Sunstroke
Sunstroke, more correctly called heatstroke, is a disorder of the body's heat-regulating mechanism caused by
overexposure to the sun or great heat, while in a humid atmosphere. It can also be brought about through excessive
exercise. Sunstroke shows symptoms similar to heat exhaustion--both have headache, dizziness and weakness--but
in sunstroke there is a high temperature and absence of sweating, while in heat exhaustion there is sweating with a
normal or below normal temperature.
Sunstroke can be dangerous. The high temperature should be brought down as quickly as possible, as above 104°F
(40°c) the person may collapse and become unconscious, with circulatory failure in severe cases. The immediate
treatment is to bring down the temperature by wrapping the person in a wet sheet, and create a draught by fanning
or switching on an electric fan. Keep the sheet wet and sponge the face. Once the person has cooled down, cover
with a dry sheet: if the temperature begins to climb again, allopathic treatment is immediately necessary.
Treatment
General treatment should include giving a little water to drink, with half a teaspoon of salt added per half-litre of
water, or an electrolyte replacer such as a sports drink. In stable cases, the following remedies can be used.
Sunstroke with hot dizzy sensation and bursting pressure. Person anxious and restless, worse from sitting up. The
skin is red and dry.
Aconite 6c, every 30-60 minutes.
Sunstroke with headache from the heat of the sun, with pounding head, flushed face and bloodshot eyes, person is
bathed in sweat.
Belladonna 6c, every 1-2 hours.
Sunstroke with violent, pounding headache, pale face and fixed eyes, white tongue and laboured breathing.
Glonoine 6c, every 2-3 hours.
Hot, dry and inflamed, with flushed face and feverish symptoms.
Ferrum phos 6x, a tissue salt, every 1-2 hours.
Sunstroke with stupefied, giddy, intoxicated feeling and band-like pain around the head.
Gelsemium 6c, every 2-3 hours.
Collapse after overexposure to the sun, with great coldness.
Camphor 6c, every 30 minutes.
Headache after sun exposure, like a thousand tiny hammers, with debility and thirst.
Nat mur 6x, a tissue salt, every 1-2 hours.
