My wife and I travel so much that we’ve got it down to a science. I always pack the night before, and she always packs an hour before the trip. And I’m the one who always forgets something still. Anyway, we love to coordinate our flight routines. We never fail to pack our iPad and headphones to watch an inflight movie together. We always bring our cell phone chargers because those darn smart phones don’t last longer than 4 hours. We usually stash some snacks like yogurt or trail mix for the flight. During the flight, I take a nap and she puts my tray table down and orders a drink or snack for me. We also pack away some travel medications or supplements during the trip such as our vitamins, probiotics, allergy medication or ibuprofen.
Many of our patients are also frequent fliers and come in for “travel prescriptions.” This is becoming a more common request at our clinic. It makes sense though. Some might need something to help them sleep on the long flights, others might need travel vaccines, others might be traveling to country and are afraid to drink the water. More often we’ll see patients before a flight to boost their immune system to prepare them for a long vacation or work trip.
Here are my last tips for 2012:
- Bring something for sleep or flight anxiety. This could be a sleep aid ranging from noise canceling headphones to melatonin to a sleep medication.
- Don’t forget something for headaches or aches and pains on a long flight. Ibuprofen or Aleve is a great over-the-counter to help. It’ll come in handy so you won’t have to pay $10 for 2 pills at the airport or hotel.
- To prevent colds, a popular treatment here is to get a vitamin IV infusion the day before your flight. IV nutrients go directly into the bloodstream so you get 100% absorption of high dose vitamins and antioxidants to boost your immune system. If you think Airborn is good, think of how big of a boost a vitamin IV infusion will do for you!
Have happy, safe and healthy travels this Holiday season!
Michael Corsilles, ND, PA-C
