Health Travel Tips # 5 - Verify your Medical Insurance before your Trip

     Call you medical insurance company in advance to find out if you are covered if you travel. Whether traveling within the same state, out of state, or out of the country; check to make sure you are covered and for what types of illnesses/visits. Some plans may only cover life threatening emergencies and all other care may need to be preauthorized.  Some plans may not cover you at all if your are out of your country of residence. If you are not covered, you may need to purchase an travel medical insurance plan.  (Some plans, in particular HMO's also known as Health Maintenance Organizations, may not even cover care outside of your local area without calling for a preauthorization). Check with your medical insurance carrier regarding their coverage and rules for all travel; within the same state, out of state within the US and especially for foreign travel.


Find out what procedure you need to follow if you need to see a doctor or go to an emergency room in a different area. If you have to purchase additional insurance, see what your insurance carrier recommends. You can also check with the airline you are flying to see what plans they may offer, and, or, your travel agent that are booking your trip with. They can serve as a resource for possible company names, rates and coverage/plan info. Do this research well in advance to give you time in case you need to make an additional purchase. By doing so, you can leave with the peace of mind knowing your are covered and enjoy your trip. 

Healthy Travel Tips # 4 - Learn the Basics; Take a First Aid, CPR and AED class

      Take a CPR, AED and First Aid Class.  Learn how to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and how to operate an AED machine (Automated External Defibrillator) which are now located in many public places such as airports. These skills are essential for rendering assistance if someone near you has a Cardiac Arrest. Learning how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on someone who is choking is usually included in this class. The Heimlich Maneuver is an another critical lifesaving skill.  Learn First Aid so you know the basics about self care (or caring for others) for cuts (lacerations), sprains and heat exhaustion, to name a few. A good place to start in looking for classes is to contact your local Red Cross or American Heart Association.  You can also contact hospitals in your area as some offer these classes for the community on a rotating schedule.  If they don't have them, they may serve as a resource for you as to where to go. *The life you save could be your own, a cherished loved one or a stranger needing your help.

      Call 911 go to an Emergency Room for any Urgent Symptoms. Severe pain of any kind, bleeding, injuries, dehydration (to include diarrhea and vomiting), altered mental status, vision problems, difficulty speaking or moving or symptoms of any type of infection should be treated by a Physician; if you are not sure if you should get help, err on the side of caution and go to a Licensed Medical Professional for care without delay. These tips are useful anytime, while at home, in your local neighborhood and area or while traveling.  

Healthy Travel Tips # 3 - Vaccines and Prophylactic Prescriptions

Planning a trip is the perfect time to ascertain if your vaccines are up to date, and, if they are not, to begin the process of catching up. Check out the CDC (The U.S. Centers for Disease Control) website at: www.cdc.gov/  They have an informative section on "Traveler's Health" along with a vaccine section regarding recommended vaccines and intervals. The next step is to review your personal vaccine records. Always keep a copy at home for review.  If you don't have a copy at home, contact your health care provider (s) to see if they have any of your vaccine records. If not, you can contact previous schools or colleges (depending on when you attended, they may still have your records, or they may not, if too much time has elapsed). Make an appointment with your health care provider, a local clinic or a travel medicine clinic if you need vaccines (or are not sure if you need any, they can give you guidance on this).  Always call in advance regarding appointments/scheduling and to see if they have the vaccines on hand that you think you may need.  If you have vaccines records, bring them to your appointment for the health care professional to review.

Viewing the CDC website is especially important when preparing for travel outside of the country to educate yourself on any local diseases that are prevalent at your travel destination (s) and what medicines, and, or special vaccines you should have prior to travel. For example, if you are going to an area where Malaria is prevalent, you will need to take a Prescription medication for prevention (prophylaxis). Also, there may be vaccines that are recommended that are not part of routine health care (certain ones for a specific part of the world only). The CDC website also offers a map of the world that lists info regarding disease prevalence by country along with vaccine recommendations; all good info to be aware of  before your visit to you health care provider. 


You can discuss the info you obtain with your HCP (Health Care Provider); Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Registered Nurse that is seeing you. If the vaccine(s) for your destination are one of the more obscure ones, you may need to go to a travel clinic as not all doctors offices and clinics carry all vaccines. Your health care provider can guide you on this.  


Start this process well in advance before you travel, so you can follow the recommended schedules for Prophylactic Medications and Vaccines with the goal of being covered by the time you begin your trip. 

