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QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE Health Insurance Medications Sunburn Motion Sickness Jet Lag Tummy Trouble Bug Bites Traveler?s Health Kit Vaccinations |
| Health Insurance Contact your health insurer and find out if you are covered for treatment outside your state. Sometimes you can purchase a rider to cover international travel. Carry your insurance card with you. Medications Take a supply that will last the duration of your trip plus two or three extra days, and carry medication in original prescription bottles. Make a photocopy of your prescription(s), including the generic names. If you carry injectable meds, ask your doctor for a note on his stationery verifying your prescription. Sunburn The first rule is to avoid sunburn by wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen and a hat whenever you?re outside. If you do get a bad burn, take two aspirin immediately and that should help lessen the inflammation. Aloe gel will cool your skin as well. Apply a heavy moisturizer from the time you?re burned till you stop peeling; it?ll help your skin heal faster. Motion Sickness Before you board a boat or ship, take over-the-counter Dramamine or apply a prescription scopolamine patch. Pressure-point wristbands, sold at the drugstore, and ginger tablets also work for some people. Jet Lag Zoned Out - How to fight jet lag The good news about jet lag: it goes away. The bad news about jet lag: it doesn?t go away fast enough. Crossing time zones, spending the night sitting up on an airplane, even early morning departures and late night arrivals all wreak havoc on sleep patterns. And if you?ve heard it?s easier on the human body to fly west than east, you heard correctly. When you fly west, say from London to New York, you extend daylight by five hours, and your body likes that. Flying east, on the other hand, means you shrink your day and lessen the amount of daylight your body receives. Your body doesn?t like that at all and will usually repay you with a crummy mood and a muddled head. For years, all we could do was struggle through the fog of sleep deprivation, but thanks to extensive sleep research, modern medicine and a better awareness of how our bodies work, there are things you can do to combat jet lag. Common sense solutions Avoid alcohol when flying. It?s tempting to have a stiff drink in the hopes of inducing a good doze, and it may help, but alcohol can impair your travel. Because it?s a depressant, you may accelerate the jet lag, and even fog your head when you need it most ? say, in an emergency. Monitor the amount of caffeine you consume. And that means mochas, sodas, non-herbal tea, energy drinks, etc... Drink caffeine only when you normally do, and don?t over indulge. While it may be an attractive option for keeping you awake upon arrival, caffeine will also dehydrate you, so water is the drink of choice before, during and after flying. Eat light meals and avoid those jalapenos. Airline food is usually not very spicy, and the quantities aren?t very large, so dining ala airline is usually pretty easy on your system. Most of us get into trouble with the meal we eat at the airport just before departure. Act like a local. When you get to your destination, do everything you can to sleep when everybody else is sleeping and to be up and about during the daytime. Try to avoid long naps, as heavenly as they are, because they can really confuse your already jet lagged body. Short naps, 45-minutes or less, can be revitalizing. Just don?t forget to set your alarm. Exercise. Even if you arrive exhausted but it?s broad daylight, take a brisk, 20-30 minute walk. A bit of blood flow, some fresh air and the stimulation of a new destination can do wonders to keep you awake till normal bedtime. However, experts caution against vigorous exercise which can have a stimulating effect. The pharmacy solution Sleep aids can be just the ticket to conquering jet lag. Just be sure to check with your doctor before taking medications, and make sure you know the side effects. You should avoid taking anything that will put you into a deep sleep unless you can be fully reclined ? either laying across three seats or in business or first class where you can fully recline your seat ? in order to avoid deep vein thrombosis. These potentially deadly blood clots have been linked to air travel and deep sleep in a seated position. We also recommend you ?test-sleep? your medication of choice before you get on an airplane. Imagine the result of taking too potent a sleeping pill and trying to navigate through customs, immigration, airport and ground transportation in a foreign country with your head in a fog. Melatonin. The jury is out on this herbal remedy, but it is benign enough that even the most skittish traveler can take it without fear of complications. Three to five milligrams can ease you into sleep. Zaleplon (sold under the brand name Solnata) is a sleep aid that lasts about four hours. Travelers who will be in the air eight to ten hours find this to be a great way to sleep through the bulk of the flight and wake up relatively refreshed. Ambien (zolpidem) can transport you to snoozeville for up to six hours. Save it for your destination. Restoril and Lunesta (temazepam and eszopiclone) will conk you out for about eight hours. Use with discretion. Information sources: British Airways, www.fleetstreetclinic.com, National Institute of Health and www.drugdigest.com. Tummy Trouble In many countries, it is not wise to drink the water or have ice cubes in your soft drink or cocktail. Fresh produce, meat that?s not thoroughly cooked, shellfish and other seafood can also carry nasty microbial organisms that take all the fun out of eating. Before you go, research the food and drink