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Avoid Dehydration
Drink plenty of water before and during the flight.
Drink extra non-alcoholic, caffine-free drinks. Alcohol and caffeine are dehydrating.
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Travel Plans for Long Trips.
Break long journeys, do not fly continuously for 24 hours. Have a night half way.
Ask for a aisle seat.
Get a good sleep before the flight.
If you have hypertension, diabetes, varicose veins, or a clotting disorder ask your doctor.
Your doctor may prescribe Aspirin.
Try using below knee surgical stockings to increase blood flow.
IF, after a long flight, one ankle or calf is fatter than the other, or, the swelling over the shin bone is greater in one than the other, go directly to your doctor. A simple investigation can rule out the ticking bomb.
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Avoid Sleeping Tablets
It is hard to exercise while you are asleep!
Better to have one sleepless night than several in hospital or an infinite number laid out.
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| Keep those Calf
Muscles exercising
Regular exercise can help
Walk around the airport before takeoff and transit stops.
During the flight do calf exercises frequently and walk around hourly.
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(Source - Zest Magazine Feb. 2001)
Back to the top of the page. |
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New research suggests that cutting salt and eating more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products may lower your blood pressure as effectively as blood-pressure lowering drugs.
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An average western diet contains about 3,500 milligrams of salt per day. Reducing daily salt intake to 1,500 milligrams will reduce high blood pressure, without other major dietary changes.
The findings add to the debate over salt and blood pressure. And it is difficult to keep salt intake low since salt is often hidden in processed food. (Source - Zest Magazine Feb. 2001) |
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| Aerobic fitness has been found to slow the progression of artery disease in middle-aged men. Finnish researchers monitored the build up of fatty plaque in neck arteries of 854 men over 4 years. Such build up - known as "carotid atherosclerosis" - increases risk of stroke and is indicative of similar problems in heart arteries. Exercise tests and surveys monitored participants fitness and other risk factors. |
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Researchers found low aerobic capacity - being unfit - was the strongest risk factor for progression in "carotid atherosclerosis"
(Source - Zest Magazine Feb. 2001) |
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The synthetic drug "ecstasy" is most dangerous for women of reproductive age. They are much more likely to die from ecstasy use than any other group.
High levels of the female hormone "estrogen" cause the increased danger, according to UK researchers. Estrogen plus another hormone produced as ecstasy is absorbed by the body affect water retention.
This water retention can lead to a potentially fatal sodium imbalance in the body. "However these effects can apply to anyone who takes the drug," researchers add. (Source - Zest Magazine Feb. 2001) |
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It is estimated that one person in three on long haul flights develops a clot in the large veins deep in the calf muscles (deep vein thrombosis)
Fortunately most clots dissolve due to the body's resiliency. But too often the clot floats off and drifts toward the heart and lungs to cause havoc.
The media has highlighted the problem as "Economy Class Syndrome", but it can occur with first class passengers as well. |
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Until recently few people have been aware of the extent of the problem. But sudden death following long-haul flights is not uncommon
Check out how to prevent these silent and deadly clots. |
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A Heart Stopping Problem
The clot can be up to a metre long and as thick as a finger. It can lodge in the entry to the heart causing the heart to stop. Or it may completely or partially block blood vessels going to the lungs. This is called a pulmonary embolus.
Symptoms may not occur until several days after the flight. Excruciating chest discomfort occurs and often an overwhelming desire to go to the toilet. The person becomes unconsciousness within minutes and death may soon follow.
Why Clots Develop
Clotting can occur when a traveler sits still in buses, trains and planes for long periods of time. It occurs commonly after fracturing the lower leg. Blood pools under gravitational pressure in the large veins in the calf. With little or no flow, clotting occurs.
It is more likely to develop if the leg is immobile, already has poor circulation, and has partially blocked circulation due to sitting position or clothing compression. It is more common with the use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and if the individual is dehydrated.
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