Tulsa Doctor Warns About The Impact Extreme Cold Can Have On The Body

Extremely cold weather is right around the corner, with wind chills even expecetd to dipp below zero degrees. Doctors have said that this dangerously cold weather can have a significant impact on our bodies.

Dr. Barry Dockery with Utica Park Clinic said that it will be very important to limit your exposure outdoors over the next few days because prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures and subzero wind chills can have a detrimental effect on you.

Dockery said that when you stay out in extremely cold weather, your extremities will be impacted first in what's described as 'frostnip.'

"When it comes to frostbite, it's really more frostnip first, and that's when the body kind of shuts the blood out to our extremities and brings it more towards the core where we have our lungs, our hearts, things like that," Dr. Dockery said.

Avoiding heat loss is also extremely important with freezing temperatures, and the best way to do so is to wear plenty of layers. In fact, Dr. Dockery said that you should have a three tiered layering system when going outside.

"There's a three tiered layering system. That is your base layer, having a real hydrophobic base layer allowing that sweat to evaporate out, having a mid-layer kind of like a fleece or possibility of a down as well and allows that evaporation to continue to go out, and then having a shell layer that's typically going to be a windproof and waterproof layer," Dr. Dockery said.

Dr. Dockery also said that people with certain comorbidities like diabetes or hypertension should also avoid being outside in the cold weather for prolonged periods of time in order to avoid even more health problems associated with blood circulation.