warnings of your destination. Most guidebooks and destination websites will give you the low down on what to avoid, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, www.cdc.gov/travel) has extensive information on staying healthy on the road. Florastor is an over-the-counter probiotic medication that you can take before your journey to bolster your gastrointestinal tract. If you?re headed to a high-risk area, ask your doctor for a prescription for Rifaximim, a potent new antibiotic for traveler?s diarrhea. Don?t take this before you need it though. Bug Bites The most effective bug spray contains DEET. If you prefer natural insect repellents, try Cutter?s Advanced Insect Repellent or Repel Plant Based Lemon Eucalyptus. If you are bitten, Benadryl tablets and topical steroid gels like Cortaid or Cortizone help lessen the itching. Traveler?s Health Kit The CDC has an extensive list of over-the-counter travel medications listed on its website (www.cdc.gov/travel). Safe Passage suggests you assemble a customized Just-in-Case, a health kit designed for your needs. Buy a zip-top, Velcro or zipper envelope-style vinyl or cloth case (4 x 5 inches or so). Pencil cases, makeup bags, document envelopes and plastic kitchen bags all work. Pack it with the tiniest versions of the following items. ▪ Mini packages of acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen or other pain and fever medications. ▪ Blister packs of cold tablets, laxative, anti-diarrhea pills (dosage directions are usually on the back of the pack) ▪ Antihistamine ▪ Decongestant ▪ Antacid ▪ Throat lozenges ▪ Antifungal/antibacterial ointment ▪ Three or four Band-Aids ▪ Hydrocortisone cream ▪ Eye drops ▪ Nose spray ▪ Q-tips Vaccinations The travel vaccinations you will need depend on your destination(s). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention divides vaccines for travel into three categories: routine, recommended and required. The CDC website has detailed information on what shots you need before you go (www.cdc.gov/travel/vaccinat.htm), so do your research and plan to visit your doctor at least four to six weeks prior to departure. Most vaccines take time to become effective and some must be given in series over a period of days or weeks or even months. If you?re traveling with infants or children, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or if you have altered immunocompetence due to illness such as diabetes or HIV, specific steps should be taken. Again, refer to the CDC website. BIRD FLU SUMMARY ? FUNDAMENTAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW
Scientists? analyses of over 300 samples of the H5N1 ("Bird Flu") virus show that since its outbreak in 2003, the virus has mutated, developing a second strain. The second strain has subtle genetic differences, which increase the possibility that the virus could be communicable between humans. Currently, over 100 people have died as a result of the virus. The majority of the victims were in direct contact with infected birds. The majority of H5N1 influenza virus infections among humans are suspected to be caused by close contact with infected birds and poultry in affected countries. The State Department advises avoiding poultry in affected countries, alive or dead. Also advised is avoiding areas in which poultry secretions and droppings are in the open. Avoid consuming uncooked and/or undercooked poultry, including blood. Currently, reports indicate that there is limited communication of the disease between humans, although a case in 2004 in
Also note that it is important to learn exactly what your health insurance policy covers. Some policies do not cover illness or injury while out of the country. If your policy does not cover illness or injury while out of the country, look into buying supplemental insurance for the duration of your trip. If, however, your policy does cover you while abroad, be sure to have your insurance policy identity card as proof, as well as a claim form. Senior citizens are advised to contact the American Association of Retired Persons for information about foreign medical care coverage with Medicare supplement plans. Identification is best facilitated by completing the informational page on the inside of your passport, including emergency contact information (sometimes referred to as ?ICE? (In Case of Emergency) Contact Information). If you have medical problems, while traveling abroad you should carry a letter from your attending physician, describing the medical condition, and any prescription medications, labeled generically. When bringing medications overseas, leave them in their prescription bottles, clearly labeled. Check with the foreign embassy of the country you plan to visit to determine if your medications are legal in that country.
Source: Deparment of Health and Human Services Link: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/
A viral strain that caused the first lab-confirmed cluster of human-to-human transmission of bird flu is a genetic "dead end" that could not have caused a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. more? Bird Flu Info ? The 6 Phases of an Influenza Pandemic Phase 1:
Source: World Health Organization Bird Flu Case May Be First Double Jump Reacting to the death on Monday of an Indonesian man, the World Health Organization said yesterday that the case appeared to be the first example of the avian flu jumping from human to human to human. More? You can also order pre-made travel health kits from: ▪ Adventure Medical Kits, www.adventuremedicalkits.com ▪ Chinook Medical Gear, www.chinookmed.com ▪ Harris International Health Care, www.safetravel.com ▪ Travel Medicine, Inc., www.travmed.com ▪ Wilderness Medical Outfitters, www.wildernessmedicine.com Information excerpted from Health, July/August 2005. |
