Vacation Illness

The one thing we all wish to avoid while on holiday. My friends who travel to India usually say it is better to catch the stomach bug on the first few days of the holiday rather than later. Along with the lines I lost 7kg while on vacation. Here are some tips to recover from your most common sickness while on vacation.

Common Cold:

Stuffed nose is quite common, and often accompanied with a cough or worse fever. A nasal spray should be part of the first aid kit with cold and flu tablets to help reduce the symptoms. Acquire a coughing syrup from local pharmacy if is a dry cough but ride it out If it is a progressive cough clearing mucus out. Lots of tea with lemon, ginger and honey. Along with other fluids. Usually lasts 3-10 days.

Altitude sickness:

This is a common problem for hikers. I was taking Diamox on the Inca trail which works fine but one of the side effects is you have to pee a lot. New Studies have shown Ibuprofen was about as effective as current medications to treat altitude sickness, which include prescription-only acetazolamide (Diamox) and dexamethasone, but it doesn't come with as many side effects. That's what makes ibuprofen attractive as a potential preventive for mountain climbers and hikers.

Motion sickness:

This affects a lot of people especially kids and pregnant women. A variety of medications are available to help prevent or treat motion sickness. Medicines for nausea are called anti-emetic drugs. They include antihistamines such as Bonine and Dramamine — available over the counter. A lot of countries have herbal pills and remedies. For example Peru offers Coco leaves as altitude sickness prevention (Which for the record worked very effectively).

Stomach bug:

Diarrhoea or similar is a common case in most countries where the food is foreign to your body and if the hygienic standards are below what you used to, you may get some unwanted action. Best thing to do is ride it out. Usually takes less than 24 hours and you should be on the patch to recovery. Keep electrolyte pills with you to take with water to keep you hydrated and eat lots of crackers/bread.

Poisoning:

Reef fish poisoning or simply bad outdated/prepared food can be a potential threat. Easiest acute treatment is to use activated charcoal tablets. When you take activated charcoal, drugs and toxins can bind to it. This helps rid the body of unwanted substances by throwing up. Charcoal is made from coal, wood, or other substances. It becomes "activated charcoal" when high temperatures combine with a gas or activating agent to expand its surface area. You can buy this from your local pharmacy but please consult your doctor in advance if you have any medical conditions/prescriptions that can cause complications. Do not combine activated charcoal with drugs used for constipation (cathartics such as sorbitol or magnesium citrate). This can cause electrolyte imbalances and other problems.

Prevention is better than Cure:

The good old saying by most Medical Workers & Researchers. So taking the necessary vaccinations or prevention measures are recommended. It may not be 100% effective but it does decrease the chances of getting infected. A good example here of preventive measures is Malaria Pills. Make sure you go for Malarone to prevent any crazy hallucinations that come with the cheaper version of Anti-Malaria drugs.