Don't Let Flu Season at 30,000 Feet Ruin Your Vacation
While most of us have made it through the worst of the seasonal bugs, it’s important to remember that aircraft cabins are year-round virus incubators.
A 2006 study at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. confirmed that, like us, a microbe’s favored mode of travel is airplanes. Likewise, trains, buses, taxis and rental cars can be breeding grounds for traveling germs—not to mention airport terminals, restaurants and public restrooms.
Many are making their summer travel plans, but that doesn’t mean the immune system can go on vacation, too. Independent Traveler magazine says travelers “may be more than 100 times as likely to catch a cold on a plane as in your normal daily rounds.”
Travel often means additional stress as well. We put ourselves under pressure by getting ready to go, preparing our homes, businesses and pets to be cared for in our absence, and making it to our gate, connection, etc. on time.
According to the Center for Disease Control, three glands “go into gear” and work together to help you cope with a stressful situation. Two are in your brain: the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The third, the adrenal glands, are on top of your kidneys. The hypothalamus signals your pituitary gland that it’s time to tell your adrenal glands to release the stress hormones called epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol. These chemicals increase your heart rate and breathing and provide a burst of energy, but prolonged stimulation wears on the immune system, making us more vulnerable to environmental pathogens.
In addition to frequent hand-washing and ample hydration, taking del-IMMUNE V® prior to, during and after travel can help your body adjust to the sudden fluctuation in stress levels. Several customers have written to us about their experience traveling with del-IMMUNE V®:
“My husband travels almost every week and his trips are always overseas lasting four to five days at a time,” wrote Jan W. of Boulder, Colo. “In the past, the weekends have been a time for him to recover from travel and jet lag. Since taking del-IMMUNE V® on a daily basis, I have noticed my husband has not had any infections caused by air travel. I believe his jet lag has diminished and I know for a fact that he has more energy on the weekends.”
Another Boulder customer , Mark S. wrote, “I recently attended an international conference in Mexico. During the course of the week, most of the Americans became sick, but I was taking del-IMMUNE V® and never missed a beat. Even though I ate in local restaurants, worked late and got up early, I felt great throughout the conference and even after I returned."
