Postcard from Bishkek

Many of the Petroglyphs of Saimaluu Tash depict sun figures suggesting that sun worship was a common religion in the region at that time.

In a way, that’s not surprising – Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms.

The sun, of course can be beautiful – but also dangerous.

 

Here’s some advice that we put together a few years ago for:  Preventing Sun Related Problems

UV Rays – What You Don’t See Can Hurt You.
Sun-related problems are among the most preventable of outdoor illnesses and injuries. Here are some tips to help you do so:

• The first line of defence is what you wear. Tight-weave clothing blocks a large amount of ultra violet radiation, especially if it stays reasonably dry. Choose darker coloured fabrics because they tend to block more ultra violet rays than lighter-coloured clothing.
• Wear a hat.  A “sun-visor” may help to shade the eyes, but it does not protect the top of the head from the sun.  A full-brimmed hat will shade face and neck, and a floppy brim breaks up scattered ultra violet better than a rigid brim.
• Sunscreens dramatically reduce the chance of skin problems. Although most experts agree that screens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 sufficiently protect most skin, recent studies show that higher SPF numbers offer additional protection, especially in the first few hours of exposure. Sunscreens are most effective if applied when the skin is warm and allowed to soak in for about half an hour before extreme exposure. People with very susceptible skin types might do better to completely block ultra violet radiation from exposed skin with an opaque substance such as zinc oxide.
• Limit your time in the sun. Ultra violet A bombards the earth at an almost constant rate throughout the day, but approximately 80 percent of ultra violet B rays strike between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. For minimum exposure, plan to be in the sun early and late in the day.
• Smoke absorbs ultra violet radiation, but clouds do not. Cool, overcast days in the summer are dangerous because ultra violet radiation penetrates the densest cloud cover, while heat-carrying infrared waves are filtered out. People feel cool, fail to take precautions, and often get severe sunburns.
• Wind will dry skin, removing the natural skin protection. Wind does not truly burn skin, but it makes skin more susceptible to sunburn and irritates already sunburned skin, a problem often called “windburn.”
• Activities associated with water increase the risk of serious sunburn since sunlight bouncing off the water’s surface attacks exposed skin. The more directly the sun is overhead, the more the reflectivity. Rough, choppy water is much more reflective than calm water. Snow is also highly reflective, reflecting as much as 85 percent as much light as water.
• Altitude is another factor. For every 1,000 feet above sea level, ultra violet radiation increases about five to six percent.
• Consult your doctor or chemist about medications that make skin more sensitive to sun: tetracyclines, antihistamines, sulpha drugs, diuretics, and some oral contraceptives.
• Wear sunglasses that absorb or reflect ultra violet light. Ultra violet light damages eyes as well as skin. The conjunctiva can swell from ultra violet exposure, sun-induced cataracts can form from repeated exposure, and direct ultra violet radiation will burn the retina.
• Teach children about the dangers of sunlight. According to some research, 80 percent of lifetime exposure to skin-damaging ultra violet light occurs during the first 18-20 years of life.

Using Sunscreen

The most important rule when playing, working or sitting in the sun is to use a sunscreen. Choose a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Following these guidelines should help you enjoy the sun:

• Use sunscreen for protection, not in place of it.
• Choose a water-resistant sunscreen that will not wash off as easily.
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours or after swimming or rigorous activity.
• Sunscreens work best if applied liberally on warm, dry skin and allowed to soak in 15-30 minutes prior to sun exposure.
• Protect your lips, nose and face with a sunscreen.
• When venturing into areas of higher insect infestation, apply sunscreen under insect repellent or use a combination sunscreen/insect repellent.

Dehydration

Clothing:

Understanding how the body loses and gains heat will help you to stay comfortably dressed in any environment.

