Your hypothetical friends Harvey and Harriet have been on a summertime mis-adventure, and now we focus on Harriet.
This story shows how you can get into trouble with your health in the summer in Arizona and what can be done about it. Remember, this is not medical advice, it is about what Harvey and Harriet hypothetically do!
In part 3, you can explore what precautions they should take next time to avoid their present predicament.
Harvey and Harriet Hiking
Harvey and Harriet decided to get out of the scorching heat and work routine in Phoenix and go to Flagstaff for some summer hiking fun.
They set out late, so did not get to Flagstaff to start on their hike until 11:30 AM.
Harvey was so happy to have stopped at that convenience store to get the super-sized coke, because it tastes so much better than water and will give him extra energy for the hike.
The weather in Flagstaff was very different than what they left in Phoenix. All the clouds in the sky really made it feel cool. They decided they did not need the sunscreen until later.
On the Trail
After a little while on the trail, Harvey was getting warm, so he took off his hat and shirt but did apply sunscreen to those tender areas that had not seen the sun.
Harriet sipped from her water bottle on the trail. Since Harvey had all that coke, he raced ahead and forgot about drinking much water.
On the way back, they stopped at a pond and sat down on the shore for a snack. Harriet took off her hat and long-sleeved shirt to cool down.
They had trail mix which was half M&M’s, and also crackers and cheese.
They rested, and, falling asleep, didn’t notice that the clouds had cleared.
First, she took care of Harvey, which is detailed in Summer Adventures, part 1.
Ouch!
She had not noticed it before, but by now Harriet complains that her arms and face are red, hot and painful with a bit of swelling.
Harriet has symptoms of first degree sunburn.
She keeps an Aloe Vera plant in a pot at her house. It is ideal for sunburn relief because it sooths, speeds healing, and moisturizes.
Harriet takes a leaf and first cuts off the spiny edges on both sides. Then she opens it by splitting the leaf so that there are two halves with gel on one side and leaf skin on the other. She immediately applies the gel side to her burnt skin.
The herbalist Peter Bigfoot teaches that Aloe Vera plant gel can prevent sunburn when applied before going out in the sun. She just might try that next time.
What about worse sunburn?
Second-degree sunburn has blisters in addition to Harriet’s symptoms of
• red arms and face,
• hot and painful skin
• with a bit of swelling.
She knows that she can use something found in her kitchen and commonly found in yours too. If she had these symptoms of second-degree sunburn with blisters, she would know to use black tea.
By taking a few black tea bags and steeping them strong in a little water, she would have a strong tea to apply to her skin. The tannic acids in the black tea tighten the skin and prevent the blisters from popping, which could open the area to infection.
If the sunburn had covered extensive areas of skin, or if accompanied by chills, fever, nausea, or delirium, she should receive additional medical attention.
What else can help Harriet?
In the past, Harriet has found these to be effective for relief and healing, when applied to sunburnt skin:
• Apple cider vinegar
• Lavender essential oil
• Liquid trace mineral supplements
• A salve or tea of calendula flowers and St. John’s Wort.
Sunburn dehydrates the body, so Harriet knows to continue to drink plenty of pure (structured) water.
It would be a good reminder for Harriet to strictly avoid any further sun exposure until the burn is completely healed.
Go on to Harvey & Harriet’s Summer Adventures part 3 to discover what they should have done to avoid these mis-adventures.
