Time For Me To Fly...And Be Healthy While Doing So! (Part One of Two)

Airplane travel is quite amazing. To be able to travel to a location hundreds to thousands of miles away in just a few hours or less is incredible.  There is quite a network of airline traffic criss-crossing across the sky at any given time.  In December 2008 alone, U.S. air carriers transported 57,790 paying passengers over 63,500,000 miles!  It's a whole community up there.  

Within this community of the sky and airports, attention to staying healthy is important.  With dozens of people sitting together in an enclosed space, issues such as dehydration, decreased immunity, and stress can be high.  Here are some tips and guidance for approaching some of the issues that airline travel presents:

Dehydration ~ 

• Staying well-hydrated is easy, but also easily forgotten when travel is rushed and options such as sodas, coffee, and alcohol are easily accessible.  However, drinking extra water is imperative while traveling to help prevent dehydration which can lead to fatigue, headaches, stressful feelings, and lowered immunity.  Asking for extra water on the plane and buying water bottles in the airport to sip from (or just frequenting the water fountain if that's all there is available) is necessary.  
• Carrying a 3 oz spritzer bottle in your carry-on liquid bag of spring water mixed with a few drops of essential oil such as lavender is great for spritzing on your face to add hydration to your skin and a relaxing aroma to inhale.  
• Carrying a 3 oz bottle of hand lotion and applying it regularly will moisturize your hands and also will help strengthen your immunity -- dry hands that crack or cut easily, more readily transmit bacteria into the body than well-hydrated hands whose skin barrier is intact.
  

Immunity ~ 

Colds and flu can be more easily picked up when surrounded by other people in an enclosed space, some of whom may be sick themselves.  There are many ways to strengthen your immunity to prevent getting ill, which is important prior to, during, and after your trip.  Physican and herbalist Tieraona Low Dog once shared how her "soil" is healthy and therefore she does not get sick.  Nurturing your own internal "soil", the earth of your body, creates a powerful internal environment that is more resilient and less likely to break down when exposed to physical or emotional stress.  

• Good nutrition is important - a general guideline that is supportive for most people is to eat meals where half of your portion consists of fresh vegetables cooked and eaten warm, especially highly alkaline vegetables such as sauteed spinach or other dark greens.  Cooked rather than raw is generally more warming to the body (especially if immunity or energy is low) than a raw salad, but for certain body constitutions raw foods can be very supportive and there are many proponents of raw food diets that one can explore if this is the case (see books by Gabriel Cousens or Brigitte Mars for details).  Rounding out the plate, 1/4 portion consists of a variety of lean healthy protein (such as lean turkey, chicken, fish, beans, or tofu) and 1/4 portion is starch (preferably high fiber or whole grain).  Avoid white flour and white sugar/high-fructose-corn-syrup products.  
• Taking immune-supporting herbs and supplements prior to and during your trip is also helpful.  Six Persimmons Apothecary in Boulder makes a great herbal blend called Cold Nip that can be taken just prior to travel and at the first signs of a cold.  Other effective remedies that can be taken prophylactically or as treatments include Emergen-C packets dissolved in water; Yin Chiao Chinese herbal blend; Sitopladi (an Ayurvedic blend); Amalaki; turmeric extract (standardized to 95% curcuminoids) -- this has antiviral & antibacterial properties and liquifies mucus that holds infectious agents; echinacea root; and certain homeopathic remedies.  There are many other supplements that support immunity as well that can be explored, but these are a few to consider trying as a start.
  
• Ayurvedic procedures that powerfully support the immune system include nasal and sinus flushing, and ear oil.  Nasal/sinus flushing can be done by way of a neti pot (found at health food and supplement stores or online).  Dissolve about 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt in 1/2 to 1 cup of warm water.  Using the neti pot (which is your delivery system for the flushing), flush half of this amount into one nostril so that it drains either through the other nostril or through your mouth.  Gently blow your nose, then repeat the flush with the other nostril.  Follow this by swirling a small amount of cold-pressed sesame oil (via a Q-tip or your little finger) into each nostril and inhale the oil into the sinuses (this procedure is called Nasya in Ayurvedic medicine).  Nasal/sinus flushing followed by Nasya can be done daily up to 2-3 times a day, and is a great preventive treatment for sinusitis in addition to being supportive of general health.  Ear oil also nurtures your mucus membranes: draw up some cold-pressed sesame oil or high-quality ear oil into a small glass dropper.  Hold the dropper for a few moments under running hot water to heat the oil to a warm (but not too hot) temperature.  Drop a few drops into each ear, then stuff a small cotton ball into each ear.  Keep the cotton ball in for about 15-minutes then remove it.  This procedure can be done daily as a preventive measure, or more frequently if you have a cold/flu.  Refer to this article by Dr. John Douillard for more information about this technique.

Motion Sickness ~

• If you are prone to motion sickness, choosing a seat that is over the wing of the plane will provide the best stability and the least sensation of motion as compared to other regions of the airplane.
• Ginger has been found to be an effective treatment.  Take 2 capsules of ginger powder, or dissolve a half-teaspoon of ginger powder in water and take either of these 20-minutes before travel.  Bring a supply of ginger candies (that contain actual ginger rather than just flavored) to chew on while you're on the airplane.
• Acupressure wristbands, applied correctly, are also helpful to try.  These bands press on anti-nausea acupressure points on the wrist, and are sold in drugstores or online.

In Part Two of this article, I will discuss tools for preventing and treating stress, anxiety, irritability and overstimulation that can all occur during airplane travel.  Happy trails!

Healthy Body, Mind And Soul Blog by Marnie Burkman, MD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.