined him from his job delivering car parts.

“I actually didn’t know he went back to work because all of us didn’t want to,” said Gabriella, recalling her father’s stroke more than a decade ago. “He can’t carry these things, you know. He stopped for a while. We assume that’s what he was doing here, because he has no reason to be here. We thought he was leaving things. I found out he was working again last night from my cousin.

Shooting victim William Alcindor (Courtesy of family)

She said that Alcindor could not bear to be confined at home.

“In 2013 he had a stroke,” Gabriella said. “He had to stop working. He just wanted to find something to do. He was complaining about having to sit at home.”

It would have been safer there on Monday afternoon.

That’s when he was driving his Nissan SUV past a of Popeye parking lot, where a teenage gunman fired several shots during a dispute with several rivals.

Alcindor, mortally wounded, hit a pedestrian before throwing himself into a building.

A 66-year-old Queens man shot dead behind the wheel of his SUV, sparking a crash that left a pedestrian hospitalized, was the unintended target of the wanted teenage gunman. The shooter, described as between 15 and 18, ran away after opening fire on a rival from the Popeye's parking lot near 117th Road and Farmers Blvd. in St. Albans around 4:50 pm on Monday, September 17, 2024. (Sam Costanza for the New York Daily News)
The shooter, described as between 15 and 18, ran away after opening fire on a rival from the Popeye’s parking lot near 117th Road and Farmers Blvd. in Sant’Albano around 4:50 p.m. on Monday. (Sam Costanza for the New York Daily News)

Doctors took Alcindor to Jamaica Hospital, where he died a short time later. The pedestrian was taken to the same hospital in stable condition.

The shooter and several people around him escaped. There was no arrest.

“It’s still surreal,” said the victim’s daughter, Sophia Alcindor, 40. “I still can’t process it. I woke up this morning – I barely slept, but when I opened my eyes I was like, ‘Yes, it happened.’

Police have released a surveillance image of the teenage suspect they say fired a random shot in Queens that killed a 66-year-old man who was walking by. (NYPD)
Police have released a surveillance image of the teenage suspect they say fired a random shot in Queens that killed William Alcindor. (NYPD)

She said she doesn’t want to see that happen to anyone else.

“These guns, it’s a problem,” he said. “People don’t want to talk about it, but it’s a problem. It’s like you want to pretend it’s not happening. We’re still just trying to process everything because you don’t plan things like this. It was driving. It was just lead.”

Police on Tuesday released a surveillance image of the suspected gunman and asked for the public’s help in identifying him and tracking him down.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

The UK can expect a 'tsunami of missed cancers' in the wake of the pandemic, experts say | Cancer

The UK can expect a ‘tsunami of missed cancers’ in the wake of the pandemic, experts say | Cancer


The UK can expect a “tsunami of missed cancers”, leading experts have said, after an international study found that diagnoses fell sharply during the pandemic.

Preliminary data from the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership, presented to delegates at the World Cancer Congress in Geneva, compared data on the incidence and stage of cancer diagnosis in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, before and during the pandemic.

The results showed that the nations of the United Kingdom had the biggest and most sustained fall in the diagnosis of lung, breast, colorectal and skin cancers during 2020. Northern Ireland and Wales did particularly badly compared to the other countries studied.

While all countries saw a decline in diagnosed cases at the peak of the pandemic, most had rebounded within the year. In contrast, Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet recovered their diagnosis rates by the end of 2020.

The study calculated that between April and July 2020, breast diagnoses fell by 35% in Northern Ireland and Wales, compared to 24% in Norway and 14% in Denmark. For lung cancer, in the same period of time, the decrease was 16% in Northern Ireland and Wales compared to 10% in Norway or 1% in New Zealand.

For the most affected month, 44% of breast cancer cases and 30% of lung cancer cases were missed in Northern Ireland and Wales. There was also a sharp drop in colorectal cancer diagnoses.

The decrease in diagnosed cases was greater for cancers in the initial stage, partly due to the suspension of screening programs. In Northern Ireland and Wales, stage I breast cancer diagnoses fell by 44% and 51%, respectively.

Cancer experts said that because of such large drops in diagnoses, they expected to see many more patients presenting with more advanced and late-stage cancers.

“These data are a shocking wake-up call, providing key evidence that the UK can expect a tsunami of missed cancers and a potential change in stage that can lead to more aggressive cancers that are harder to treat,” said Mark Lawler. . professor of digital health at Queen’s University Belfast and chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership. “And the fact that we are still far from meeting the goal of 62 days to treat cancer can only make the problem worse.”