Healthy Travel Tips # 2 - Refill your Prescriptions in Advance

      Refill any prescriptions you may need before you leave so you won't run out on your trip. Do this at least 3 to 4 days before you travel.  Whether you have refills left and can simply call them in to your pharmacy or if you are out of refills and need to call your doctor for a refill authorization. Give yourself a buffer of time so your refill (s) can get processed and you can pick them up before your trip.

Healthy Travel Tips # 1 – Bring the Basics

Summer is here and vacation trips abound; this is Part One of a series of health related travel tips. Bring the Basics regarding first aid supplies. This is especially important if you’re traveling to a rural area or out of the United States, but good practice for any trip. Prepare and carry a small pack of OTC (over the counter) medicines to take on your trip so you don't have to scramble finding a pharmacy or grocery store late at night in a new location.


Oral Medications: Read and follow all directions on the package labels regarding dosing and warnings on all medications.

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) for pain or fever.  
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for allergy symptoms (or your favorite antihistamine).  
• Loperamide (Imodium) for diarrhea.          
• Meclizine (Dramamine) for motion sickness. If you are flying, make sure you carry medicines in their original containers or foil packs (which are flat and easy for packing).

Topical Supplies:

• Band-Aids (2 each in various sizes). 
• Antibiotic cream.  
• Corn & Callous pads. These come in small flat packages that are easy to pack and helpful if you anticipate a lot of walking.

Last but not least, seek care from a Licensed Physician or go to an Emergency Room if you have any severe or urgent symptoms.

Barbecue Temptations - 3 tips to prevent over-eating at parties

It’s easy to get caught up in over indulging at gatherings.  It can be done, however, with a little planning and willpower.  

1.       Have a solid protein based snack with a healthy (complex) carbohydrate about 1-2 hours before you hit the party.  Here are some good ones to choose from:  String cheese (made with skim/non-fat milk) along with 3-4 whole wheat organic crackers, plain non-fat organic Greek yogurt with some fresh organic berries, Carole’s fruit-walnut snack (with a small organic apple or pear chopped and mixed in-, see my previous posting for the recipe).  By doing this, you won’t be famished when you get to the party which will empower you to control what you eat and enable you to choose your food wisely when you do.  When we're hungry, we tend to overeat and reduce our ability to control ourselves; we consume too much, too fast and with a tendency to choose high calorie/high fat foods to fill ourselves up quickly.  

2.       Limit your alcohol intake as alcohol quickly adds calories.  (Please don’t drink and drive any type of vehicle.) Try to stay hydrated with filtered tap water or unsweetened mineral water so that if, and when you do take a drink, you won’t be inclined to gulp it down fast and you will consume less.

3.      Choose your foods wisely. If you can’t resist that home-made potato salad, then don’t eat the dinner roll (have one, but not both). If you want that gooey brownie for dessert, then have it in lieu of more macaroni salad or a 2^nd glass of wine.  Watch the chips and dips; chips are high in fat and carbs and most dips are sour cream based which are high in fat and calories.  Limit your carbohydrates to help control your weight.

Have fun with your family and friends and enjoy the party, while staying on track with healthier eating.

Here's a nutritious and delicious snack (or light lunch)

Carole's Walnut/Yogurt/Fruit Snack

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
1 small organic apple, chopped
1 cup of nonfat plain Greek Yogurt or nonfat plain kefir

Directions:
Place the chopped walnuts and apple in a small bowl; mix in nonfat Greek yogurt or pour kefir into the bowl.

• This snack packs a powerful nutritious punch; Omega 3's from the walnuts, fiber and other nutrients from the apple and protein, calcium and probiotics from both Greek yogurt or kefir.  It also tastes great!  Try this dish with your favorite type of apple or pear. Berries work well too.
• Using Greek yogurt will boost the amount of protein you will be getting and provide a thicker consistency to the final dish. Total calories, approximately 300 - 350 (depending on the size of the fruit and brand of the kefir or Greek yogurt you use).
• Use "plain" Greek yogurt or kefir, so only the naturally occurring milk sugars will be present, instead of  "flavored" kefir or yogurt which has added sugar (and added calories).

Maintaining a healthy weight

If you have a craving for goodies and just cannot resist, such as a piece of cake, cookies or ice cream; "just have a taste".  If you are at a birthday party, instead of a whole piece of cake, cut it in fourths and just have 1/4 of a piece.  If you have a nightly dish of ice cream, cut back to one night a week. Limit your intake of sweets if you want to stave off pounds.