pf2300

Ever since I got a job requiring a lot of travel, I find I'm sick a lot. Obviously, new locations and people, plus all the recycled air on planes, are exposing me to tons of germs. I eat well, exercise regularly, and stay hydrated (including drinking lots of water on planes), but that doesn't seem to be enough. Who has good tricks to stay healthy as a road warrior?

Thanks,
Dan

[This message has been edited by pf2300 (edited Nov 23, 2003).]

Hoc

You should add a quality multivitamin to your regime. Also consider occasional supplements of zinc and echinachea. These help to fortify your immune system.

Mats

As an ex-road warrior, an epidemiologist, and a nurse, here are my suggestions.

- Wash your hands constantly. That's the number one thing you can do to prevent upper respiratory infections. RUB your hands together under warm water for ten seconds-ish. It's the brisk movement, not the soap or water that makes a big difference.

- Get a flu shot. No guarantees that you won't be stuck with the flu, but it helps.

- If you feel congestion in your ears, nose, or sinuses, take some pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) pronto. That can help prevent an ear or sinus infection. Afrin can also help, but don't use it for longer than three days.

- I'm not a fan of most herbal supplements or vitamins. So I won't go there.

- Establish a relationship with a primary care provider. I don't get my nurse practitioner licensure until June, so you'll just have to wait until then

Take care,

Mats

GoingAway

I agree with Mats on everything he wrote, but in particular on the importance of getting a flu shot -- and doing it as early as possible in the season.

UALOneKPlus

Here's my greatest tip - quit travelling.

Seriously.

I worked out everyday in my previous life as a road warrior. Since I started travelling I am not in bad shape, but not in the best shape of my life either.

oldpenny16

I use a lot of Purell. You know that hand cleaning stuff. Also I pack along either Clorex cleaning cloths that have the cleaner already on them or a spray can of Lysol and I really work on the hotel bathrooms, especially the door knobs. I've never seen a hotel maid clean a door knob! I know this sounds extreme, but I travel so much, I have to try harder to stay healthy.

njvj

As a severe asthmatic I am at constant war with travel germs. My MD tells me to wash my hands in every airport. He agrees with the earlier poster that the friction is the most important factor. Sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star when you start scrubbing and don't stop scrubbing until you finish the song( don't sing it out loud unless you want people to back away from you ). As for the Purell stuff, I have been counseled not to use it as it makes germs more resistant.
The flu shot is important. I also run the shower in the hotel with the tub plugged up until it is full. The humidity really helps some of those bone dry hotel rooms.
Lastly, exercise really does help. Try a brisk walk each morning where ever you are.
Good luck!

stimpy

You didn't mention sleep. Lots of sleep will help your body fight those germs. I've been a full-time international traveler for years and I have no health problems. Obviously airplane sleeper seats help a lot if you can get them.

Also, I drink tap water most everywhere. That helps the natural bacteria in my stomach adjust to all the other germs from around the world and consequently I never get sick.

The only time I do get sick is if I don't get enough sleep for a week or two.

slippahs

On the note of a multivitamin, I suggest Centrum Performance (which can be bought from Costco). Works for me

P.S. Welcome to Flyertalk!

[This message has been edited by slippahs (edited Nov 24, 2003).]

ABQ Jon

Purell is alcohol-based and contains no antibiotics. According to the manufacturer, concerns about resistance don't apply to alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The antibacterial soaps, on the other hand, you have to watch out for.

R&R

You need more then a 'quality' multi!

You need the very top supplements for the IMMUNE SYSTEM to build it to the maximum degree possible. Most of the commercial products are inadequate for HIGH PERFORMANCE demands, such as flying and contact with many people!

Yes there are State of the Science preparations availalbe, but you won't read about them in the airline magazine or your local health food store! I have been on the leading edge of Nutritional Supplementation for 40 years, and upgraded with each new breakthrough in Nutritional Biochemistry. Many times 10 years in advance of them being brought to the public's attention. So I have taken just about all varities of supplements starting out with Brewers Yeast, wheat germ oil, and desicated liver. I had access to current scientific research over all these years.

The very latest are 'food based' supplements, that do not have any manufactured chemicals other then the very effectively fermented nutrients of fruits, vegetables, herbs and other botanicals from around the world with the highest levels of the 'active' ingredients!

Everyone, that have taken the recommended program have reported back, that they are best, that they have ever taken.

cecelia

Eat an apple a day for the high fiber content. I suspect keeping regular was what the old saying was about. Also bring high fiber/whole grain crackers to substitute for white breads. One of my favorites is Natural Rye Crisp and is very good at breakfast with blueberry jam. Broths are filling, relaxing and a good way to add liquids.

Jim Phillips

I am of the school of thought that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

I think of getting sick as getting innoculated against worst illnesses.

Not that I go around rooting in piles of rabid dog crap, or when I do don't bother washing my hands before I eat, but I find that worrying obsessively about getting sick is an exercise in futility. It happens.

I used to get sick a lot when I first started travel too. Fevers, flus, stomach illnesses that turned me inside out from behind. But now I don't get sick much at all anymore.

Think of it as an initiation.

stimpy

R&R, I don't mean to be rude, because I don't truly know a lot about multivitamins or supplements. But my pre-med background taught me that no one really knows much about them and that supplements affect clearly each of us differently. There is also the theory that you can easily exceed the maximum daily intake of a given vitamin and that the rest is just discarded by the body.

I think a lot of the benefits of supplements are psychological. If you think you are taking the right supplements, you'll feel better. Yet I've always felt great whether I take vitamins or not. For me, it's about exercise and avoiding alcohol as much as I can. If I do that, I don't need much help. But if I remember in the morning, I'll pop a One-A-Day for Men just to be on the safe side.

So my question to you is, how much of this "science" is truly based on fact and can be proven by bio-engineering-based results rather than subjective reports?

Hoc

That might or might not be true. But as a premed student, you must realize that even psychological benefits have beneficial physiological effects. I personally believe that, as long as you supplement properly (i.e., don't overdose yourself on vitamins like E or A that can be toxic in high doses), there is no harm if your body excretes what is not used. And certainly there is a benefit if the supplementation supplies something your body is missing.

Even if my personal experience in this regard proves wrong, and the benefit is merely psychological, a person's belief that they are more resistant to disease may play some impact in their body's ability to fight it. I remember reading somewhere that medical studies have shown that to be the case.