advertisement
(Editor’s Note: The story was first published on 3 May 2019 and is being republished from The Quint’s archives after the recent incidents of heatstrokes in India.)
It’s summer time and there are a lot of viral messages warning us about the heat and giving us tips to stay cool. But what’s the truth behind the messages?
CLAIM: One message going viral claims that drinking ice water once the temperature rises to 40 degrees could contract your blood vessels, may be life-threatening.
This message has been spreading across social media, appearing as soon as the weather outside gets hotter day by day.
Drinking cold water as soon as you come indoors from the hot weather is tempting, but not advisable, however this is “not dangerous” as Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant- internal medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals says.
Dr Chatterjee says that, “Drinking ice cold water immediately may cause a sore threat or an irregular heartbeat for some time, but this is nothing alarming.”
So while it is not harmful, it is best to wait and rest a bit before we drink anything cold.
Point three in the message describes an alarming event where a man’s jaws almost froze after a cold shower, and even point two warns against immediately washing your hands or face lest your blood vessels contract.
“Vessels contracting in the cold is part of the body’s normal mechanisms,” explains Dr Chatterjee.
So the message is clear – do not panic, the body has natural mechanisms to protect you in different temperatures, but is is best to rest before having anything too cold if you’re coming in from the heat.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9910181818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: 03 May 2019,10:51 AM IST