The Wellness Concierge®: Aug 10, 2006 — New Travel Rules Raise Health Risks for Some Travelers

The biggest threat to your health and safety if you plan to fly now and in the future is not the threat of a terrorist bomb. What's more of a concern, if you can wrench your mind away from the nerve-jangling news, is the affects of the changes to your pre-boarding and in-flight routines as dictated by the new security regulations that prohibit carrying on liquid and gel products, including bottled water and beverages.

Those changes, at first glance, may seem merely inconvenient. But depending on the state of your health, they could be far more problematic than discomforting and even health-threatening. And if you're planning to fly on a trans-Atlantic flight to and from the United Kingdom or elsewhere in Europe, the even-more restrictive carry-on rules (no food; no electronic devices; no carry-on bags, handbags, laptops, just the basic IDs, money and essential meds in a clear plastic bag) could have you rethinking whether or not you will fly!

So whether you're healthy or have a chronic or temporary health condition that is affected by travel, you need to fully understand just how these changes will affect your physical health and well-being on the road — in the short- and long-term — and find workable solutions.

BEFORE YOU FLY: Raise Your 'SA' (Situational Awareness)

Are you physically, mentally — not to mention temperamentally — ready to fly now? Can your body deal with the added stress, restrictions and inconveniences?

Before you answer with a quick "Yes, of course!", here are some questions to get you thinking about how today's new security rules can affect you.

Q: Are you able to stand in line for two, three or more hours awaiting a security check? Or will you require a wheelchair or other mobile transport device? You don't have to be elderly or infirmed to have problems standing that long.

Q: If you're already an anxious or fearful flyer, will the added stress of a major terrorist threat, the increased security (including multiple patdowns and wanding), delays and other travel disruptions such as cancelled flights, send you over the edge? Will you need increased or different medication? Will you need to start taking medication to deal with anxiety?

Q: Will you be able to fly without compromising or endangering your physical health if you cannot eat during a flight because there is no food available and you can't carry any onboard? Some flights may not even have snacks, let alone a meal. What do you do if you have a blood sugar problem that requires you to eat but there's no food?

Q: If you must take medication at set times, how will you swallow your pills or capsules if there is no water or a beverage available when you need it? (You don't think the flight attendants will break their routines to run back and forth with water and beverages on demand to individual passengers do you? Isn't that partially why you used to carry bottled water and beverages onboard yourself?)

Even if you just need an aspirin or a cold/flu pill/caplet, can you wait till the beverage cart comes around?

Q: What if you're stuck on a hot plane on a runway for hours? If you routinely carried food and water, you could at least make sure you weren't dehydrated or nosh to kill hunger pains and pangs. Now, if you can't carry one or both, what will you do?

Q: Do you wear contact lenses that you normally remove and clean during a flight? Do you routinely use non-prescription eye drops because you have dry eyes or can't wear your contacts without lubrication during flights? You can't carry on eye drops and contact lens solution now.

Q: Do you have a medical condition that requires you to eat and drink either on a set schedule or on demand, as needed? What if you no longer have access to food because there's none on the flight and you can't carry it on?

On the scale of inconvenience and discomfort, some things are more problematic than others, of course. Dry eye can be painful during and after a flight and it may impair your ability to see or work. But if you can't regulate your insulin levels or you can't take medications exactly when you need to, that's a whole other level of concern.

You may not have had time to think about these things. But it's precisely these situations that medical care professionals are pondering now as they address the health needs, small to large, of the traveling public.

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► Review all toiletry, make-up, over-the-counter and prescription medication items you'd normally pack in carry-on luggage or in a handbag, briefcase or other container that you'd take on board.

There is a surprising number of items that fall into the liquid, gel or cream category of banned items. (See list below.) Travelers who were forced to toss away hundreds of dollars worth of toiletries and cosmetics today are painfully aware of just how much stuff we travel with that can no longer be carried onboard.

Make sure you pack these items in checked luggage or be prepared to loose them. (You could carry pre-paid mailers with you so you could stuff in items. But who will mail them back for you? Overworked airport employees? Some airports do have on-site mail-back services available, for a fee. But you'll have to get out of line and go back through it again. You gotta have some really expensive stuff to make that option worth your time!)

