How to stay healthy while traveling

Spring break and summer vacation will be here before we know it, and getting sick while traveling is certainly no vacation. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy and enjoy your time away.

If you’re flying to your destination, keep in mind a couple of important things. First, the environment of an airplane cabin is not conducive to good health. In terms of air quality, airplane air is very dry (generally below 25 percent humidity), compared to your home, which you may notice in your nose, mouth or skin. It may help to bring some lotion or saline solution to moisturize your skin or to spray the inside of your nostrils.  

Healthy travel tips

The pressure and lack of oxygen in a plane cabin can make you feel as if you were mountain climbing. Remember to take full, deep breaths to help obtain the required amount of oxygen for your system.  

Stay well-hydrated by drinking lots of water and avoiding soda. Remember to get up and walk around every hour or so, especially on very long flights. This will help get the blood circulating and help prevent deep vein thrombosis (or DVT). According to the American Heart Association, risk factors for DVT include dehydration and low cabin pressure.  

Try not to use the provided blankets or pillows; they may not have been adequately cleaned between uses. Instead, bring your own extra socks and sweater to keep warm.  

And finally, bring some disinfecting wipes to wipe down your seat arms, tray table and seatbelt. When you check into your hotel, use more disinfecting wipes on the light switches, door knobs and remote controls. If you have access to a fitness center, continue with your fitness regimen to help keep your immune system at peak levels and to minimize disturbing your daily routine.

You may want to check with your health insurance provider to see if they cover any medical expenses incurred in a foreign country. If you are prone to illnesses or have a certain medical condition, it may be wise to enroll in an international medical/security insurance program.  

Bring one or two days worth of extra prescription medications along with you – you never want to be without them. And try not to buy medications abroad; according to the FDA, some foreign medications may contain impure or toxic ingredients as a result of a lack of federal regulation.  

Don’t forget first aid remedies, including sunscreen, insect repellant, cold medicine, bandages, anti-diarrheals, allergy medication and pain relievers.  

Hopefully with just a little planning ahead, you should feel confident and prepared for traveling domestically or abroad. Remember, a little research and planning can go a long way. Safe travels!

The truth about daily multivitamins

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately half of adults in the U.S. take at least one daily dietary supplement – the most popular being a multivitamin.  This translates into about $28 billion per year spent on vitamins, supplements, and minerals.

The truth about daily multivitamins

It is important to understand the difference between these dietary add-ons. Vitamins are naturally occurring, organic nutrients (coming from plants and animals) and include vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K. Minerals are inorganic compounds (coming from natural processes) and include calcium, magnesium, iron, and sodium. “Supplement” is a catch-all term, which includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, etc.  

Another important distinction between vitamins and minerals is that vitamins are either fat or water soluble, whereas minerals are not soluble.  Fat soluble vitamins, as their name suggests, can be stored in fat and can be dangerous in large doses.  In excess, water soluble vitamins can be excreted in the urine and rarely pose danger when consumed in large amounts.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that taking a daily multivitamin can reduce the risk of cancer by 12 percent in men aged 50 and older and appears to have no dangerous side-effects; no benefit was seen for risk of prostate cancer.  The take home from this study is that a multivitamin regimen seems to be more beneficial than increasing daily intake of one vitamin.  

As far as vitamin supplementation goes, few people in the U.S. are deficient in vitamin A.  The retinol form is found in eggs, liver, whole milk, dark green leafy vegetables and orange/yellow fruit and is more readily absorbed than the beta-carotene version.  Most people get plenty of the B vitamins through their diet.  Evidence is mixed for whether vitamin C can help you avoid or reduce cold symptoms.  Vitamin D can be activated just with some sun exposure and is also found in fatty fish, eggs and fortified dairy products.  

As a urologist, I do not support vitamin E or selenium usage in older men based on the findings of the SELECT Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial.  This study was stopped prematurely in 2008 after men taking 400 international units (IU) of the vitamin showed an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.  Moreover, vitamin E may inhibit blood clotting, so it shouldn’t be taken with blood thinners.  

Multivitamins could be beneficial in certain populations – such as women who are pregnant, breast-feeding, or trying to conceive; dieters consuming fewer than 1,200 calories a day or cutting out an entire food group (i.e. carbs); and those with medical conditions that affect digestion and food absorption.

Unless your physician recommends an intake of more than 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of a particular nutrient, you probably don’t need it.  If you are already getting the recommended amount of nutrients by eating a variety of fruit, vegetables, cereals, dairy, and protein, there’s little, if any, additional benefit from ingesting nutritional supplements.  One important finding from the JAMA study is that while you may not receive additional benefits, there doesn’t appear to be any harm by taking supplements.  A word of caution, however: Excess fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) will be stored and can pose toxicity risks if you ingest too much.  

As always, speak with your physician before beginning any supplementation program. It is important to rule out any possible interactions between drugs and supplements.  Furthermore, don’t assume vitamins or supplements are completely safe just because they are labeled as “all natural.”  The FDA does not rigorously test supplements for safety or effectiveness as they do for drugs.  The best way to ensure you meet the standards for vitamins and minerals is to eat healthy foods (especially fruits, vegetables and whole grains).  Combined with a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and not smoking, a healthy diet should help you meet all nutritional requirements.