Healthy holidays, ten rules to not get sick

Leaving can be beautiful: for places by the sea or in the mountains; exotic, adventurous or familiar and family-friendly; crowded or isolated. But it can also turn into a nightmare if, inside the suitcase, there isn’t what you need when some health problem arises. And especially if you are not prepared to face all the surprises of the case. He doesn’t want to be alarmist Claudio Cricellipresident of Simg (Italian Society of General Medicine), when he underlines that “you need to be prepared in the right way when you go on vacation: first of all – he explains – by knowing yourself”.

The inventory before taking off

What Cricelli proposes is like an inventory of one’s health, one’s physical and mental situation. Starting with this: “If you are young, without illnesses, and you go to a place with healthcare available, you don’t have to do anything, and not even bring medicines, because within the European area the availability is wide. L The only thing to bring with you is the health card: many do not know it but it is valid as a health identification document which entitles you to access many free health services”.
And if instead we had some problems? “Then it is better to write them somewhere – continues the expert -. Because it is the thing that any doctor will ask us, which in most cases we do not know or do not remember. And here is the list of medicines and of any important tests to undergo in case we have to resort to a health facility”.

Therapy in progress

Cricelli gives some examples. “If we have a treatment or therapy in progress, in the case of chronic pathologies (diabetic, hypertensive, heart patients with respiratory pathologies), it is essential that they be continued, therefore the medicines brought with them for the entire duration of the trip. Furthermore, it is necessary remember that you can also bring the dematerialized prescription, which is valid not only in the region where it is issued, but throughout the national territory. the Italian one, it is advisable to take out health insurance that protects us from the risk of not being able to cure the disease we are suffering from”.
It is no less important, according to Cricelli, when you reach a holiday destination, “to look not only for monuments and restaurants, but also for health care points, such as pharmacies, hospitals and emergency medical services”.

Car sickness nightmare

But the departure can be horrific from the start for those who suffer from travel, for those who suffer from travel sickness, which depends on excessive stimulation of the structures inside the ear that regulate balance. Depending on the case it can cause paleness, nausea with or without vomiting, cold sweats, hypersalivation and agitation. If you know you need to take medication, do it a few minutes before departure and not when the symptoms are already present. You can use anti-nausea bracelets, cuffs equipped with a rigid button that are positioned about three fingers below the wrist to “stimulate” a particular point which according to Chinese medicine is involved in the mechanisms that generate nausea. However, their effectiveness has not been demonstrated. There are those who find relief with ginger or homeopathy (but for both solutions there is no evidence of effectiveness).
If you choose medicines for the treatment of motion sickness (travel sickness), in pharmacies you will find various products (Travelgum, Xamamina, Valontan, Lomarin, Novago) all containing dimenhydrinate, an old generation antihistamine whose antiemetic action (against nausea and vomiting) is useful in case of seasickness, car, train or plane sickness. However, these solutions are not without side effects. The main one is drowsiness: to be avoided, therefore, if you drive

Finally on holiday. And as always the child gets sick

by Deborah Ameri

August 15, 2022

Ten tips to not get sick

Having said this, even if we are not chronic patients, and we are away from home for a while, it can happen that we are attacked by ailments (the most common) that would require a precautionary drug. So here’s some advice on “what to do in case of”.
1 – We repeat that it is good to remember to pack, before any additional medicine, an adequate supply of the medicines necessary for the therapies in progress and for one’s own chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma. Those who are allergic do not forget the antihistamine, just as those who are subject to gastric disorders should have an antispasmodic and a gastroprotector with them.
2 – It is useful for everyone to have an antipyretic such as paracetamol or acetylsalicylic acid with them (not to be used, however, if there is a risk of haemorrhagic fever in the living area), a painkiller, a broad spectrum antibiotic (to be used only in case of actual need on the advice of the doctor), an anti-diarrhoeal and an anti-inflammatory eye drop.
3 – A cortisone cream can be used in case of insect bites, together with repellents, but also sunscreen products, a pair of sunglasses and a hat.
4 – For long journeys by plane, especially if you are no longer young and suffer from some circulatory problems, it is advisable to wear compression stockings.
5 – For those planning to climb to high altitudes, the prescription of a medicine against altitude sickness and some useful aids in the event of minor injuries, such as elastic bandages and a self-adhesive bandage, should be evaluated with your doctor.
6 – A melatonin-based supplement can help overcome disturbances related to the changing time zone, while the use of an ad hoc anxiolytic in case of fear of flying should be evaluated with the doctor.
7 – A small kit supplied with disinfectant, plasters, tweezers, cotton, scissors and hydrogen peroxide is useful for any destination.
8 – It must be remembered that medicines, even habitual ones, should never be separated from their leaflet, whose consultation at the time of need can prove to be fundamental.
9 – It is necessary to evaluate one’s vaccination coverage in time: in addition to the specific vaccinations that must be considered based on the destination and the period of travel, everyone should have updated protection against diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis which must be carried out every 10 years.
10 – If you develop a fever after returning from a country with a malaria risk, you should go to the doctor within 24 hours.

Calm and safe on holiday, here are the medicines to take with you

by Donatella Zorzetto

02 August 2022

Advisory Service

In any case, a consultancy service is provided, launched by the Italian Diagnostic Center, telephone consultancy dedicated to travel medicine, which aims to answer travelers’ doubts about prophylaxis, vaccinations and medicines to pack: from Monday to Sunday , from 17 to 21, just call 02.78637304 to compare the cost of a phone call with a Cdi specialist and get the information you need to travel safely.