Can’t Take a Doctor Along With You? Try Toting These Medical Guides Instead

People who resolve to stay healthy while traveling in 1999 can turn to a number of resources for help. Here is a selection of books devoted to staying healthy on the road, most of them small enough to tuck into a purse or briefcase.

Finding some of these at bookstores can be a challenge, so publishers’ telephone numbers are listed. All except the directory of physicians also are available on the Web at https://www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.

* The 1998 edition of the “International Travel Health Guide,” published by Travel Medicine, Inc. ($19.95), is the ninth such effort by Dr. Stuart Rose, a Massachusetts travel medicine specialist. In this edition, he enlists the help of two fellow experts, Dr. Jay Keystone of the University of Toronto and Dr. Phyllis Kozarsky of Emory University, as contributing editors.

Rose’s book has consistently proved to be one of the most complete and accurate travel health guides. In this edition, about half the volume is devoted to chapters on trip preparation and immunizations, motion sickness, jet lag, food and drink safety, insect-borne disease precautions, altitude sickness, travel health insurance, travel during pregnancy and long-haul business travel.

Included are useful resources such as World Wide Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the State Department, and toll-free numbers for travel health insurance companies and medical assistance sources, along with hotlines for timely information on such diseases as malaria.

The second half of the book has information on a country-by-country basis about entry requirements (visa, AIDS test, vaccinations, etc.), embassy addresses and health advisories for each locale.

The “International Travel Health Guide” is available from the publisher (telephone [800] TRAVMED), in bookstores and online.

* “The Doctor’s Guide to Protecting Your Health Before, During and After International Travel” is written by Dr. W. Robert Lange of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. The $9.95 paperback is geared to older travelers, but much of the information applies to younger readers as well.

In general, it’s dry but accurate reading, with information on vaccinations, food and water precautions and diarrhea remedies. But there’s some oddly offhand material here, too. In a discussion on safe food, for instance, Lange advises travelers abroad to “try a Chinese restaurant” if other eateries look questionable, stating that Chinese establishments “throughout most of the world” are generally well maintained and clean.

The book is available from Pilot Books, tel. (800) 79PILOT, or online.

* “Health Centers and Retreats,” a $16.95 paperback from John Muir Publications, delivers what its subtitle promises: “Healthy Getaways for Every Body and Budget.”

Author Jenifer Miller devoted two years to on-the-road research, and she offers one-page descriptions of more than 230 retreats across the country, organized by state. Readers thumbing through will find a variety of options, from pricey Canyon Ranch in Tucson, where a seven-night package during high season can cost more than $3,500, to the frugal Land of Medicine Buddha in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where group rates begin at $30 per day per person.

The “Index by Therapy Type” lists approaches ranging from ayurveda (based on ancient Indian healing practices) to relaxation skills and water therapies.

It can be ordered from the publisher, tel. (800) 888-7504, or online.

* Quirky but also practical is “Going Abroad: The Bathroom Survival Guide,” published in 1997 by Marlor Press. This 110-page illustrated paperback will fill you in on all you’ll need to know about answering nature’s call wherever you roam. Author Eva Newman explains, among other tidbits, what to expect with London’s street toilets and Paris bidets, along with a description of the toilet bus she found in Thailand.

Priced at $12.95, it’s available from the publisher, tel. (651) 484-4600, or online.

* Adventure travelers should pack “A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine” by Dr. Eric A. Weiss, an emergency room doctor at Stanford University Medical Center and former kayaking, rafting and mountaineering guide. The compact 198-page paperback was published in 1997 by Adventure Medical Kits. The handy index on the back cover reflects the thoroughness of the contents: allergic emergencies, first aid, insulin shock, hypothermia, vomiting, wounds, to name a few subjects covered.

The book is $6.95, available from amazon.com. For information about direct purchase, call (800) 324-3517.

* The 1999 edition of the “Directory of English-Speaking Doctors” is due out in March from the International Assn. for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT). Based in Lewiston, N.Y., IAMAT is a division of the Foundation for the Support of International Medical Training, Inc., a charitable organization that supports physician training. Inside the booklet are the names and phone numbers of doctors worldwide who have agreed to a set payment schedule, listed in U.S. dollars, for those using the directory. IAMAT checks the physicians’ credentials. They have not paid fees to be listed.

Copies of the directory are free, but donations are welcome: IAMAT, 417 Center St., Lewiston, NY 14092, tel. (716) 754-4883.

The Healthy Traveler appears on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.