In this segment of What's Going Around, we have more on some serious conditions that can make your very sick if you aren't careful and how to keep your cool when the heat is trying to get the best of you..

When it gets hot and humid you have to be careful not to overdo it in the heat of the day. As you can imagine, the Emergency Departments at area hospitals see an influx of people who didn't take the sun seriously and should have.

A healthy body temperature is maintained by the nervous system. As our internal temp increases, our body tries to compensate by transferring heat in the form of sweat.  A heat related illness happens when our bodies can no longer transfer enough heat to keep us cool.

Avera Heart Hospital Emergency Department Director Dr. John Jerstad says, "The classic heat related illnesses are prickly heat, heat exhaustion to heat stroke. The latter being the one we (Avera Heart Hospital staff) are most concerned with. That can make you brain dead and death if it's not treated right away."

Dr. Jerstad says heatstroke, also called sunstroke, is a medical emergency. You need to seek help immediately.  Heat exhaustion is less serious and generally develops when a person is working or working out in the hot weather and doesn't drink enough water to replace the fluid being sweated out.

Dr. Jerstad says, "If you are in the heat and sweating and become light headed, possibly confused it's a sign to get out of the heat and get into a closed area out of the sun and get the fluids going. Worsening symptoms would be confusion that comes on because our brain is deprived of fluids."

Dehydration is the root to a lot of the heat related illnesses so drinking water is crucial when it's hot and you're sweating a lot. Also, many medicines may increase your risk of a heat-related illness. If you take prescription meds regularly, it's a good idea to ask your doctor about hot-weather activity and your risk of getting sick from it.