Health Tips for Traveling

This is a topic near and dear to me since I'm a doctor. When you travel as much as I do, it's inevitable you get sick at some point. I got altitude sickness in Peru. I sprained my ankle missing a step in the Metro in Berlin. I recently got heat exhaustion in Malaysia. This is not including all the minor things like colds, allergies, insect bites. 

Here are a few health tips for traveling. 

Medical essentials to bring with you: 

- Prescription medicines! This is a big one. Remember to pack your meds. Put it on your packing list so you don't forget. 

- Pain medicine. You will have a headache or some kind of pain at some point of your travels. 

- Cold medicine. I always bring a few pills with me. Stress lowers your immune system so you're more likely to get sick. You are also breathing recycled air on airplanes for extended hours. 

- Allergy medicine. When you travel, you are exposed to different vegetation that you are used to. You will probably get some allergy symptoms even if you don't have frequent allergies at home.  

- Hydrocortisone cream. I always bring a tube with me. It works wonders with itching associated with insect bites and any skin irritation. 

- Diphenhydramine (also known as Benadryl). This helps with allergies but I actually use it to help me sleep when I'm adjusting to the time difference. This also helps with motion sickness. It actually doesn't do anything for motion sickness but it makes you sleepy so you don't feel the motion sickness (when you are asleep). 

- Basic wound care supplies. Specifically band-aids and antibiotic ointment. You will probably get a cut or scratch at some point. 

- Hand sanitizer. You touch many many things when traveling. You probably can't wash your hands as frequently as you would like. I use copious amounts of hand sanitizer when I travel. You should too.  

When to go to emergency room? 

The same rule applies for emergencies at home or abroad. If you have any life threatening injuries, uncontrollable bleeding, broken bones, trouble breathing, seizures, change in consciousness, severe pain, or anything that makes you think you may be dying, go to the emergency room. The other things to consider would be any severe allergic reactions beyond rash or if not urinating because you're having severe vomiting or diarrhea. 

You got sick but not sick enough to go to the emergency room... 

- Stay in the hotel and rest. I know this is a bummer because you traveled all that way but rest is the best thing for you so you can feel better and then do stuff. If you try to push through and get sicker, you will miss more days of the trip. 

- Drink lots of fluids. People usually don't drink enough fluids when traveling (or even at home for that matter). When you're sick, your body needs more fluids. And I mean fluids without caffeine or alcohol. 

- Take medicines that alleviates your symptoms. If you have pain, take pain medicine. If you have cold symptoms, take cold medicine. If you don't have the meds you need, go to the local pharmacy and pick some up.  

Wishing everyone safe and healthy travels!