Healthy Living | 33
TRAVELING
ILLNESS OR A TROUBLESOME FLIGHT CAN PUT
HEALTHY IN THE SKY
A DAMPER ON YOUR VACATION. SOME CAREFUL
PLANNING WILL ENSURE YOU HAVE A RELAXING, ENJOYABLE GETAWAY.
ach year, millions of have certain conditions, it’s worth
Americans travel by air for taking some precautions before
Esocial, recreational and getting on a plane. If you suffer
business reasons. When you’re from certain chronic conditions
about to catch a fl ight, your most (such as heart disease or diabetes),
common worries might be your you may want to talk with your
luggage, the weather or getting to doctor before fl ying to make sure
the airport on time. Your health or your condition is stable, especially
a medical emergency may be the if you’re taking a long fl ight or
last thing on your mind. But if you you’re traveling overseas.
tips to make to make air travel easy and safe
PRESCRIPTIONS have an AED (automatic external ear. This tube equalizes air pressure
defi brillator) to restart a heart in your middle ear when the outside
If you take prescription medicines, during CPR. Some airlines also air pressure changes. But when
pack them in their original containers make provisions for medical experts you have a cold or any other upper
in your carry on luggage, and bring on the ground to be available to respiratory infection, the Eustachian
enough medicine to last the whole communicate with the fl ight crew tube is often blocked, which can
trip. You might want to take some and provide medical assistance in lead to pain and discomfort in your
extra medicine with you in case case of an emergency. ears. Children are more likely to get
your return trip is delayed. It is also a airplane ear because their Eustachian
good idea to carry a card listing your AIRPLANE EAR tubes are narrower than an adult’s
conditions, medicines, dosages and tubes. This makes blockages more
the name and phone number of your One of the most common common. Airplane ear can occur in
doctor in case of an emergency. complaints of people traveling by one or both ears.
plane is airplane ear — which is that
If you do have an in-fl ight medical uncomfortable feeling of pressure It’s best not to fl y if you have a cold
emergency, fl ight attendants are or pain in your ears when the plane or upper respiratory infection. If you
required to have cardiopulmonary takes off or lands. There may even absolutely have to fl y, it may help
resuscitation (CPR) and basic fi rst- be an injury to your middle ears to take a decongestant medicine
aid training. Many planes now also caused by the changes in altitude like pseudoephedrine (available
and air pressure. This type of
pressure-caused injury is called
barotrauma or barotitis media. You
have a higher risk of being affected
by airplane ear if you have a cold,
allergies, congested nose or sinus
infection (sinusitis). A small tube
(called the Eustachian tube) that
connects your throat and middle
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