What are We Doing About Health? …the details

Staying healthy can be a challenge no matter where you are.  Maintaining your health on the road presents it’s own unique challenges.  Here is the list of items we considered when looking at a year long trip.

Medicine Kit.
I have a friend who has used essential oils for years and now sells dōTERRA oils. She has many stories of times she and her family have used essential oils either topically or ingesting them to cure everything from diarrhea to achy muscles. So far I have peppermint, lemon and lavender. I think lavender will be useful to soothe bug bites and inhale for motion sickness, lemon added to honey to soothe sore throats and when used with peppermint, to cleanse our toothbrushes. Peppermint will be useful for upset tummies, mouth rinse when used with the lemon, and to soak our feet after a hot day. I am also planning to get Oregano essential oil, as it is a natural antibiotic and immune booster. My friend recommended the book Modern Essentials as a comprehensive, travel friendly guide to using essential oils.

We will try to eat yogurt in each place we stay to get the local good bacteria as well as take a daily probiotic. I anticipate one or all of us will get sick at one time or another but at least these things can help give us a fighting chance.

We are bringing a travel medical kit that is stocked with Band-Aids, ointments, pain medicine and such. We liked the kit itself because of the pockets and storage uses.

** update**
I ended up purchasing the Physicians Kit from dōTERRA. It came with a slew of digestive aids, immune boosters, sore muscle concoction and many more. I have been testing them out. I woke with a headache one morning and put a swipe of peppermint oil across my forehead and it took the headache away. I have used the muscle rub and that has also helped. I am becoming a believer. I purchased some liquid coconut oil to use as a base and plan to get a few small bottles to dilute the oil to use in ways that were recommended. Such as oregano oil diluted in the coconut oil to rub on our feet as a way to start boosting the immune system.

Travel Clinic:
We went to the travel clinic and had a 3-hour appointment with the travel physician. She spoke to us about travelers’ diarrhea, mosquito borne illnesses such as malaria and Dengue Fever, vaccines, and health clinics abroad. She gave us a list of travel references and a website to locate “Certified Travel Health” physicians around the world. Here is what we chose to do:
• Yellow Fever Vaccines for all (ouch, those are not so fun) many countries will not let you enter without it.
• Typhoid pills for me, Jacob, and Mackenzie (getting Mackenzie to take a pill for the first time is a whole other story. Not by best mommy moment)
Quinn got the Typhoid shot because of her age.
• Hepatitis A/B vaccine for me and Jacob. We will not have time to finish the Hep B vaccine (it is 3 shot series. Second shot a month after the first and the third 6 months after the second) in the US so we will figure that one out later.
• I had to update my TDap vaccine
• We were given prescriptions for an antibiotic, preventative malaria medication and medication if anyone shows signs of malaria.
• Japanese Encephalitis: we held off on this one for now. It will cost about $600 each if we get it in the US. Our travel doctor said if we wait till we get to Bangkok we can get it much cheaper there and it will be just as effective. We will need dental cleanings by then anyway so we will take care of that then too.

Health Insurance:
Jacob researched health insurance that will cover us in case of an emergency. It seems to have all kinds of bells and whistles. It covers everything from emergency evacuation to trip insurance including lost luggage insurance. He found it through World Nomads.

3 thoughts on “What are We Doing About Health? …the details

  1. Man, I didn’t know there were doctors (except surgeons) that would spend 3 hours with a patient! LOL. While I don’t lean on the oils too much, they’ve definitely worked wonders for me too. Sending my best wishes for good health! C’mon, Davis immune systems! Big money, no whammies! *spins the wheel*

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