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Lead oncologist and co-founder of the Catch Up With Cancer campaign, Prof Pat Price, said: “These figures are timely and devastating confirmation of the colossal cancer crisis. Without urgent action, we will see more patients diagnosed at a later stage late and more patients facing treatment delays.

“We were at the bottom of the cancer league tables before the pandemic, and as this study shows, we have not only recovered from the backlog in diagnosis. However, it should not be so, as the Lord Darzi’s new NHS report highlights. “If there was ever a time to deliver and implement a dedicated cancer recovery plan, it’s now.”

Naser Turabi, director of evidence and implementation at Cancer Research UK, said: “These findings suggest that the UK health system lacks resilience compared to countries such as New Zealand, leaving it more vulnerable to impact of Covid. This could have serious consequences for cancer patients who have faced delays in diagnosis due to excessive services.”

Porter County man in custody after asking boy, 17, with explicit texts

Porter County man in custody after asking boy, 17, with explicit texts

A Porter County man is in custody after, according to court documents, he sent sexually explicit texts to a 17-year-old boy who was staying at the Porter home where he sometimes stayed.

Dereck Patrick Moore, 38, who sometimes stayed at a home in Porter and at a motel in Portage where he was later arrested, is charged with attempted child exploitation, a Level 5 felony.

Police arrested Moore on Monday and he was slated for an initial hearing Tuesday before Porter Superior Court Judge Mary DeBoer. He remained in custody Tuesday afternoon according to online jail records.

The teenager contacted Porter Police on September 14 and told them that Moore had been living at her house and had become friends with the child’s mother, who invited Moore to live with them as needed.

“(The victim) disclosed that Dereck sent sexually explicit text messages to (the teen’s) phone on several occasions and asked (the victim) to send Dereck nude images of herself,” according to records from the court

“(The victim) stated that she never followed through with the photo request. However, (the teenager) has several (young) male friends who received similar messages from Dereck.

In addition to the explicit text messages, court documents say Moore provided the teenager with money to buy clothes, shoes, food and finance entertainment.

“(The victim) stated that he never had sexual contact with Dereck, but that he took him up on several offers to receive money,” the documents state.

After police took Moore into custody at the Days Inn, 6161 Melton Road, he told investigators he knew the boy and one of his friends were both at the high school and acknowledged that he lived upstairs at Porter for “more than a year” and used residence as a mailing address.

He told police, according to court documents, that he often gave money to the teenager because the boy was not rich like the rest of his friends.

A brief search of Moore’s phone, conducted with his consent, revealed “multiple photos and videos” of naked males “in a sexual manner,” although no face was visible. Police intend to conduct a more thorough search of Moore’s phone as part of the investigation.

The approval of Drug Kisqali has been extended for the disease in the early stage

The approval of Drug Kisqali has been extended for the disease in the early stage


The Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approval of Kisqali, a drug for metastatic breast cancer, to also treat patients with earlier stages of the disease, Pharmacist Novartis said on Tuesday.

The approval means that tens of thousands of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will have access to a medication that can help prevent their cancer from returning.

“Depending on your risks and everything, up to 30% of breast cancers can come back,” said Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky, head of breast and gynecologic medical oncology at the Valley Health System in New Jersey. “If it comes back as the fourth stage, then while we have treatment, it is not curable. People die from that cancer.”

In a phase 3 clinical trial by drugmaker NovartisKisqali reduced the risk of the patient’s breast cancer returning by 25% after three years, when it is given in addition to standard treatments, which may include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation followed by hormonal therapy.

After four years, Kisqali reduced the risk by 28.5%, according to a updated analysis presented on Monday at the European Society of Medical Oncology conference in Barcelona.

“We want to do everything we can to gradually decrease the chances of this cancer coming back,” said Dr. Vandana Abramson, who is the co-leader. of the Breast Cancer Research Program at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “So, if a patient was already at a potential risk of 10% of the cancer coming back, this would decrease even more, up to 7%.”

Until now, only Verzenio, another drug in the same class, has been approved to reduce the risk of early breast cancer returning in a patient, but it was only for people with a very high risk of relapse. Kisqali, on the other hand, will be available to a much wider group of patients, whose disease may not be so aggressive at the time of diagnosis.

It might also cause fewer side effects, Teplinksy said.

Extended approval is for patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, the most common form of the disease. It is for stage two and three diagnoses, which means the cancer has not spread outside the breast or nearby lymph nodes.

