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Tips for Travelingbr“Well”
By Dr. Josh Prickett, Medical Director of North Tarrant E-CarebrEmergency Center, North RichlandbrHills
With the summer months fast approaching, many Southlakebrresidents are making travel plans. On summer vacation, however, the last thingbron anyone's mind is getting sick. Unfortunately, travel can create thebr“perfect” environment for unexpected illness. You may be tired, sleeping inbrunfamiliar places, sampling odd cuisine, and mingling with crowds of people. Nobrmatter where or when it happens, getting sick on vacation is a surefire way tobrspoil the fun, but thankfully, there are a number of tips that can help you travel healthy.
General precautions to consider before you travel include basicsbrlike taking preventative medications (antibiotics or probiotics) and gettingbrimmunized against diseases that may be prevalent in the part of the world youbrwill be visiting. Be watchful of some of the more common health problemsbrrelated to travel are:
· brDigestive illness (diarrhea, nausea)
· brSkinbrirritations (allergies, insect bites, sunburn)
· brCold/flubrsymptoms or fever
Most of those are related to food, beverages, weather,brinsects and personal hygiene. Your doctor can give you more information, and ThebrCenters for Disease Control offers handy traveler's survival guide suggestions for safety and wellnessbron the go.
1. Watch What You Eat and Drink
One of the best things about travel is the ability to expandbryour culinary horizons by sampling local cuisine. Unfortunately, not allbrdestinations share the same standards when it comes to food preparation orbrsanitation. As a result, many people traveling abroad find themselves sickbrafter eating undercooked meats. In addition, water quality varies from countrybrto country, and drinking local water (including ice in your drink) to whichbryour body is not accustomed to can lead to illness. Choose bottled water whenbrpossible, even to brush your teeth. Be wary of uncooked food -- even saladsbr(which are washed in local tap water) -- and food that may have beenbrunrefrigerated or improperly stored.
2. Cleaner Hands, Healthier Travel
One of the easiest and most overlooked methods of preventingbrsickness while traveling is to wash your hands frequently. According to thebrCenters for Disease Control, hand washing is considered to bebrone of the most important steps toward maintaining a good health. It’s easy to carry a travel-size bottle ofbrhand sanitizer with you, or packets of sanitary hand wipes.
When traveling, you'll likely be encountering crowds inbrhotels, elevators, busses, airports, amusement park lines and such, and manybryou come in contact with could be sick. Touching things like door handles at abrrest stop bathroom or the touchpad of an ATM can spread germs and bacteria. Bybrwashing your hands before and after eating, after using the restroom, and afterbrtouching foreign surfaces, you'll stand a better chance of staying healthy onbrthe road.
3. Pre-Vacation Doctor Visit
Before setting out, it's a good idea to schedule a doctor's visit to getbrrecommendations for safeguarding your health in specific destinations, andbrassess your overall medical condition for travel. Physicians at your localbrurgent care clinic can do a routine physical and ensure that you are current onbrall vaccinations. This is especially important when traveling overseas. Seeingbryour doctor is also a good idea if you plan to be away for an extended periodbrso that you refill any prescriptions before leaving home.
InbrSouthlake, TX, patients rely on the North Tarrant E-Care Emergency Care Center for urgent care and emergency care. Ifbryou're planning to hit the road this summer, contact E-Care Emergency for abrpre-travel check to receive any recommended immunizations or preventativebrmedications, along with your emergent or urgent health care needs by callingbr(817) 281-7277 or check in online at e-carecenters.com.
Josh Prickett, MD, is currently medical director for North Tarrant location of E-Care Emergency Center in North Richland Hills. Dr. Prickett graduated from the University of Oklahoma Medical School and has been practicing emergency care in Oklahoma, Minnesota and Texas since 1989. He has been married to his wife Carin for 29 years. They have a son Jonathan, a daughter Whitney, and a son-in-law John. Dr. Prickett and his family are active at Gateway Church in Southlake and love being a part of the Southlake community.