From the travel medicine bag, tools to cure what ails you
March 12, 2006
A week before your trip to Mexico, the express mail van drops off a small package that might just save your vacation. You open it carefully and dial the number listed on the instruction sheet.
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Vacationers can make a splash without becoming a statistic
February 26, 2006
AT first glance, the vacation places predicted to be the most popular this year seem disparate. New York's on the list. So are Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Honolulu.
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Don't worry about the water; worry about the open road
February 12, 2006
DISEASES associated with travel — SARS, bird flu, malaria — grab most of the media attention and can trigger anxiety.
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A little sightseeing, a little face-lift
January 29, 2006
TWO years ago, Edson Martinez of North Hollywood needed a couple of wisdom teeth extracted. To save money, he found a dentist in Tijuana who charged $50 for the procedure.
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Dengue fever is on the rise as world health risks change
January 22, 2006
AVIAN flu is a worry, of course, if you are headed to Asia. But getting dengue fever is actually a bigger risk on the continent.
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Germ-zapping toothbrushes and other on-the-go gadgetry
January 1, 2006
OH, those little annoyances of traveling: Your contact lenses turn gritty halfway through your trip. Your ankles swell after sitting too long on a plane. Your toothbrush gets grimy after days on the road. You want a workout but there's no gym at your hotel.
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Work to get in shape now so it will all be downhill later
December 18, 2005
THE slopes are ready, but is your body?
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St. Paul or São Paulo? First-aid kit should fit your destination
December 4, 2005
SLOWLY but surely, we're catching on: Accidents and illnesses happen, even on the most idyllic vacation and even if you're so healthy that you brag you can eat anything anywhere. (More brag than fact: As many as half of all international travelers, or more than 10 million Americans, develop traveler's diarrhea each year, says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.)
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Stress is a given on vacation, so plan on it -- and then relax
November 20, 2005
IF you're dreading holiday air travel and all it entails — long lines, weather delays, stuffed-to-the-gills airplane cabins — just hope you're on a flight with someone like Barbara Lewis.
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Before you pop on over the border
November 13, 2005
WE Angelenos can skip across the border to Mexico almost as easily as we can drive from L.A. to Orange County. After all, when the traffic gods are smiling, you get to the border in three hours or so for the chance to bargain for silver jewelry in Tijuana, relax at a Baja resort or stretch out on the shoreline sands.
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Plan your trip, see your doc, get your shots, pack your bags
November 6, 2005
YOU'RE in great shape. You watch your diet and exercise, and you don't smoke or drink. Your itinerary is a little strenuous, but that's no big deal. Or is it?
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Feeling feverish after that trip abroad? Get thee to a doctor
October 23, 2005
YOU'VE been back for a few weeks from Vietnam, where you chilled out on the beaches, took in the sights and dined out in Ho Chi Minh City.
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Pay attention to ills that may be lurking at your destination
October 9, 2005
DENGUE fever has plunged Singapore into a health crisis, and public health officials worldwide are worried that avian flu will trigger a human influenza pandemic.
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Thinking of the unthinkable and guarding against injury
September 25, 2005
TRAGEDIES such as last year's Indian Ocean tsunami and this year's Hurricane Katrina have made travelers more realistic, say travel health industry experts, making them realize that illness, injury and tragedy can strike anywhere, anytime — even on vacation. As a result, more travelers are considering insurance before leaving home.
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Trips don't always do a body good, especially ears and eyes
September 11, 2005
WAIT for a ride on a New York subway, and as your train approaches your ears are blasted with 90 decibels of noise, loud enough to do permanent damage after a few minutes. A jet plane engine gives off 120 decibels at takeoff, about the same as a rock concert. Car racing fan? The din is likely to reach 130 decibels.
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When you're in the air, a little courtesy can go a long way
August 28, 2005
THE flight from LAX to Denver was minutes from takeoff when a blast of noise erupted across the aisle from me. A girl, about 5 years old, was watching a raucous cartoon on a cranked-up DVD player, without headphones.
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FAA has cleared portable oxygen concentrators for takeoff
August 14, 2005
FOR the more than 1 million Americans who have lung disease and depend on supplementary oxygen, there's now more freedom to move about the country.
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Don't like DEET repellents? Now you have other choices
July 17, 2005
THE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in spring expanded its list of approved insect repellents, giving travelers more choices in the battle against disease-carrying mosquitoes.
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Getting ready, shots and all, for the annual family vacation
May 8, 2005
The kids are counting down the days until they're off from school, and parents are busy planning the annual vacation.
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Squash that urge to see it all; vacation means time to relax
April 24, 2005
Workers in the U.S. take an average of 13 vacation days a year, according to the World Tourism Organization and a recent Expedia survey. The result: Many travelers cram way too many activities into too little time.
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Don't let Grandma's well-meaning pleas sabotage your diet
April 10, 2005
Eating healthfully while on the road has never been a bigger challenge. Airline meals are mostly a memory, not that they were always nutritious, and airplane snack boxes often contain cookies and candy. Once you get to your destination, you may be facing your company's five-course banquet or Grandma, who never met a carbohydrate or a fat gram she didn't want to share with you.