How We Lose Body Heat

To understand how to choose the best outdoor clothing, consider how the body loses heat. There are four ways in which this happens:

• Conduction, – Whenever the skin touches a surface warmer than itself, heat is transferred from the object and warms the skin – and vice versa. The greater the difference in temperature, the faster the heat transfer. Clothing needs to create a protective, insulating, barrier between the skin and anything that might touch it which will conduct heat away from the body.
• Convection - The body constantly maintains a thin layer of warm air next to the skin. Wind slicing through clothing tears away that thin layer which the body immediately replaces. In a high wind, it is possible to lose a substantial amount of heat in a short period of time. You will need windproof clothing to prevent losing body heat this way.
• Radiation - Exposed skin radiates a significant amount of heat into the surrounding environment, and on an average day, more body heat is lost through radiation than through any other means. Since the blood vessels in the head do not constrict when exposed to cold, a lot of body heat is lost through an exposed head on a winter day, and wearing a hat allows heat to be transferred to other parts of the body, keeping it warmer overall. Consider the advice from one experienced traveler: “If your feet are cold, then put on a hat!”
• Evaporation, the escape of heat through the vaporization of moisture, constitutes the major source of body heat loss. Breathing accounts for up to one-third of evaporative heat loss. On a hot day, the evaporation of sweat from the skin keeps the body from overheating.  Pour on a little water, and evaporation cools the body even faster. On a cold day, the evaporation of sweat or water can suck a tremendous amount of heat from the body. Clothing needs to allow sweat to exit without vaporizing and taking body heat with it. Ideal clothing needs to keep rain or snow from adding moisture to the skin at the same time it allows sweat to exit.

Clothing Material

Shops that specialize in outdoor clothing offer a wide range styles and materials.  Generally, outdoor clothing is manufactured from three different types of materials: cotton, wool and synthetics.

• COTTON - cotton ranks as the most comfortable fabric next to the skin. Because cotton “breathes” well, it allows perspiration to escape easily into the air. Cotton also absorbs a lot of water, and that increases evaporative heat loss. Cotton, therefore, rates as an excellent choice for hiking in desert regions in the daytime in the summer. But cotton’s tendency to cool you rapidly, makes it a poor choice for cold environments.
• WOOL For centuries, wool has been worn by people around the world who spend time outdoors and offers many advantages over cotton. It is not an accident that traditional Kyrgyz costume includes many woolen items.  Wool fibres conduct heat poorly, which means they provide excellent insulation – even when wet. Furthermore, unprocessed wool retains oil from the sheep, allowing it to dry much faster than cotton. It is possible to wring water from wool clothing, put it back on, and wear it all day without losing much body heat – and, if the rain stops, it will dry while you wear it.  Wool is more durable than cotton, but does have drawbacks in that it tends to be heavy and bulky compared to cotton, and it takes more care. Wool, for instance, shrinks when washed in hot water or left in the clothes dryer. Also, some people can’t stand the feel of it against their skin.
• SYNTHETICS - Synthetics, in simple terms, are made from plastic which has been woven into a thread, which is then woven into all kinds of clothing. Synthetic garments generally fall into three classes:
  • underwear,
  • mid-layer garments (such as sweaters, jackets and what the Americans call “vests”), and
  • outer-layer garments.  Synthetic fibres are stuffed into synthetic shells to make parkas for extreme cold climates.

  Synthetics conduct little heat, even less than wool, which makes them a good choice for staying warm.  They absorb almost no water and actually transport moisture away from the skin, which makes them a good choice for staying dry. They are lighter than and compress more than wool for easier packing and they stand up fairly well to hard use. As a result, garments made from synthetics is generally the best choice for outdoor comfort and for surviving the unexpected.  There are disadvantages to synthetics, however, including that, being plastic, they melt at relatively low temperatures and unless they are specially designed, they allow icy breezes through.  Also, they tend to hold onto bad odours such as those produced by a sweaty body.

Choosing the Right Outdoor Clothing

The general advice is: “Go prepared for the worst possible conditions you can expect in your area of travel.”

Clothing should provide comfort and ease of movement.  It should not restrict circulation. Although loose-fitting clothing is typically the best choice, some new stretch synthetics fit the body snugly whilst still providing the same comfort and ease of movement as loose-fitting clothing.

Clothing should provide insulation. Clothing works as insulation by creating dead air spaces, air trapped between the fibres of the garment, which protect the wearer from conductive and radiant heat loss. The best clothing does not lose its ability to insulate even when wet with water or sweat.

A windproof and waterproof outer shell should be available at all times to protect from convection and evaporation. Windproof does not always mean waterproof. Read the label.

Double-stitched seams, strong zippers and reinforcement at areas of stress (such as elbows, knees and seats) are usually are a good idea.

Functional designs that include large pockets that fasten and unfasten easily, roomy hoods on “parkas”, leg zippers on wind and rain pants, and adjustable closures on wrists and ankles are usually worth the additional expense over simpler options.

 

Tags: Health, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan, Tourism