Health Report.Freezing weather can mean frostbiteand hypothermia unless a personis prepared.Today we talk abouthow to stay warm, dry and safe.Frostbite is damagethat happens when skin is exposedto extreme cold for too long.It mainly happens on the hands,feet, nose and ears.People with minor casesof frostbite that affect only the skinmay not suffer any permanent damage.But if deeper tissue is affected,a person is likely to feel painevery time the area gets cold.If blood vessels are damaged,people can suffer a gangrene infection.Sometimes the only way doctorscan treat an injury like this is to remove frostbitten areaslike fingers and toes.Hypothermia is a conditionthat develops when the bodycannot produce as much heatas it releases.Signs of hypothermia includeuncontrollable shaking,very slow breathing and difficultythinking clearly.Hypothermia can lead to deathif the person does not receive help.To avoid cold-related injuries,here is a simple way to rememberfour basic steps to staying warm.Think of COLD -- C.O.L.D.The C stands for cover.Wear a hat and scarf to keep heatfrom escaping through the head,neck and ears. And wear mittensinstead of gloves.In gloves, the fingers are separated,so the hands might not stayas warm as they would in mittens.The O stands for overexertion.Avoid activities thatwill make you sweaty.Wet clothes and cold weatherare a dangerous combination.L is for layers. Wearing loose,lightweight clothes,one layer on top of another,is better than wearinga single heavy layer of clothing.Make sure outerwear is made of materialthat is water-resistant and tightly knit.D is for dry. In other words,stay as dry as possible.Pay attention to the placeswhere snow can enter clothing.These include the tops of boots,the necks of coats and the wristareas of mittens or gloves.And here are two other thingsto keep in mind-- one for childrenand the other for adults.Eating snow might be fun butit lowers the body's temperature.And drinking alcohol mightmake a person feel warm.But what it really doesis weaken the body'sability to hold heat.Next week: advice from expertsabout what to do, and not to do,to help someone whois injured by cold weather.And that's the VOA Special EnglishHealth Report.