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Extreme heat does not affect only older people or those living with chronic health conditions. Anyone can develop a heat-related illness when the body is exposed to high temperatures for too long, particularly when humidity, strenuous physical activity, dehydration or inadequate access to cooling make it harder to release heat. The Hellenic National Public Health Organization, EODY, stresses that everyone is vulnerable to the health effects of heat, although some groups face a significantly higher risk. Heat exhaustion and heatstroke may share symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea and an elevated body temperature, but they are not equally dangerous. Heat exhaustion is a warning that the body is struggling to cope, often because it has lost too much water and salt through sweating. Heatstroke, by contrast, is a life-threatening medical emergency in which the body can no longer regulate its temperature effectively and brain function may be affected. Recognising the difference matt...
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When plain water is enough, when electrolyte replacement may be useful and why drinking excessive amounts of water is not always harmless. Hot weather increases the body’s need for fluids because sweating is one of its main cooling mechanisms. As sweat evaporates from the skin, it removes heat, but it also carries away water and electrolytes. This has helped create the impression that every hot day requires an electrolyte drink. In reality, heat alone does not determine what someone needs to drink. The duration and intensity of exposure, the amount of sweat produced, physical activity, diet, health status and medication use all matter. For most healthy people going about ordinary daily activities and eating regular meals, water remains the appropriate first choice. Electrolyte replacement becomes more relevant when sweating is heavy and prolonged or when fluids and salts are being lost through illness. The aim is not to drink as much as possible. It is to replace losses without creatin...
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Οι διακοπές υποτίθεται ότι μας απομακρύνουν από την πίεση της καθημερινότητας, το πεπτικό σύστημα, όμως, δεν υποδέχεται πάντα με την ίδια ευκολία αυτή την αλλαγή. Ένας άνθρωπος που συνήθως έχει σταθερή λειτουργία του εντέρου μπορεί, μόλις ταξιδέψει, να περάσει αρκετές ημέρες χωρίς κένωση ή να εμφανίσει σκληρά κόπρανα, φούσκωμα και κοιλιακή δυσφορία. Η «δυσκοιλιότητα των διακοπών» ή «του ταξιδιώτη» δεν αποτελεί ξεχωριστή ιατρική διάγνωση. Περιγράφει μια προσωρινή μεταβολή των συνηθειών του εντέρου, η οποία συνδέεται με το ταξίδι και τις αλλαγές που το συνοδεύουν. Τα διαφορετικά ωράρια γευμάτων, οι άγνωστες τουαλέτες, οι πολύωρες μετακινήσεις, η μειωμένη πρόσληψη υγρών και φυτικών ινών και η αλλαγή στη σωματική δραστηριότητα μπορούν να λειτουργήσουν συνδυαστικά. Το National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases αναφέρει ρητά το ταξίδι, την αλλαγή της καθημερινής ρουτίνας και της διατροφής, την αναβολή της κένωσης, την αφυδάτωση και την περιορισμένη φυσική δραστηριότητα ...
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Holidays are supposed to offer a break from everyday life, yet the digestive system does not always welcome the change. A person who is usually regular may suddenly go several days without a bowel movement, experience hard stools, bloating or discomfort shortly after travelling. “Holidays constipation” or “traveller’s constipation” is not a separate medical diagnosis. It describes a temporary change in bowel habits associated with travel and the disruption that often accompanies it. Different meal times, unfamiliar toilets, long journeys, lower fluid intake, less fibre and changes in physical activity can all contribute. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases specifically identifies travel, changes in diet and routine, ignoring the urge to have a bowel movement, dehydration and insufficient activity as possible causes of constipation. For most people, the problem is short-lived and improves when a more familiar routine is restored. Persistent constipat...
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After swimming in the sea or a pool, or even after taking a shower, it is common for a small amount of water to remain trapped in the external ear canal. The ear may feel blocked, sounds may seem muffled or there may be a distinctive sensation of water moving when the head is tilted. In most cases, this is a temporary irritation that resolves once the water drains or evaporates. When moisture remains inside the ear canal, however, it can disrupt the skin’s protective environment and encourage microorganisms to grow. This can lead to otitis externa, commonly known as swimmer’s ear. The difference between simply trapped water and early inflammation is not always obvious at first. It is therefore important to recognise which symptoms require attention and which attempts to clean the ear may do more harm than good. Why does water become trapped in the ear? The external auditory canal is a narrow passage leading from the outer ear to the eardrum. It is not completely straight, so a smal...
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During hot summer nights, air conditioning can make the difference between uninterrupted, restorative sleep and hours of sweating, discomfort and repeated awakenings. Many people, however, hesitate to leave it running because they fear waking up with a cold, a sore throat, nasal congestion or muscular stiffness. Air conditioning does not directly cause the common cold because colds are viral infections. It can, however, create conditions that irritate the nose, throat, eyes and airways, particularly when the temperature is excessively low, the air becomes too dry, the airflow is directed towards the body or the filters are poorly maintained. Cold air does not cause the common cold According to the CDC, a cold is an upper respiratory infection caused by any of more than 200 respiratory viruses, with rhinoviruses being the most frequent cause. A person must be exposed to one of these viruses to develop a cold. A low air-conditioning setting cannot generate the virus inside the body. It i...
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On 9 July 2026, Greece’s National Public Health Organization, EODY, announced the country’s first diagnosed case of West Nile virus infection for the current transmission season. The patient was over 60 years old, had developed meningoencephalitis and was most likely exposed in Agia Paraskevi, Attica. The situation subsequently evolved. According to the EODY epidemiological report published on 22 July 2026, 21 locally acquired cases had been recorded, including 20 involving the central nervous system. No deaths had been reported. This does not mean that almost every infection causes neurological disease. Mild and asymptomatic infections are rarely diagnosed, while surveillance is more likely to detect patients who require hospital care. EODY estimates that every recorded neuroinvasive case may correspond to approximately 140 additional people with mild or asymptomatic infection. How is the virus transmitted? West Nile virus is transmitted mainly through the bite of infected common mosq...
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