What Is This "Heat Advisory" of Which You Speak?

On Monday, the Washington Post had a Q&A with Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Apparently, it’s really hot out there, and we should all be wearing sunscreen, avoiding the outdoors as much as possible, and drinking lots of water. I had no idea.

Dr. Benjamin would be excellent at testifying on Capitol Hill, because he’s very good at not answering the questions he was asked. For example:

Q: Every year, we hear warnings about not leaving kids in hot cars; yet every year, children die or become ill while being left in cars. Why do you think people ignore these warnings? Thank you…
A: Children, pets and seniors should NEVER be left in a car.

Well, thanks for clearing that up.

Q: I am training for a marathon and have long runs that go 2-4 hours. What time of day is best to do them in, early morning or evening?
A: Early morning and evening is best

I believe that was an either/or question.

Q: What are area public health facilities doing today and during this period of extreme heat?...
A: They are letting people know that it is going to be hot with some high humidity…

Because we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise?

Q: I was born a desert rat out in the American Southwest. I like dry and dusty environments. Though I’ve lived in D.C. for six years I still pour buckets of sweat after walking even a few blocks. My body doesn’t like humidity. Any recommendations on how to adapt?
A: It takes a couple of weeks to adapt to the heat and humidity. Over time your body becomes more efficient at sweating and getting rid of heat (Called acclimation). Drinking fluids and slowly exercising helps even when fully acclimated.

Did you miss the six years part, Doctor?

One might think that this is all fairly common sense advice, seeing as the answer to 85% of the questions was "drink plenty of fluids," but perhaps the public does need to hear it, as evidenced by a woman on the news last night telling an interviewer she was keeping cool by drinking diet coke. Because, you know, caffeinated, carbonated sodas are way better than water. Sigh.