loving art, science and creative kids

  Dream Summer 

 Art took over my spirit this week.   My paintings are an expression of  emotions and I am happy that summer finally arrived. I plan to make the most of my time outdoors but wondered if I will feel the same when the weather is over 100 degrees. 

Winter seemed like it would last forever. Rain, snow, and cold did not bother me at first  and I even enjoyed the snow that allowed me to sled down the hill near our house. But, as March turned into April and early blooms did not appear when they usually do, I had to fight depression. Once the weather changed though, I wondered how long it would take to start hearing complaints about the heat.  

I did not have to wait long, for parts of the country have been buried under sweltering temperatures with Portland expected to have a 101 degree temperature on Sunday. My son and his wife are sharing stories of their visit to Washington, DC with my grandchildren. They write of  several weeks of managing to stay cool during the humid heat wave plaguing the East Coast. Complaints started to arrive from everywhere.

My next door neighbors went to Portugal a week ago, thankfully averting the fire that killed so many people.  They wrote that they spend more time than usual in their air conditioned car viewing sites rather than walking.  I am saddened to hear of Phoenix residents living with temperatures of reached 122 degrees. I can’t imagine what it is like to go out when the weather is that extreme.

These thoughts make me curious about what it takes to adapt to changes in weather. Primitive people did not have furnaces, yet they managed to survive ice ages. Those near the equator were able to take treks through the Sahara Desert.  Heat bothers me more than cold for I don’t like touching another person with a sweaty body.  If I lived near the equator I probably would never have had five children.  I have been assured, however, that I am capable of adapting to extremes in temperature. 

As early as 1847, Biologist Carl Bergman noticed that people living in hot climates have less body mass while those in colder regions tend to be bulkier. Their greater density means that there are more cells to produce heat. Further studies that examined the length of appendages note that in the tropics there is an advantage to being slender with long limbs to  assist in evaporating body heat for those living in humid conditions have a more difficult time perspiring and are more subject to overheating.  This is why those in humid, tropical Africa it is better to have a lot of body surface. Also wide noses which do not warm the air as do thin ones, dark skin to shield solar radiation, and not being prone to body fat have advantages. Though it is still fortunate to be thin, in dryer hot climates being tall  is not advantageous, for water loss is a problem not benefited by long limbs.  In the Middle East, moderate skin pigmentation provides protection from the sun but also permits sweating.

The opposite is true in cold climates where short massive bodies, short arms and legs, flat faces, fat pads over the sinuses, heavier than average layer of body fat are favored.  These adaptations allow for increased metabolic rates, minimum heat loss whichhelps prevent frostbite. Narrow nasal passages protect lungs and the base of the brain.  Of course, Arctic residents are helped by a diet rich in fatty foods, warm clothing and remaining active when outdoors.  Moderately cold environments call for a slightly different body type for tall, stockily built individuals are favored. A narrow nose is  still good to possess.

Acclimatization is a physiological response to the environment that can take place within certain parameters.  In cold climates, hypothermia, a drop in core body temperature, is a great danger. Normal temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit but when the body’ s heat falls to 94 degrees the natural temperature regulating system usually fails.  In hot climates, it takes only a few days of having a body temperature over 105 degrees to trigger deterioration of internal organs.  Though certain bodies favor living in one climate or another, adaptation can be aided by those with the willpower (see last week’s blog) to mentally reset their internal thermostat.  

People visiting cold climates are advised to slowly introduce themselves to the cooler environment.  For example, polar explorer, “Birdie” Bowers went to the South Pole in 1911 with Robert Scott. He was described as a man able to sleep soundly in freezing conditions that were impossible for his companions.  He method for adaptation started as soon as he arrived in the Antarctic by starting a routine of throwing icy buckets of water and slush over his naked body every morning. Though he was the best adapted person in the team, acclimatization did not allow him to survive a November expedition to the South Pole where all members died during a March blizzard when a dog relief team failed to show up.

Early missionaries found natives in Tierra del Fuego in South America unclothed even during frigid cold winters. Their women swam in 48 degree waters when hunting for shell fish, and families often slept in the open, unsheltered and uncovered.  Moving about without shoes they occasionally wrapped their naked bodies in an animal skin on bitterly cold days.  To provide a barrier against the elements, they smeared themselves with seal oil.

Many studies show that repeated exposure to cold usually results in increased tolerance, a situation which I can anecdotally confirm. When first moving to Lansing, Michigan, I found the cold intolerable. I came from Boston where winters were never as severe. After several years, however, I adjusted and loved going cross country skiing after the children were in bed even though the temperature was well below freezing. One winter, my husband and I went north for a vacation during the coldest week of the year in order to ski on frozen rivers and drink hot chocolate in nearby inns.  

I did jump into a snow melt river in Colorado once and was surprised at how my body reacted.  It did not take more than five minutes before I had to get out, but once dry, my body felt hot. I tingled all over and was invigorated as we hiked on.  It is important to be careful when ice swimming, for there are instances of people jumping into cold water to have a heart attack and die. If you are thinking about entering an ice-pond, consider  lowering your body temperature with cold showers and start with  short icy immersions. If you plan to do it often, a diet of fatty foods are advisable. 

Doug Strain,  a man I greatly admired, was a conscientious objector during WWII. He was recruited to participate in a military experiment studying how much food is needed when body temperature is lowered.    Each day,  subjects entered a meat freezer without jackets.  In the evening, they were sent to bed in their barracks but not allowed to use blankets.  The subjects of the experiment needed a tremendous amount of food to maintain body weight.  Doug mentioned, that though they ate as much as they wanted, everyone  lost pounds. He concluded with a smile, “that an entrepreneur could make a lot of money by starting a freezarium for weight loss.”

Now that summer is here, my desire is to adjust to warmth as  quickly  as possible.  The Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut reports that it takes 7-14 days for the body to adapt to heat. Once the body adapts, positive adjustments take place such as a reduced heart rate, changed skin temperature responses, and a different perception of exertion. The Institute stresses the importance of acclimatizing to hot weather slowly, resting between exertions, increasing salt intake, and taking breaks to avoid overheating. They recommend that meals should be small before exercise and that water intake be increased. 

Athletes especially need to pay attention to these warnings, but those who do, are likely to find themselves with improved blood pressure and a greater ability to handle heat stress during exercise. Wishing all a happy, healthy and comfortable summer. 

References.

Cool Antartica, Cold Acclimation and Acclimatization in Humans- Science of the Cold.

http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/cold_acclimation_human.php

Adapting to Climate Extremes,  http://anthro.palomar.edu/adap

Heat Acclimatization,  Korea Stringer Institute, University of Connecticut, http://ksi.uconn.edu/prevention/heat-acclimatization/

Climatic Adaptation, Physical Anthropology, writtten by editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/climatic-adaptation

Kelly, James, In Search of Paradise Lost in Tierra del Fuego, 2017, Earth island Journal, 

http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/in_search_of_paradise_lost_in_tierra_del_fuego/?gclid=CjwKEAjw1a3KBRCY9cfsmdmWgQ0SJAATUZ8bjJ1p4s3GjhZWynM7Qw8RBa7E7KIK6L8tX4uo1bd1YBoCQVbw_wcB

Art is always for sale.  Dream Summer is and acrylic painting on deep canvas / 24” by 20” /

 $ 450.for sale / contact  marilynne@eichingerfineart.com  for information.