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Sun

To protect yourself from excessive sun exposure, you should stay out of the midday sun, wear sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat, and apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, providing both UVA and UVB protection. Sunscreen should be generously applied to all exposed parts of the body approximately 30 minutes before sun exposure and be reapplied after swimming or vigorous activity. Drink plenty of fluids and avoid strenuous exercise when the temperature is high.

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TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

American health-food stores and many regular groceries abound with so-called ‘natural’ remedies. These are a few of the more successful ones, in our opinion. They’re not guaranteed, of course, but they may work great. You never know…

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Heatstroke

Heatstroke may occur in those who are exposed to excessively high temperatures for a number of days. The elderly are at greatest risk, especially those with chronic medical problems. Heatstroke often occurs during physical exertion but, particularly in the elderly, may also occur at rest. The first sign may be an abrupt collapse, but there may be early, subtle warnings, including dizziness, weakness, nausea, headache, confusion, drowsiness, rapid pulse and unreasonable behavior. If early symptoms of heat illness are observed, remove the victim from direct sunlight, loosen their clothing, give cold fluids and make sure the victim rests for at least 24 hours. In the event of heatstroke, the victim should be taken immediately to the nearest medical facility. To prevent heatstroke, drink plenty of fluids, eat salty foods, protect yourself from sun exposure and avoid alcohol and strenuous exercise when the temperature is high.

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The Authors

ANDREA SCHULTE-PEEVERS Coordinating Author

Andrea fell in love with Southern California – its pizzazz, people and near-perpetual sunshine – almost the instant she first landed in the Golden State in the late ‘80s. She’d grown up in Germany, lived in London and traveled the world, but it was in Los Angeles where she settled in the late ‘80s, got a degree from UCLA and embarked on a career in travel writing. A veteran Lonely Planet author, Andrea has written or contributed to about three dozen books, including several earlier editions of this one and the guide to California.

AMY BALFOUR Orange County, Santa Barbara

Amy arrived in Los Angeles by way of Virginia where she’d been a deskbound attorney living her life in six-minute billable increments. Hearing the call of Hollywood, she ditched her stable salary to break in as a screenwriter. After a stint reviewing legal documents in Downtown LA, she accepted a writer’s assistant gig with Law & Order. She’s lived in Manhattan Beach and Mid-City, hiked the Santa Monica mountains, biked the Santa Barbara wine country, navigated the coast’s diviest dives, led renegade tours of the Universal Studios backlot, and sampled margaritas all over SoCal. Amy recently jumped from TV into fulltime freelancing and has written for the Los Angeles Times, Women’s Health, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Backpacker, and Travelers Tales.

ANDREW BENDER The Culture, SoCal for Children, San Diego, Palm Springs & the Deserts

After writing LP titles as far away as Japan, Amsterdam and Nantucket, Andy is thrilled to finally be writing about Southern California, his home since the early 1990s. Yet another LP author with an MBA, this native New Englander first came to LA to work in film production, but he ended up leaving to do what every MBA secretly dreams of: travel the world and write about it. You can see his writing and photography in the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, SilverKris (Singapore Airlines in-flight magazine) and at www.andrewbender.com, among many others. When not on the road, he can be seen biking the beach in Santa Monica, discovering the next greatest ethnic dive and scheming over ways to spoil his nieces and nephews.

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LONELY PLANET AUTHORS

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