The Science of Heat Adaptation and Heat Stroke - Dr. Douglas Casa - Ep. 43

Dr. Douglas Casa has been the CEO of the Korey Stringer Institute since it was founded in 2010 and has been a professor of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut since 1999. 

The mission of the KSI (ksi.uconn.edu) is to provide research, education, advocacy, and consultation, to maximize performance, optimize safety, and prevent sudden death of athletes, warfighters, and laborers.

Dr. Casa has written several books and authored many papers on maximizing performance and safety while training or working in the heat. He has treated hundreds of cases of heat stroke with zero fatalities and has served on the International Olympic Committee’s Adverse Weather Impact Expert Group, where he helps to ensure the safety of athletes competing in extreme heat during summer Olympic games.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Casa about his work at KSI, the science of heat stroke and how to manage it, how our bodies adapt to extreme heat, and how factors like saunas, hydration, and electrolytes affect our bodies in the heat. 

Timestamps:

• 00:00:25 Intro
• 00:02:01 Origins of KSI
• 00:03:19 What Brought You to KSI
• 00:04:42 What Does KSI do
• 00:06:09 The Science of Heat Stroke
• 00:09:34 The Consequences of Excessive Core Temp
• 00:11:09 How to Recognize the Signs of EHS
• 00:13:52 How to Treat EHS 
• 00:19:19 Common Misconceptions
• 00:22:20 What Conditions Create the Greatest Risk
• 00:28:41 Objective Environmental Factors 
• 00:30:23 Performance Clothing
• 00:32:49 What Can an Athlete Do to Acclimate to Extreme Heat
• 00:35:11 How do You Know Your Core Temp
• 00:36:41 Type of Thermometers Recommended 
• 00:37:19 Plasma Volume Expansion
• 00:40:03 Train For Heat Adaptations at Home
• 00:42:49 Sauna Guidelines
• 00:43:22 Infrared Saunas 
• 00:44:12 Manage Hydration
• 00:47:36 Hyponatremia and Electrolyte Balance
• 00:52:45 What do You Recommend For Hours Long Stressful Events
• 00:55:02 Hydration Recommendations
• 00:56:27 Are You More Likely to Get HS if You’ve Had it Before
• 00:58:20 How do You Sign up For The Course
• 00:59:20 Average Range of Cost to Work With KSI
• 1:00:19 Outro