Whether you are travelling for work or pleasure, your wellbeing should be a top priority when visiting other countries, especially ones which may pose a risk to your long or short term health.
From the awkward to the painful, to the downright fatal, we’re taking a look at some of the most common medical problems one can encounter whilst abroad, and how to prevent or minimise the risks and symptoms.
Malaria
Widespread in subtropical and tropical countries, malaria is a parasitic infection stemming from the bite of a female mosquito. Symptoms can be varied, from high fever to vomiting, but if not picked up on and treated fast, the infection can quickly lead to death.
Unfortunately, for anyone hoping to travel to countries where malaria is found, such as Central and Southern America, areas of Africa and Asia, parts of the Middle East and some of the Pacific Islands, you cannot be vaccinated against it, but there are ways to protect yourself against catching the disease, and taking such simple precautions before and during your travels is crucial.
Before you travel, begin a course of Doxycycline, available from Click Pharmacy, being sure to first check with your doctor that you are safe to have them. It is recommended by the NHS that you begin taking this antibiotic two days prior to travelling, as well on each of the days that you are in a high risk area and then for another 4 weeks after you return. It is crucial to take the tablet at the same time each day and that you follow the instructions carefully to ensure you are fully protected.
Secondly, ensure that you pack items which will help you avoid being bitten in the first place, including:
- insecticide sprays for the rooms, your skin and your clothing,
- a mosquito net for night time protection
- loose clothing to stop mosquitos getting trapped within tight material against your skin
- vitamin B and garlic tablets to ward off the insects
Periods
Whether you are travelling in a country with poor sanitation facilities or you are planning a beach holiday with the girls and don’t want to be worrying about changing sanitary products every hour, it may be useful, on occasion, to have the option to delay your period.
Being able to delay your cycle by over two weeks if desired may sound like an impossibility but the hormone based medication Norethisterone can do just that. This medication contains a form of progesterone which stops your periods by helping to sustain the womb lining until treatment stops after which your period will begin as normal.
If you desire to delay your period before you travel, it is important to begin taking the medication from three days prior to your usual cycle starting, three times a day. You may then continue to take it for up to 17 days.
Nothing can ruin a holiday like having to worry about where the nearest toilet is or whether your sanitary product is working well enough, so it’s a relief to know that there is now a solution to this very common problem!
Migraines
Believed to be the result of abnormal activity in the brain, migraines can be a debilitating problem and can seriously affect your holiday. When we rest, as we tend to do on our breaks away, our body lowers its usual adrenalin levels required to keep us going in our day to day lives. Unfortunately, the result of this natural drop can act as a signal to the body to allow sickness and pain and, for some, this comes in the form of migraines.
Thankfully the product Sumatriptan, which is recommended and available at Click Pharmacy based on a prescription from your doctor, can help to ease the effects of an attack by reducing the swelling of the blood vessels in the brain which is believed to be the cause of a migraine. The reduction of the swelling can, in turn, ease the symptoms of an attack which includes headaches, nausea, dizziness, visual occurrences known as an aura or ‘blind spots’, and increased sensitivity to light and sound.
Taking a tablet as soon as you become aware of an attack can help you to feel back to normal more quickly than riding out the migraine without any medication or simply taking an ibuprofen.
For some, the worst part of a migraine is the grogginess which can last for several days after a migraine which is due to the unusual brain activity. Through the use of Sumatriptan you could help your body to not just fight the pain of a migraine faster but also reduce these longer term symptoms as well, and get you back to enjoying your holiday.
