What is Hypothermia? The loss of warmth in the body resulting in organs losing their ability to function. Who can get hypothermia? Everyone, but our weight, our age and our size can result in more or less vulnerability to hypothermia. Young children and seniors without the layer of fat are more susceptible, as well as people on certain diets, including low-calorie diets. They lose body heat faster than the majority of people. Elderly people often don't have the same nutrition and calorie intake they used to have, and are also on medications frequently which can change the body's ability to moderate temperature. In addition, people with underactive thyroids and those who consume a lot of alcohol are more susceptible. Keeping aware not only of that population but also the possibility that any of us may not be taking in enough calories prior and during to an extreme weather outing can put us in the same bracket as that more vulnerable sector.

Precautions we can all take: have high calorie snacks on hand and keep the caloric intake going in during chilling weather activities and exposure. Keep fluid intake high. Your body needs hydration especially at this time. The dry air breathing and perspiring can result in loss of the oxygen supply to your blood. This is why you see people going into cardiac arrest from hypothermia. The brain is also affected adversely, resulting in disorientation, mood swings and confusion. Take hot liquids with you in a handy container and drink fluids before starting the outing.

Follow the three rules of clothing: they should be layered, loose and light. Protect the four extremities needing extra care: the head and neck which can lose over one third of body heat, the hands, feet and groin area. Outer clothing that is wind proof is crucial for the groin area, as well as looser rather than tighter underwear. That windproof clothing is important for all of your body. Loose and many layers of clothes can help provide the insulation while providing flexibility in wearing or taking off what you need according to the weather. Thick woolen socks, footwear that is loose-fitting to some extent, not to mention water-repellant, mitts that are waterproof or water resistant, hats and scarves are standard common-sense. Once you are wet, you are going to have to get out of the wind, as windchill will be deadly.

What to avoid: alcohol - it may seem prudent to take some sips of that fire liquid that seemingly warms your innards like so many western movies portrayed, but it does the opposite - it results in blood not reaching the core organs, and thus the body temperature starts to plummet. It does create the false illusion of warmth initially - dilating blood vessels, and blood comes to the surface of your skin, but that's it, and you are on your way to a rapid deterioration in organ functioning. Resist the urge. Know that your medications can cause more problems than assistance when you are exposed to extreme temperatures. Heart medicine, blood pressure meds and antidepressants can change the body's ability to respond normally to cold weather. Your doctor should be consulted.

Symptoms of Hypothermia: for moderate hypothermia, as previously mentioned, confusion and irritation sets in. For these people, they need to be attended to immediately, getting them out of the weather exposure, into a warm sleeping bag possibly with someone else in there with them, hot water bottles against them, wet clothes removed and warm liquids being consumed. Extreme hypothermia will be unmistakable - loss of consciousness and the shivering is suddenly absent. The best action is to get them to a hospital as fast as you can, avoiding trying to heat their bodies with artificial means while they are unconscious. Remember that sub-zero temperatures are not a requirement for hypothermia. The weather can be moderately cold and still be dangerous. Doctors have found that people who died or were in critical condition after hypothermia in moderately cold weather conditions, did not ingest enough calories - about 75 percent less than what they should have been eating prior to the activity.

There will always be situations we cannot plan on, but with some initial thought into preparation, the likelihood of having hypothermia can be greatly diminished if not completely avoided in the majority of situations we normally find ourselves participating in. And for those situations we don't plan for, emergency survival kits we put together ourselves makes a whole lot of sense.