► Replace liquid over-the-counter drugs and other personal care products with nonliquid alternatives. In some cases, you can find pill or caplet alternatives to liquid stomach ache, cold, flu and cough products.

You can use those little Listerine PocketPaks instead of mouthwash and replace your gel hand sanitizer with antiseptic towelettes. Sans toothpaste, you can use those pre-packaged teeth wipes (Oral B Brush-Ups). There's also an amazing array of products, including fragrance, makeup and suntan lotions available in towelette form.

► Switch from over-the-counter to prescription medication. If you regularly use over-the-counter (OTC) eye drops, nasal sprays and other liquid-based products (such as cough, cold or flu medicine), and don't think you can fly without using them, consult your doctor. You may have to switch to a prescription product.

The media has been saying that even a doctor's note for prescribed use of OTC, non-prescription products may not mean you'll be allowed to carry them onboard. (And is it only me who wonders about all those prescribed liquids that flyers are allowed to carry on? I mean it's not like a terrorist couldn't fake a prescription or switch out a legal one for a lethal material. Nobody is testing those liquids to see what's in them, are they?)

► Ship your luggage in advance. Would you rather trust the airlines with all your luggage? Given the new restrictions and the cost of replacing all the items that now have to be checked, it may make more fiscal sense to ship some, if not all, of your luggage.

If you normally travel with expensive (or hard to replace) toiletries, make-up and other items you don't want to lose because of the inconvenience and/or cost to replace should the airlines lose your luggage, use a special luggage shipping service.

► Order your toiletries online and have them delivered to your hotel. Time is money. If you're short on time (or use products that may not be available locally), it may be more efficient, and even less expensive, to order items at online retailers such as drugstore.com than to buy them locally. (Drugstore.com and its sister site, beauty.com, have a pretty good personal care product assortment and great delivery, depending on the items and where they're being shipped.)

► Rethink your flight choices and travel schedule. Fly nonstop on the shortest flights possible. Choose flights that allow you to fly out when you can actually deal with extended pre-fight checks. If it takes you an hour to get to the airport and you need two or more hours for security, you may want to rethink whether you can make a very early morning flight.

You don't want to begin the travel process on three hours of sleep. It will only get worse. And there's not enough caffeine in the world to keep you vertical for three hours if you've only had a few hours sleep to begin with.

► Don't skip meals at home before you leave. You'll need your strength to wait in line and you may not have time to eat after you clear security and before you get on the plane.

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AT THE AIRPORT

► Minimize Stress and Anxiety for Yourself and Others: Act like a grownup.

Stressed out, tired, hungry, thirsty and/or fearful adults don't always exhibit the best group behavior. Some otherwise amenable folks can become truly annoying over a period of hours in tight, shared spaces. Avoid loud and lengthy cell-phone conversations; intrusive and excessive chatting with fellow passengers; singing, humming and whistling out loud; cracking gum or your knuckles; using electronic music or game devices that can be heard by others. FYI: This applies to the airport and the plane!

Lower your voice and check your conversational topics. Some things should never be discussed in public. Now is the time for more, not less, civility and good manners.

► Make sure any prescription medication you are carrying has your correct name on it. This can be a problem with some meds that come in a box or other packaging that you may have tossed away. Keep meds in their original containers.

Carry a copy of the prescription or your pharmacy packaging for the medication. Check that your name is readable and matches your other identification.

► 'Shorten' the wait by distracting yourself with a book, puzzle, game, music or other quiet diversion.

► Know — and follow — the security rules, especially as they apply to carry-on items. Keep checking the TSA site and the news for updates. Assume that things will be more, not less, restrictive.

Don't try to sneak through banned articles; take off your shoes without being asked; and be prepared for multiple patdowns, wanding and extra security checks.

► Get special assistance: If you cannot stand in line for an extended period of time, find out what, if any, assistance is available. Check with the airport to see if there are wheelchairs or mobile carts available that you can use to move through the airport and while you're waiting in line.

► Watch your mouth and your attitude. There's no reason to exacerbate an already problematic situation for yourself or others by loud complaining, asking for special treatment or bemoaning the situation. If you can't hack it, shut up or stay home.

► Eat and drink before you board your flight. You may need a healthy snack and water after a long wait in line and you may want to fortify yourself just in case you have limited or no in-flight food/beverage options. (Beverages of all types are going to be snapped up fast on the first pass and there may be no seconds.) Look for the healthiest available food and beverage options at the in-airport venues .