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Fliers try to keep colds at bay with remedies from A to zinc
March 27, 2005
David SANTORIELLO boards an airplane once a month for business but never without first swabbing his nose with Zicam, a zinc-based nasal gel, to ward off cold germs while aloft. "I don't think I've had a cold in three years," he says.
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U.S. testing has begun, but a SARS vaccine is years away
February 13, 2005
Just two years after the discovery of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, clinical trials for a vaccine are underway in the United States.
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Visits home pose risk of illness for some U.S. immigrants
January 30, 2005
When Los Angeles resident Elias Ferrer flew back to his native Philippines in 2001, he didn't take any precautions against malaria, though the disease is present in rural areas there.
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Secure a trip with health insurance
January 23, 2005
Buying travel health insurance before departure is low on many to-do lists, if it's on the list at all.
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Spread of malaria, dengue fever puts them at top of watch list
January 23, 2005
Avian flu and SARS made headlines last year, but malaria and dengue fever should be on travelers' radar for 2005, experts say.
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Eyes are a place to look for signs of newly acquired illness
January 9, 2005
The eyes are the window to the soul — and to a host of travel-related illnesses, according to a new report in a medical journal.
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Take a page from their adventure script -- use caution
December 26, 2004
A TV crew headed to Africa worried that it might be injured while filming elephants and other dangerous wildlife. Dr. Bradley Connor, a medical consultant for some members of the production, quickly put the risks into perspective.
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Viagra used to prevent pulmonary edema at high altitudes
December 12, 2004
In the beginning, it gave hope to older men trying to give their sexual performance a lift.
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To purify water, low-tech methods can be highly effective
November 28, 2004
If you're headed to a developing country or bound for adventures where bubbling streams beckon, use common sense and consider the latest in water disinfection.
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When bridging a language barrier can lengthen your life
November 14, 2004
For Eric and Sharon Zitaner, encountering a language barrier while traveling abroad this summer could have been more than inconvenient. It could have been life-threatening.
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Prevention and prompt attention are key to fighting malaria
October 31, 2004
The first effective vaccine against malaria made news earlier this month as scientists reported success in fighting the mosquito-borne illness that strikes 400 million people annually worldwide.
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Sick? Don't fly. But if you must, get prepped before takeoff
October 17, 2004
Your flight departs tomorrow, but your problems arrived today: Your nose is running, a temporary dental crown is hurting or your toddler has an ear infection.
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Stick to government websites for worldwide medical updates
August 22, 2004
Search on Google using the words "travel health information," and more than 9 million results come up. No wonder it's difficult for travelers to separate legitimate advice from worthless talk.
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Think twice before buying prescription drugs in Mexico
August 8, 2004
For many travelers crossing the border to Mexico, the lower prices of prescription drugs are just too tempting to resist, despite the recent imprisonment of U.S. citizens who bought drugs in Mexico and last month's warning from the Food and Drug Administration about counterfeit drugs in Mexico.
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Antibiotic tackles E. coli; exercise plan may lessen jet lag
July 25, 2004
Some news on two common ailments, traveler's diarrhea and jet lag:
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Researchers tackle motion sickness on land, sea and air
July 11, 2004
Our catamaran was headed to the Hawaiian island of Lanai last month, and the crew was on deck doling out warm cinnamon rolls. But my sister Maureen was more interested in my wrists.
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Heal thyself: Using the right antibiotic can save a vacation
June 13, 2004
Antibiotics can be your best friend, especially when infection or traveler's diarrhea strikes in the middle of a glorious vacation.
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Don't swim with the sharks -- or tangle with the jellyfish
May 30, 2004
Sharks get the headlines, but other sea creatures are statistically more likely to harm ocean-bound vacationers this summer, experts say.
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Mosquito-repelling products may keep West Nile virus at bay
May 16, 2004
Entomologists hesitate to predict how bad mosquitoes and other pests will be this season for travelers headed to national parks, the coasts or other areas where bugs can be plentiful. That's because the proliferation of the pesky pests depends on rainfall and other factors.
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Easy measures can keep fear of germs from becoming toxic
March 7, 2004
Some people have a healthy fear of germs, and then there are the neurotics for whom every doorknob, airplane pillow and hotel towel poses a health hazard.
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Lighter ship meals are now an option for the diet-conscious
February 22, 2004
If you think dinner aboard a cruise ship always starts with a martini, sails along with a meaty main dish swimming in heavy sauce and ends with death-by-chocolate cake for dessert, you may not know what you're missing.
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Which shots to get
February 1, 2004
When it comes to immunizations, travelers may have a world of misconceptions.
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Stay cool in the summer heat
August 24, 2003
Used to be travelers could head to Europe to find some relief from the summer heat, but not this year. Since the heat wave hit Britain and the Continent last month, temperatures have hovered near 100 and sometimes above in Britain, Spain, France, Italy and elsewhere. Hundreds of deaths have been blamed on the heat, and some experts predict no real relief until September.
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Hot Mineral Baths Foster Their Own Spring Fever
July 8, 2001
Summer travelers who love the water don't just gravitate to hotel swimming pools and the beach. Many also visit hot mineral springs at spas and resorts, where business booms in summer despite the heat. Those who visit the springs are hoping to relax, reduce stress and find other benefits.