It comes as breast cancer rates are on the rise in younger women: From 2000 to 2019, breast cancer rates in women aged 20 to 49 increased by 15.6% according to a study published earlier this year in JAMA Network Open.

Nikki Odum, 42, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 36.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘I’m not ready to die, so what am I going to do?'” said Odum, of Smyrna, Tennessee.

Nikki Odum with her husband Justin at a chemotherapy appointment.Courtesy Nikki Odum

After having a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation, her doctor, Denise Yardley, asked if she wanted to join the clinical trial for Kisqali. “It was a no brainer for me. I was like, ‘The game, let’s do it,'” Odum said.

Yardley, the associate director of breast cancer research at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, was one of the clinical trial investigators. Patients in the trial either took standard hormone therapy or took Kisqali plus hormone therapy for three years after completing their main treatment regimen.

Throughout the trial, patients were monitored for side effects, such as low white blood cell counts and elevated liver enzymes, Yardley said.

If someone has experienced a side effect, “typically we have a drug, take care of the symptom and start again. If it occurs again, then we will make a reduction in the dose,” he said. About 20% of participants who received Kisqali dropped out of the trial for these reasons.

Odum was part of the group that took Kisqali plus hormone therapy. At some point, he developed a rash on his body and had to stop the treatment.

Even so, he said “for me, Kisqali was something that was a bonus. It’s something that I know in my heart helped me”.

The effects of the drug were studied for three years in the process, however, breast cancer can relapse decades after diagnosis.

“It would be nice to also see additional longer follow-up data to see if we only have an impact on early relapse rates, or do we also have an impact on late relapses?” said Dr. Komal Jhaveri, a breast medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Abramson, of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, noted that the drug is not cheap.

“The cost, out of pocket, if you take it for all three years, would be close to $300,000-$400,000,” he said.

With the extended approval, it is more likely that insurance plans will offer coverage for the treatment, so that patients do not have to pay the cost of the bag, but that can impose costs on the health system in general .

“Some of the criticisms of the study have been: well, it was only a 3% benefit,” Teplinsky said. “Three percent more patients benefit. What does that mean? But I think it’s up to the patient to decide what they want to do. It’s important for them to have the option.”

For Odum, the peace of mind the medication afforded him was worth it.

“You still have to deal with the fact every day that you have breast cancer,” she said. “I know I’m doing everything I can to keep living.”

The Senate to vote again on IVF fertility protection in the push of the election year

The Senate to vote again on IVF fertility protection in the push of the election year


WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote for the second time this year on whether to consider legislation that would establish a national right to in vitro fertilization — the latest election-year attempt by Democrats to force Republicans into a defensive posture on the issues. of women’s health.

Senators will vote Tuesday on whether to move forward with the legislation, a second test after Republicans already blocked it once earlier this year. The bill has little chance of passing, but Democrats hope to use the vote to put pressure on Republican congressional candidates and set up a showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, especially since Trump has. it was called ” leader in IVF. “

The push began earlier this year The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Several clinics in the state suspended IVF treatments until the GOP-led legislature stepped in enact a law to provide legal protection for clinics.

Democrats quickly capitalized, holding a vote in June on the congressional bill from Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and warning that the US Supreme Court could go after the procedure later. announced the right to an abortion in 2022. The legislation would also increase access to the procedure and reduce costs.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the floor Tuesday morning that the vote is a “second chance” for Republicans.

“Americans are watching, families at home are watching, and couples who want to become parents are watching too,” Schumer said.

All but two Republicans voted to block the Democratic legislation in June, arguing that the federal government shouldn’t tell states what to do and that the bill was a frivolous effort. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted with Democrats to advance the bill.

Meanwhile, Republicans have scrambled to counter Democrats on the issue, with many making it clear they support IVF treatments. Trump last month announced plans, without additional details, to ask health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for fertility treatment.

In his debate with Harris earlier this month, Trump said he was a “leader” on the issue and talked about the “very negative” decision by the Alabama court that was later overturned by the legislature .

But the issue threatened to become a vulnerability for Republicans as some state laws passed by their party conceded. the legal person not only to fetuses, but to any embryos that are destroyed in the IVF process. Before its convention this summer, the Republican Party adopted a political platform which supports states establishing fetal personhood through the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which gives equal protection under the law to all American citizens. The platform also encourages the support of IVF, but does not explain how the party plans to do it.

