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Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Travel is fun, but you must make sure it is safe as well. The farther you get away from home, the greater the risks. Irrespective of the means of travel, one must be aware of health risks associated with such travel. Many of risks to health can be reduced by being proactive.
Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Air Travel
Coach Class syndrome occurs as a result of extended period of sitting in a cramped coach class seat in the plane. This can create clots in legs that can lead to life threatening medical complications. Even deaths may occur. While persons at risks for clots have greater likelihood of developing clots, no one is immune. Consider taking an aspirin before taking off on the journey unless prohibited disallowed by your physician.
Do not just sit still in the plane especially for greater than 2 hours. An visit to the rest room every hour is a good excuse. Do feet and leg exercise with movements at your knee and ankle joints while seated. Many airlines show videos of exercises that you can accomplish while sitting and without disturbing others.
Avoid alcohol and caffeinated products so as to minimize the loss of fluids through urination. If you must drink alcohol, do drink a glass of water for each drink consumed.
Upper respiratory infections are frequent during the winter season. Air in the plane is filtered so as to minimize the risk of spread of infections. However, respiratory infection can proliferate by coughing and sneezing by a fellow traveler sitting close to you.
Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Patients with respiratory infections are more likely to suffer from ear blockage and pain during plane take-off and landing. Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®), diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) may be used to thwart such occurrences.
Blood oxygenation is not normal during the flight since the plane is not fully pressurized as it is on the ground. Patients with heart failure, chronic lung disease or severe anemia like sickle cell disease may need additional oxygen while in flight.
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
Following steps help tame your tummy:
- Get a seat over the wings in the planes.
- Take a nap instead of reading.
- Eat/drink only small amounts of simple foods and beverages.
- Avoid any oral intake during short flights.
- Medications like diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) and scopolamine patch (Scopace®) before the departure are of benefit.
- Always consult your doctor prior to use because many of these medications may cause significant side effects especially among senior citizens.
Jet lag
Prolonged air travel across long distances unsettles our metabolic rhythms and rhythmic clock leading to jet lag. Elderly are at higher risk. Mild sedatives help relieve the problem. Melatonin plays a critical role in management of metabolic biorhythms. Take it in the evening after you arrive at your destination to help reboot your biologic clock. Drinking alcohol is disruptive to sleep rhythm and taking it with melatonin defeats the whole purpose of taking melatonin.
Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Practice safe driving
- Good rest/sleep before a long trip is important.
- Eat healthy food before your trip so you can avoid eating during the drive or flight as much as possible.
- Pack on healthy snacks and water bottles. Do not drink alcohol.
- Play your radio/music low volume so that sirens of an emergency vehicle are not drowned out.
- Traffic jams are frequent on heavily travelled roads especially during peak driving season. Don’t take them personally.
- Do not make eye contact with “adventurous” drivers. Any interaction is only likely to worsen the situation. lways opt for de-escalation over arguement. Create distraction for yourself. Let go off your emotions by counting slowly, or singing for about 10-20 seconds.
- Take a break every 100-150 miles even if you think you don’t need it.. Use the opportunity to fill up gas tank, get some fresh air, stretch your legs, and use the restroom.
- Caffeine helps when you are tired or sleepy. However, this should only be a stop gap measure.
- There is no substitute for sleep. Pull up at a rest stop and shut your eyes for a short nap. Even a 10-30 minutes nap boosts subsequent alertness.
Warning signs for sleepiness
- Frequent eyes closing or inability to focus.
- Frequent yawning
- Wandering off to adjacent lanes or curbside and make abrupt corrections
- Driving too slow compared to the overall traffic.
- Failure to follow traffic signs
Foreign travel
Infections are common. Risk of infections can be minimized by taking certain precautions. A consultation with the local travel health clinic is a wise investment if traveling to a developing country. Such a clinic can help set you up for appropriate vaccinations. Contact your state health department or nearby medical school for information about such clinics.
- Avoid fruit salads, lettuce, and chicken salads.
- Fruits peeled just before eating are safe.
- Do not use unboiled water even for brushing teeth.
- Drink from bottled drinks with a straw rather than directly from the bottle or from a glass. Do not trust the locally bottled water.
- If bottled water from a reliable source is not available, you should boil water for 5 to 15 minutes or add 5 drops of tincture of iodine to a quart of water.
- Carbonated beverages tend to be safer than noncarbonated beverages.
- Beer and wine are safer.
- Ice is not safe unless derived from boiled or filtered water.
- Alcohol is not effective in sterilizing water.
Traveler's diarrhea
It is a concern when traveling to any area with new and various types of unique foods. The more adventuresome your palate, the greater the health risk. Tainted foods are bigger source of traveler's diarrhea than the local water.
Antibiotics reduce risk of travelers’ diarrhea but are not recommended for routine prophylaxis. Probiotics also reduce the risk but without the risk of potential adverse events due broad spectrum antibiotics. Remember however, not all probiotics species are equal.
While people tend to focus on preventing infections, traffic accidents and drowning are a major cause of death amongst travelers to foreign countries. In many developing countries, rules of the road are more often ignored than followed.
Is It Leaky Gut or Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Miscellaneous
- Airplane travel up to 36 weeks of uncomplicated pregnancy does not pose any significant medical problems. Wear the seat belt below the abdomen. Do not fly if you your pregnancy is complicated by high blood pressure. Air travel does not pose risk to the baby. Always check with the doctor before any travels anytime during pregnancy.
- Metallic component of certain implanted medical devices may trigger the security alarms. It is always wise to have a letter from your physician.
- Patients with chronic health issues should wear health identification necklace or bracelet.
- Don’t forget to take your personal medicines with you especially syringes and needles in case of those requiring insulin. Take the medicines on the plane with you in your purse or carry-on baggage.
Above all, relax and stay safe. Plan your time well so you don't have to rush. Safe travels and God bless!
Wall Street Journal Best Seller Dr. M's Seven-X Plan for Digestive Health