► Bring bottled water and beverages and snacks that you can eat while you wait in line. Don't overdo it though, because whatever you can't finish before you clear security will have to be tossed.

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IN THE AIR

► If you have health problems that make it necessary for you to have immediate and ongoing access to food and water, politely inform a flight attendant at a convenient time after boarding. (You may even want to approach the ground personnel before a flight to inform them of your special in-flight needs and see what assistance they can provide.)

► When the bottled water runs out (and it will), opt for fruit juices or non-alcoholic beverages. Avoid heavily caffeinated and sugar-laden beverages.

► Switch from contact lenses to eyeglasses. It may not be an option, but if it is, give it a shot! There are some seriously stylish and sexy specs to be had.

► Carry eye compresses. There are pre-packaged versions that can help with tired and red eyes when you can't use liquid eye drops.

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New U.S. Security Air Travel Carry-On Rules

All liquids and gels are now prohibited on flights (all domestic and international flights originating in the United States). These items will be confiscated and thrown out should you try to pack them in carry-on luggage or a handbag, tote or briefcase.

Exceptions to the Rules...

Some solid or powdered cosmetics items are permitted past the checkpoint but this is at the sole discretion of the TSA Security Officer.

Permitted: Solid lip glosses and blushes; shoes with gel heels but they must be removed and screened.

Over-the-Counter/Non-Prescription Product Exceptions:

· Up to 8 oz of liquid or gel insulin and up to 4 oz. of non-prescription liquid medications

If you're traveling with a baby or child...

· Baby formula and breast milk

· Baby food

Note: Carrying the above items will subject you to additional screening.

If you are carrying prescription medication:

· Prescription medications that have your name on them

Your name must be on the medication (a problem in some cases where a name might have been on a box or other packaging that was thrown away). Carry a copy of the prescription or your pharmacy packaging for the drug. Check that your name is readable and correct (that is, it matches your other identification).

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The list of banned items includes the obvious, like bottled water, and some products you may not have considered:

· Bottled water; canned, bottled or soft-pack beverages and foods;

· Shampoo, conditioner, hair products (gels, sprays, etc.);

· Contact lens solutions;

· Liquid soaps;

· Gel cap medications;

· Liquid over-the-counter cough, flu and cold products;

· Eye, ear and nasal drops and sprayslist of banned items;

· Fragrances; colognes, toilet water, etc.;

· Mouthwash; toothpaste;

· Anti-diarrhea and gastric distress products;

· Suntan lotions and tanning products;

· Liquid make-up products such as foundation, blush, toners and astringents, etc.;

· Hand lotion; hand sanitizers; facial and body washes and moisturizers;

· Nail polish, nail polish remover;

· Rubbing alcohol; hydrogen peroxide (Items often found in first-aid kits.);

· Massage or aromatherapy oils;

· Shaving creams or gels;

· Mascara

· No cream, lotion or gel products (which include many toiletries and make-up items such as lip gloss, lip balms; topical creams and ointments; face and hand moisturizers; face and eye make-up remover, etc.). Also, no gel shoe inserts! No baby teething rings that have gel or liquid inside.

Banned Food Items: You cannot take anything with a gel-like substance, including: Jello and pudding packs; yogurts.

Net-Net: The government is recommending that you pack all cosmetics in your checked baggage. Many of the items you routinely use in-flight for your personal comfort can no longer board with you. When in doubt, pack in your checked baggage.

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Beverages purchased in the boarding area (beyond the screening checkpoint) are not allowed on board and must be consumed before boarding.

Travel From Europe and the United Kingdom to the U.S.

The new carry-on restrictions are strict and potentially problematic for many travelers. As of this writing (10 p.m., August 10, 2006), you can ONLY carry on a few items (including keys, glasses, identification and travel documents, cash, a small wallet, prescription medications) in a clear plastic bag. Everything else must be checked, or chucked. No food. No beverages. No electronics. No books!

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RESOURCES:

· August 10, 2006 Homeland Security Press Release

· American Diabetic Association: Traveling With Diabetes

· TSA Travelers' Information

· WebMD: Threats and Terrorism: Conquering Fear