Top Seven Summer Health Risks

July 10, 2012— -- intro: The heat facilitates a great deal of summer fun, but it's also the culprit behind many threats to your health.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States, causing more deaths annually than floods, lightning, hurricanes and tornadoes combined. In 1980, a U.S. heat wave claimed more than 1,200 lives, and about 50,000 Europeans died in a 2003 heat wave. North American tends to have at least one heat wave each summer, according to NOAA.

A number of other health issues come with the summer heat. While not all are necessarily fatal, in many cases they are serious enough to send you scrambling for a remedy.

Here's how to avoid and treat seven common summer heat ailments:

quicklist: 1title: Swimmer's Eartext: When you get out of the pool this summer, make sure not to let any water stay behind in your ears.

Swimmer's ear, an infection of the ear canal, most often develops with the help of water, which facilitates the growth of bacteria in what Dr. Iyad Saidi calls an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, especially if there is a scratch for them to take hold of.

The infection can be extremely painful and disfiguring, but it is eminently avoidable, says Saidi, an otolaryngologist at Metropolitan ENT in Alexandria, Va.

Use a towel, not a Q-tip, he says, and treat the infection with antibiotic drops and by cleaning the ear canal.

"The most important thing is to make sure all the water comes out," Saidi says.media: 16743684

quicklist: 2title: Sunburntext: As many have learned the hard way in this scorching summer, sunburns do not only strike at the beach.

In fact, many are vulnerable to sunburns even when the sun is hidden behind clouds, partly because of the common misconception that clouds provide enough protection from the sun's rays.

"I see the worst burns on cloudy days," says Dr. Doris Day, a professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center.

Day advocates the daily use of sunscreen — lots of it. Cover every inch of skin that will be exposed to the sun, she says, and use enough to make the most of your lotion's SPF rating.

If you do get sunburn, get to some shade as quickly as possible, she says. Take a lukewarm bath, with whole milk mixed in if desired, and cool off. media: 16743774

quicklist: 3title: Heat Rashestext: The people most at risk for sunburn are also most vulnerable to heat rashes, which emerge when heat irritates the skin, particularly around body folds.

The result looks much like hives, but this is no allergic reaction.

To treat heat rashes, Dr. Day recommends using powder to absorb extra moisture — though not corn starch — and staying in the air-conditioned indoors. media: 16743785

quicklist: 4title: Tick and Mosquito Bitestext: Camping trips are not the only times to worry about bug bites.

Lyme disease-carrying ticks exist in all 50 states, and not only in wooded areas, says Dr. Day. The most troubling part: only half of people who contract Lyme get the telltale rash associated with it.

Others get symptoms like headaches, but the disease remains under-recognized and under-treated, according to Day. If untreated long enough, the disease can become debilitating.

Mosquitoes also pose an increased threat as the amount of clothing covering people's skin decreases. Among the mosquito-borne dangers to watch out for is the West Nile virus, Day says.

While insect repellant is a powerful tool to have in your arsenal, she says, beware that mosquitoes may develop resistance to them.

And be sure to check your body for ticks after you come in from the outdoors.

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quicklist: 5title: Grill Burnstext: Most Americans dusting off their grills this summer do not suspect that they are inviting any dangers. But grill burns tend to happen suddenly — in a rush to save the burgers from burning, for instance.

If you are burned, do not apply ice to the burn, says Dr. Day. Doing so might result in an "ice pack burn."