Travel Tips by Sharon Wingler

Your Health

February 29 2008

Safeguard Your Health Vacations can be stressful. Plans to make, planes to catch, hotels to book, sightseeing, meeting new people, and sampling new food. Its all a great deal of fun, but nonetheless wears us down a bit. The stress of travel can lower our resistance to illness, but there are things we can do to safeguard our health. First of all, lessen the stress by beginning to plan your trip at least a few months in advance. Do not try to cram too much sightseeing and activity into too short a time.

Build leisure time into your schedule; time to occasionally sleep late, time for an afternoon of people watching at a sidewalk cafe, time for a stroll through a park, and time to record your thoughts in a journal. Leave space in each day for quiet moments in which to recharge your battery. If you regularly take prescription medicine, make sure its updated and that you have an ample supply for your trip. If you have diabetes, epilepsy, severe allergies, or any other potentially serious but not obvious health problem, get a "Medic Alert" bracelet or necklace made for yourself. Paramedics know to look for these if you should lose consciousness.

Do you take a good multiple vitamin daily? Locate a good health food store in your area, talk to the people who work there and find someone who is knowledgeable. Pump them for information. Some brands of vitamin supplements are better than others, some combinations are more effective than others are, so seek the advice of experts.

Weve all heard of the health benefits of vitamin C; other supplements can help us, too. Garlic is believed to strengthen the bodys immune system. You can buy "sociable" garlic supplements that wont make you reek of garlic odor. Acidophilus, which can be bought in supplement form, is the active bacteria culture found in yogurt. Acidophilus is a "friendly" and very helpful bacteria that helps to keep the "bad" bacteria in check. This can be especially important when you travel, as it may help to prevent diarrhea, constipation and stomach upsets.

Melatonin can help you sleep and ease you through jet lag. Avoid travelers constipation. Make sure your diet is high in fiber fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains and be sure to drink plenty of water. Youll see most flight attendants, including myself, carrying around a bottle of spring or mineral water. At least eight weeks prior to your trip, find out if you need inoculations or antimalarial medication. Your guidebooks will probably mention it if you do. Just to be safe, call the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta at (404) 332-4559.

If you do need shots, get them early. You'll be given an official yellow booklet, the International Certificates of Vaccination with the dates and types of your inoculations recorded within. Keep this with your passport. Assemble a mini first aid kit. Mine is in a medium size, zip-lock, plastic bag. It contains aspirin, strip bandages especially the tiny ones for blisters, throat lozenges, decongestant, a very mild over-the-counter sleeping pill, earplugs and some small packets of alcohol swabs. You may also want to include some antibacterial ointment, Imodium-AD for diarrhea, and, if you are sexually active and not in a monogamous relationship, you may consider including some condoms.

If you are traveling to a developing country, you must be especially careful about everything you eat and drink. The motto is, "Boil it, cook it, peel it or forget it." You cannot rely on purification of water in these countries, so you must not only avoid the water, but also everything that has come in contact with the water. Drink only bottled water and, even then, make sure that the bottle is still sealed when you receive it. Do not use tap water to brush your teeth and avoid ice in drinks. Soft drinks and beer, straight from the bottle or can are safe. Alcohol does not kill all bacteria, so mix it only with bottled or canned beverages without ice. Eat only in reputable hotels and restaurants. You must avoid salads and fresh fruits that have no peel. It is best to eat steaming-hot foods, citrus fruits that you peel yourself and dry foods such as breads and crackers.

Dairy products are not pasteurized in some parts of the world. If in doubt, avoid milk, butter, cheese and related products. Dr. Rebekah Wang-Cheng, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, recommends Pepto-Bismol for travelers diarrhea because "it actually helps kill the toxic bacteria in addition to slowing down the volume of stool." She also suggests taking along an antibiotic such as Bactrim or Cipro for "tourista". With precautions and common sense, you should not have to worry about getting sick on your vacation.