Democrats say that if Trump wants to improve access to the procedure, then Republicans should vote for his legislation.

Duckworth, a military veteran who has use fertility treatment to have her two children, she led the Senate effort on the legislation. “How dare you,” he said in comments directed at his GOP colleagues after the first vote that blocked the bill.

Republicans have tried to push alternatives to the problem, including legislation that would discourage states from enacting explicit bans on the treatment, but those bills have been blocked by Democrats who say they are not enough.

Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas tried in June to pass a bill that threatened to withhold Medicaid funding for states where IVF is prohibited. Senator Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida, said in a speech on the floor then that his daughter was currently receiving IVF treatment and proposed to expand the flexibility of health savings accounts.

Cruz, who is running for re-election in Texas, said Democrats’ efforts to pass the legislation were a “cynical political decision.”

Junior doctors want more despite support payment agreement

Junior doctors want more despite support payment agreement


PA Media People holding reading signs PA Media

Junior doctors in England have accepted the government’s offer of a 22% pay rise, but warn they want more in the coming years.

Members of the British Medical Association supported the agreement offered by the government with 66% of the vote in favor of the increase, which is spread over two years. Almost 46,000 participated in the online vote.

It puts an end to the 18-month dispute, which has seen junior doctors take part in 11 separate strikes.

But the BMA has warned that this must be just the start of a series of above-inflation pay rises or there will be “consequences”.

“The campaign is not over”

The co-leader of the union’s junior doctors, Dr Vivek Trivedi, told the BBC that the deal had only started “to turn the tide on pay cuts”.

He described it as a “compromise” – the BMA had been after a 35% pay rise to make up for what it says are 15 years of under-inflation pay awards.

He said that in future years, the expectation was that wages would continue to rise above inflation – and if this did not happen, the government should be “prepared for the consequences”.

“It marks the beginning of the journey, but the journey is not over.”

The deal increases the starting salary for a junior doctor from £29,384 in 2022-23 to £36,616 a year in basic pay. Those at the top of the pay scale earn more than £70,000.

But junior doctors usually make 25% to 30% more in extra payments for things like overtime and antisocial hours.

The offer was made by Health Secretary Wes Streeting in late July – just weeks after Labor won the election.

He said he was “pleased” it had been accepted, ending the “most devastating dispute in the history of the health service”.

“This marks the first necessary step in our mission to cut waiting lists, reform the broken health service, and make it fit for the future,” added Streeting.

Chart showing junior doctor pay in three years from 2022-23, at each point of the pay scale

The pay deal includes a backdated pay rise of 4% for 2023-24, on top of the existing rise they have already received on average of 9% for the last financial year.

A further pay rise of around 8% will be paid for 2024-25, as recommended by an independent pay review body.

That brings the total over the two years to about 22%, on average, for each junior doctor, with the lowest paid receiving the biggest increases.

Industrial action in the NHS is estimated to have cost taxpayers around £1.7 billion during 2023 and 2024.

“Sigh of Relief”

Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive of NHS Employers, which represents NHS trusts, said: “Health leaders will breathe a huge sigh of relief to know that the dispute has come to a successful resolution.

“The last thing our members wanted was the threat of more strikes over what is expected to be a very difficult winter.”

Junior doctors in Wales recently voted in favor of an improved pay deal, while in Northern Ireland talks are ongoing and no strike is expected.

Junior doctors have not taken industrial action in Scotland after accepting a pay offer from the devolved government last year.

The announcement comes before the title of junior doctor that is abandoned in favor of the term resident doctors from Wednesday.

Streeting agreed to the change during the discussions.

The term junior doctor has long been frowned upon by the BMA, who believe it does not reflect the experience and standing of junior doctors – some of whom may have eight or more years’ experience.

The planet is getting faster. This is what happens to your body in extreme heat

The planet is getting faster. This is what happens to your body in extreme heat



CNN

Human-caused climate change has already made heat waves around the world more frequent and intense.

Scientists studying the role of global warming on the climate say that every heat wave today bears the fingerprints of the climate crisis.

Climate change, driven primarily by humans burning fossil fuels, is making global extreme weather worse overall, but much of that change is related to heat.

In the United States, heat kills more Americans than any other climate-related disaster, and it will only continue to worsen as the world warms from burning fossil fuels.

Here’s what happens to your body in extreme heat, what you need to watch out for and how to stay safe.

