It's hard to stay healthy even when you're on home turf but the challenge is even greater when you're traveling, especially if you've traveling by air or journeying away from home during flu season. Being cramped into an airborne airtight tube for hours with other people is an ideal way to pick up a cold or flu virus.
How Air Travel Increases Your Risk for Illness
According to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Health Research the risk of catching a cold is 100 times greater on an airplane than on the ground. Why might this be? There's little mixing of air inside the cabin of a plane with air from the outside. When a sick person coughs or sneezes and sends a virus into the air, there's less opportunity for the virus to escape. If an aircraft has a high volume of passengers, the risk of catching a virus increases since there's a greater likelihood of a sick person being on the plane.
Airplane cabins have a low humidity too. That's why your throat and nasal passages feel so dry when you fly. When there's little moisture in the air, mucous membranes in the nose and throat dry out, making it easier for viruses to attach to mucous membranes and gain a foothold.
If you're traveling around the holidays, your risk of infection is even higher. Influenza is usually making its round as the holidays approach and stressed out travelers frazzled by last-minute holiday preparations are more likely to fall victim to it.
Tips for Avoiding Illness When You Travel
When you travel by air or by ship, you can't completely control your surroundings. You don't know how thoroughly the airplane seats were cleaned or who sat their last. Be proactive. Carry along a container of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Use it on your hands when you sit down, after making a trip to the bathroom and to clean your surroundings. Needless to say, the tiny bathrooms on planes harbor bacteria and viruses. Some airplane rest rooms service hundreds of passengers a day.
Don't forget to drink plenty of water for hydration. When you're well hydrated your mucous membranes stay moist and inhospitable to viruses. You can also use a saline nasal spray to keep your mucous membranes moist. A small study showed daily use of a saline nasal spray may lower the risk for colds.
Keep Your Immune System Healthy
Despite your best efforts, you can't always avoid contact with viruses, especially when you're traveling. Should you come in contact with a virus or bacteria, your best defense is a healthy immune system. Your immune system has the ability to launch a beautifully orchestrated response to foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. Unfortunately, factors like stress, lack of sleep, intense exercise, a poor diet, smoking and aging hampers normal immune function.
Strengthen your immune system before traveling by eating a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, doing moderate amounts of exercise and getting adequate sleep. Supplements that support immune health can also help you build your defenses prior to travel.
It is recommended to start strengthening your immune system at least 30 days before you plan to get on that virus incubator, the airplane. The most efficient natural way to support your immunity is using one (1) packet BIOPRO-PLUS™ 100 daily and one (1) vial BIOPRO-PLUS™ 500 weekly. Insure you get to where you are traveling this holiday season sickness free,
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR BIOPRO-PLUS™ SUPPLEMENTS!
The Bottom Line?
You're exposed to viruses and bacteria every time you step out the door, but the risk of becoming ill is higher when you travel. That doesn't mean you have to stay at home. Take these simple steps to reduce your risk of exposure and give your immune system the support it needs to protect you against infection.
-By Alternative Health Concepts
References:
WebMD. "Fliers' Survival Guide for Airports, Planes" Nov 17, 2010.
Journal of Environmental Health Research. "Common cold transmission in commercial aircraft: Industry and passenger implications" (5/2014)
Acta Otolaryngol. 2004 Nov;124(9):1059-62.
It's hard to stay healthy even when you're on home turf but the challenge is even greater when you're traveling, especially if you've traveling by air or journeying away from home during flu season. Being cramped into an airborne airtight tube for hours with other people is an ideal way to pick up a cold or flu virus.
How Air Travel Increases Your Risk for Illness
According to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Health Research the risk of catching a cold is 100 times greater on an airplane than on the ground. Why might this be? There's little mixing of air inside the cabin of a plane with air from the outside. When a sick person coughs or sneezes and sends a virus into the air, there's less opportunity for the virus to escape. If an aircraft has a high volume of passengers, the risk of catching a virus increases since there's a greater likelihood of a sick person being on the plane.
Airplane cabins have a low humidity too. That's why your throat and nasal passages feel so dry when you fly. When there's little moisture in the air, mucous membranes in the nose and throat dry out, making it easier for viruses to attach to mucous membranes and gain a foothold.
If you're traveling around the holidays, your risk of infection is even higher. Influenza is usually making its round as the holidays approach and stressed out travelers frazzled by last-minute holiday preparations are more likely to fall victim to it.
Tips for Avoiding Illness When You Travel
When you travel by air or by ship, you can't completely control your surroundings. You don't know how thoroughly the airplane seats were cleaned or who sat their last. Be proactive. Carry along a container of alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Use it on your hands when you sit down, after making a trip to the bathroom and to clean your surroundings. Needless to say, the tiny bathrooms on planes harbor bacteria and viruses. Some airplane rest rooms service hundreds of passengers a day.
Don't forget to drink plenty of water for hydration. When you're well hydrated your mucous membranes stay moist and inhospitable to viruses. You can also use a saline nasal spray to keep your mucous membranes moist. A small study showed daily use of a saline nasal spray may lower the risk for colds.
Keep Your Immune System Healthy
Despite your best efforts, you can't always avoid contact with viruses, especially when you're traveling. Should you come in contact with a virus or bacteria, your best defense is a healthy immune system. Your immune system has the ability to launch a beautifully orchestrated response to foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. Unfortunately, factors like stress, lack of sleep, intense exercise, a poor diet, smoking and aging hampers normal immune function.
Strengthen your immune system before traveling by eating a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, doing moderate amounts of exercise and getting adequate sleep. Supplements that support immune health can also help you build your defenses prior to travel.
It is recommended to start strengthening your immune system at least 30 days before you plan to get on that virus incubator, the airplane. The most efficient natural way to support your immunity is using one (1) packet BIOPRO-PLUS™ 100 daily and one (1) vial BIOPRO-PLUS™ 500 weekly. Insure you get to where you are traveling this holiday season sickness free, CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR BIOPRO-PLUS™ SUPPLEMENTS!
The Bottom Line?
You're exposed to viruses and bacteria every time you step out the door, but the risk of becoming ill is higher when you travel. That doesn't mean you have to stay at home. Take these simple steps to reduce your risk of exposure and give your immune system the support it needs to protect you against infection.
-By Alternative Health Concepts
References:
WebMD. "Fliers' Survival Guide for Airports, Planes" Nov 17, 2010.
Journal of Environmental Health Research. "Common cold transmission in commercial aircraft: Industry and passenger implications" (5/2014)
Acta Otolaryngol. 2004 Nov;124(9):1059-62.