You look down. You blink. You look down again. Those are your feet, yes. You recognize the bunion from 1987 and the hammer toe from that unfortunate clog phase. But why do they look like they belong to someone twenty pounds heavier? Welcome to heat edema. It sounds like a medical condition from a …

You look down. You blink. You look down again. Those are your feet, yes. You recognize the bunion from 1987 and the hammer toe from that unfortunate clog phase. But why do they look like they belong t…

You look down. You blink. You look down again. Those are your feet, yes. You recognize the bunion from 1987 and the hammer toe from that unfortunate clog phase. But why do they look like they belong to someone twenty pounds heavier? Welcome to heat edema. It sounds like a medical condition from a Victorian novel, but it’s just a fancy way of saying, “Your ankles and feet are swollen because it’s hotter than a two-dollar pistol out there.” Here’s what happens. The Dog Days heat makes your blood vessels expand (they’re trying to cool you off, bless their hearts). Gravity, that rel…

You’ve been productive. Good for you! Maybe you watered the garden. Maybe you took a gentle walk around the block. Maybe you decided that today was the day to scrub the front porch steps because that moss was starting to look like a shag carpet. You come inside, feeling proud. You sit down in you…

You’ve been productive. Good for you! Maybe you watered the garden. Maybe you took a gentle walk around the block. Maybe you decided that today was the day to scrub the front porch steps because tha…

You’ve been productive. Good for you! Maybe you watered the garden. Maybe you took a gentle walk around the block. Maybe you decided that today was the day to scrub the front porch steps because that moss was starting to look like a shag carpet. You come inside, feeling proud. You sit down in your favorite chair. You go to stand up five minutes later, And your calf seizes up like a fist. Or your thigh cramps so hard you yelp loud enough to frighten the cat. What in the name of all that is holy just happened? You’ve met heat cramps. They are not polite. They do not send a warning card. …