What happens to your body

Normally, your body is used to a certain range of temperatures, usually between 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit. When your brain senses a change — whether it’s lower or higher than that — it tries to help your body cool down or warm up, according to Dr. Judith Linden, executive vice chair of the department of emergency medicine at Boston Medical Center. and a professor in the department of emergency medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.

“There are a number of different ways that (the brain) tries to cool the body. One way, the most common way that we think of, is that you sweat,” Linden said. “The pores open, the body sweats and the sweat evaporates, which refreshes the body.”

The second way your body cools itself is by dilating the vessels and increasing the heart rate, which helps bring heat and blood to the surface of your body and helps release excess heat.

When you are exposed to high temperatures, it becomes more difficult for your body to try to keep cool. And if your environment is hot and humid, sweat doesn’t evaporate as easily—which pushes your body temperature even higher, according to Mayo Clinic.

“The higher the humidity, the lower the temperature you need for extreme heat,” Linden said.

High body temperature can lead to damage to the brain and other vital organs, the CDC he says They can also lead to many heat-related illnesses.

Mild heat-related illnesses, incl heat cramps, are more common, Linden said. Heat cramps can develop in people who sweat a lot, even during exercise. Excessive sweating uses up all the salt and moisture in the body and can lead to muscle pains or spasms, usually in the abdomen, arms or legs, depending the CDC.

A heat rash it can also develop. It’s a skin irritation caused by too much sweating in hot, humid weather, and it’s more common in children, the CDC says. It is usually a red cluster of pimples or blisters, and tends to be in places including the neck, upper chest or in the crook of the elbow.

When your body begins to exceed its ability to cool down, you can develop what is known as heat exhaustion.

“In this case, you will see excessive sweating because your body will really try to keep the extra heat. You will feel dizzy, you may feel dizzy, often people have nausea, headaches and their skin often looks pale and moist and his pulse is often fast,” Linden said.

“This is the body’s last attempt to cool down before it really enters a point of no return.”

A heat stroke it is the most serious disease related to heat, and if it is not treated, it can lead to death.

“That’s where your body temperature goes above 104 to 105 degrees or more, and that’s where your mechanisms start to fail,” Linden said.

Warning signs can include extremely high body temperatures, red, dry skin, a rapid pulse, headache, dizziness, nausea or loss of consciousness, according to the CDC.

The hallmark of heat stroke is confusion and agitation, Linden said.

“So when someone is in heat and becomes confused and agitated, that’s heatstroke until proven otherwise and you need to call 911 for that or get help immediately and get the person out of the heat.”

The elderly, people with chronic medical conditions and even children are at greater risk for severe heat-related illnesses.

The elderly and people with chronic medical conditions may be less likely to sense and respond to temperature changes and may take medications that worsen the effects of heat, the CDC he said.

“Also very young (people), because they’re less likely to recognize heat-related illnesses and they’re less likely to get out of the heat if they start to feel overheated,” Linden said.

Student-athletes and pets are also at greater risk, he added.

“During this time, you should never, ever, ever leave a child or pet in the car for even a minute,” Linden added.

When your community experiences extreme heat, there are several things you can do to keep yourself and others safe.

First, keep an eye out for symptoms of heat exhaustion or other illnesses. “If someone starts feeling light-headed, dizzy, nauseous or has a headache, it’s time to act immediately,” Linden said. “That means getting them out of the heat and into a cool environment.”

Putting water on someone who may have symptoms and giving them fluids can help cool them down. If someone starts to lose consciousness or has nausea or vomiting, call 911.

“If you see someone with any kind of confusion, that’s an immediate red flag,” Linden added.

When it’s hot outside, try to avoid outdoor activities – especially between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm, according to Linden. If you have to go out, wear light colored clothes, cover your head and drink plenty of fluids.

Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water – because that can be a sign of dehydration. Linden recommends drinking at least one glass of water—or more—an hour.

“If you start feeling light-headed, dizzy, sweaty, fast pulse, get out of the heat immediately,” said Linden.

Try to find air conditioning, or places in your area where you can go to stay cool, depending on Ready.gov. Even spending a few hours at a mall or public library can help.

When you’re indoors, fans can help, but don’t rely on them as your only way to cool down—while they may be more comfortable, they won’t help prevent heat-related illnesses.

“If you’re in a super hot room, if you have a fan, is it helpful? No. I think, if you have a fan, and you’re able to nebulize yourself … then fans can be helpful,” said Linden. “The fans are not infallible.”

Finally, be sure to check on your neighbors, parents and friends — especially older people who may live alone or are isolated, Linden said.