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If you are exercising or if you work in a hot environment, heat injuries can be over looked easily which is an extreme health risk to the person involved.

There are many ways to categorize heat injuries but we will discuss them in 3 major heat induced classes:

Heat cramps are crippling contractions of muscles, usually following exercise.

These usually happen to people who are not acclimatized to the specific environment. There is no research to say what causes them specifically but some have shown a depletion of electrolytes is responsible. Thankfully these craps usually subside once the person is completely acclimatized to the environment.

Heat exhaustion is a more serious injury which results from dehydration and a lack of electrolytes.

The person affected might feel dizzy, light-headed, fatigued, or develop a headache. If heat exhaustion is in fact suspected, the person should be moved to a cool place and allowed to sip fluids to replace those that have been lost.

Heat stroke is a serious injury that is life threatening. This occurs when the person body is unable to regulate their core temperature. If their core temperature is greater than 104f, it can cause irreversible injuries to vital organs and possible cause death if not treated immediately. Even people who are well hydrated can be affected by heat stroke. Headaches, vomiting, loss of consciousness, confusion, and light-headedness are a few symptoms to watch out for.

There are many drugs and influential drinks which can promote dehydration and should be avoided in hot environments.

If you suspect someone is suffering from a heat related injury, it is important to get help immediately.

Antioxidants are usually referred to a group of chemicals that are naturally found in vegetables, plants and fruits. They can also be synthesized in our body. Antioxidants are essential for the prevention of the human diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

They also have anti-aging effect and they fight against the free radicals that are associated with aging related diseases. This disease includes Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Anti-oxidant suppresses the formation of free radicals thereby protecting the body from various diseases. Antioxidants are responsible for the proper functioning of the immune system.

The immune cells produce certain free radicals for normal defense function, if the number of free radicals increases beyond the fixed level it affects the immune system to a greater extent. When these conditions prevail antioxidants fight against the free radicals and promote the immunity. They also play a main role in cellular metabolism, gene activation, signal transduction and transcription.

Antioxidants also control the cholesterol level and remove the bad cholesterol content from the human body. Some of the examples of dietary antioxidants are vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, chlorophyll, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Some of the chemicals along with the antioxidant activity produced in a human body are uric acid, amino acids and high density lipo proteins.

The rich sources of natural antioxidants are fruits, vegetables, tea, nuts, herbs and whole grain cereals. Some of the fruits that have high antioxidants are apple, blackberry, blueberry and grapes. Some of the vegetables that have powerful antioxidants in excess are carrot, tomato, potato, garlic and beans. Green tea, black tea, ginger and herbal tea are the other important sources of antioxidants.