Month: October 2024

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Choosing a Travel Clinic for Your Travel Health Needs

Whether for business or pleasure, travelers planning a trip outside the country should remember to set aside some time in during their plan-making to address important health and safety precautions. In fact, studies show that almost half of travelers from a developed country visiting a developing country get sick when they stay for a month or more. The guidelines and regulations for necessary vaccinations and medications vary greatly from one destination to another, and failure to receive the right immunizations could be life-threatening. To ensure the highest degree of accuracy and safety, the Center for Disease Control recommends seeing a physician who specializes in travel medicine. Usually this means a visit to a travel clinic.

So first things first; what is a travel clinic? It is a medical facility that focuses specifically on the preventative care of those planning to travel internationally. At a travel clinic, patients can meet with doctors who specialize in emporiatrics, or travel medicine, and deal exclusively with travel-related health issues on a daily basis. Patients generally visit a travel clinic for a consultation and vaccination, and then again after their return for a wellness checkup.

Some people might be curious as to why visiting a travel clinic would be any better than visiting their family doctor. The simplest answer is that while family doctors are trained to deal with a large range of health concerns, travel health providers focus only on emporiatrics. This means that travel medicine physicians put more time and effort into having the up-to-date information about location-specific travel health issues that you need, and since the focus of travel health is in large part on educating the traveler about disease prevention, the more knowledgeable your physician is the more you’ll learn. Additionally, travel clinics have all the vaccinations you need in stock, whereas family physicians may not always have vaccines against rarer diseases like yellow fever or typhoid on hand. Travel clinics can also provide you with the yellow fever certificate necessary for entry into certain countries requiring proof of immunization. Travel clinics’ rates are usually competitive with those of regular physicians, and most offer evening and weekend hours and even same-day or walk-in appointments to accommodate travelers’ busy schedules; such flexibility is not often a practice of regular physicians.

When you visit a travel clinic, the consultation is very important. This is the time when you can ask the doctor questions and he or she will provide destination-specific information about the necessary precautions for you to take. Some good areas of focus for your consult are appropriate vaccinations and what some travel health specialists refer to as the “six Is”: ingestions (such as food and water safety), insects, immersions (waterborne illnesses contracted through swimming) injuries, indiscretions (sexually transmitted diseases), and insurance. It is essential that you share your specific travel itinerary with your travel health provider, in order that he or she can give you the most accurate information possible about vaccines and whether antimalarial drugs will be necessary. Activity plans should also be noted, as the CDC recommends rabies vaccines in many countries for travelers who plan to spend a lot of time outdoors or participate in camping, hiking or cycling. Altitude sickness prevention and water purification plans might also be necessary, depending on your destination.

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Fun Filled Adventure in Tulum, Mexico

Mexico is a chief vacation spot, with all it tempting beaches. They are also the most beautiful with white sand that is absolutely pristine, and clear blue waters. There is no doubt why it attracts millions of people each year.

There are numerous beaches that are the most popular. One of these is in Tulum. I was in great was when I first saw the beauty of Tulum. I admire Tulum because everywhere you look, adventure exists. It is another beach destination that is just as fine-looking blue Caribbean waters but a little less well-known, with one of the prettiest beaches in all of Mexico.

Tulum is located just south of Playa del Carmen and Akumai. This is a small town on the Mayan Riviera also famous for its ancient pyramids. Tulum is a nice mix of history and great beaches for one unforgettable vacation.

The archeological site, the Mayan ruins, was built between 1200 and 1450. It was a trading post due to its location that overlooks the waters of the Caribbean. The tallest building of the city is El Castillo, which served as a lighthouse that guided travelers through the reefs. Tulum is a Pre-Columbian walled city of the Maya civilization located on the Caribbean Sea coast of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The city’s original name is thought to have been Zama or “place of the dawn,” in reference to its site by the sea looking eastward.

Tulum’s pristine beaches are considered to be world’s top scenic beaches, attracting visitors from around the globe. It is perfect for sunbathing, swimming or simply relaxing. It is also a great place to pursue new adventures, such as snorkeling in cenotes where it introduce you to the aquatic life and unique geological marvels that occupy their crystal clear waters.

Another fascinating adventure is swimming with the dolphins. I bet this will be your most exciting experience.

Tulum is filled with a multitude of lodging choices, from expansive luxury resorts on the ocean to quaint but clean Tulum hotels [http://www.mezzanine.com.mx/hotel/index.html]. Most of them are ecological oriented properties.

Vacation in Tulum can never be regret. It offers you a little bit of everything. It’s a great place to relax and spiritual rejuvenation.

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Are Health Food Stores That Healthy?

If you’re like more and more Americans, you’re trying your hardest to improve your health and wellness. That’s a great step in the right direction. A lot of people think that by shopping at their local health food store they can make grand strides. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Is the extra cost worth it and is everything in a health food store more expensive? Also, is everything truly healthy?

I do think it’s fantastic and helpful to spend more of one’s time and food budget at a health food store. I believe that you can have increased access to local, organic produce; clean meats and fish; and the ability to buy items in bulk, a great money-saver! I lead Walking Nutrition Tours in my area to teach people about this exactly!

But you’re correct in noting that just because it’s a health food store, it does not mean everything is an ideal food or worth the extra cost. 

As with your traditional supermarket, I would still encourage you to first of all, shop the periphery. The outside sections of the stores generally are where you’ll find the produce, meats, and dairy products, the items I encourage you spend your money on. It’s in the center aisles that you’ll more often find the packaged foods, replete with added sweeteners, rancid oils, and genetically modified ingredients. 

That means my second recommendation is to read labels. Consider granola. Once thought to the be the health food of the hippie generation of the 1960s and 70s, it is now a ubiquitous item, containing added sugar and refined oils. This stands true wherever you purchase it. I encourage you to scan the label of the granola you might pick up in the health food store next time you shop, or those organic cookies you might love. I can almost guarantee they’ll have added sugar.  Essentially, a packaged product is a processed food, no matter what name you call it or where you buy it. Buying cookies or potato chips at a health food store doesn’t make them much healthier than buying them elsewhere.

A way to save money is to, again, read labels: price labels. A box of regular pasta is a box of pasta, purchasing it at a health food store does not make it healthier in any way. Or, when it comes to produce, you do have increased access to organic and local items. But, if you choose to buy conventional produce or frozen produce, there’s no difference in quality between a traditional supermarket and your health food store, so go with the cheaper item.

My basic recommendations are shop the periphery, read labels, and get comfortable cooking more at home instead of relying on packaged foods. These suggestions will lead to improved health and money saved.