Exposure to the winter cold can cause life-threatening health conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite. Hypothermia occurs when your core temperature drops below the level required for normal metabolism and bodily functions, which causes your vital organs to shut down. Frostbite occurs when exposure to cold causes constriction of the blood vessels in the extremities leading to severe tissue injury by freezing. You can avoid serious health problems such as these by keeping warm and dry using the following tips from the New York City Office of Emergency Management.

• Wear something to cover your head, because even though it is a myth that people lose a majority of their body heat through the head, it is the largest body part that we commonly keep uncovered in cool weather. 
• Wear layers, as they provide better insulation and warmth. They also allow you to add or subtract a layer as needed.
• Keep your fingertips, ears, and nose covered if you go outside, especially if there is a wind chill. These body parts are commonly affected by frostbite.
• Keep your feet dry. Wet feet can lead to hypothermia or frostbite of the toes. Wear insulating socks and shoes that are water repellant.
• Wear waterproof clothing to keep yourself dry. If one of your layers gets wet, take it off. Because heat travels faster through water than air, wet clothing does nothing to keep you warm, In fact, it’s worse than wearing nothing at all.
• Recognize symptoms of cold weather illnesses such as frostbite and hypothermia:
  • Hypothermia signs and symptoms include shivering, slurred speech, slow breathing rate, cold pale skin, confusion, fatigue, lethargy, and the "-umbles”: stumbles, mumbles, fumbles, and grumbles
  • Frostbite symptoms include gray, white, or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, and waxy feeling skin.
• If you or someone you know is showing symptoms frostbite or hypothermia, get them out of the cold and seek medical help immediately. Keep in mind that people suffering from hypothermia may not be aware of what is happening to them.
• If medical help is not immediately available you can help warm the person up, staring with the core of the body (torso and head). Attempting to warm the extremities first may actually cause cold blood in those sites to return to the heart, further cooling the core. To warm the person, use a blanket, or if necessary, your own body heat by making skin-to-skin contact.
• Do not apply direct heat such as hot water, or a heating pad or a heating lamp to warm someone with hypothermia or frostbite, although warm compresses are fine to use.
• Don't massage or rub the person. People with hypothermia should be handled gently because they are at risk of heart attack. Rubbing areas affected by frostbite can worsen tissue damage.
• Do not give a person suffering frostbite or hypothermia alcohol or caffeine, both of which can worsen the condition. Instead, give the person a cup of warm water or broth.

If you have questions about staying safe in winter weather, ask the expertsa at Healia Health Communities.  

_{Source: City of New York Office of Emergency Management, Winter Safety Tips, 2008 http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/}

_{Photo: Ed Yourdon, Flickr, Creative Commons}