My eldest daughter flew from London to Johannesburg this week on a B-747 that was full—three empty seats. She was moving to Botswana for a job internship, but, she thought, “Why are all these people going to Jo’burg?”

That was my thought exactly when my flight from Paris to one of India’s smaller, southern cities was also completely full on an ordinary day in March. If the airports are congested now, and the planes are packed, the FAA predicts it will be growing worse. By 2015, air traffic is expected to increase by 36 percent to one billion passengers annually.

Yipes! That’s a lot of people packed in like sardines in what feels like an incubator of germs. In fact, a study published in Environmental Science & Technology this week found airplane cabins to be test tubes for irritants. This study focused only on excess ozone entering cabins at higher altitudes and the hazardous compounds formed by the ozone reacting with chemicals in the cabin furnishings.

More Attention to Air quality in Planes is Needed
More studies need to be done on air quality in plane cabins and rules enforced uniformly. I have been on transcontinental (domestic) flights of five to six hours in which the majority of passengers were coughing or sneezing when we de-planed.

For overseas flights of 20 to 30 hours, it is especially important to prepare in order to stay well. These are trips that are exhausting under the best of circumstances (which would be by ocean liner, if I had a choice).

In-Flight Health Tips
If you’re scheduled for a trip and have a cold, cancel your flight if at all possible. A physician’s note can often waive penalties for a cancellation. (Of course, I recommend taking Homeopathic meds and knocking out a cold pronto, in any case. Nobody really has to suffer a cold.) Flying with a viral cold is risking ear drum injury. If you must go, certainly wear a medical mask to protect other passengers.

As the world becomes more crowded (and more of us are jammed into plane cabins) we should all become more comfortable wearing medical masks—as the East Asians already are. Medical masks should be standard gear on planes, with flight attendants offering them to passengers. For my respiratory health, I keep them handy in my purse, carry-on, and auto glove compartment and use them whenever needed.

For more leg room in coach class book your seat in an exit row. I’ve found I can still stow a bag under the seat in front to elevate my feet—very important for circulation on long trips.

Bring a large bottle of water and keep hydrating during the flight. Give up any alcohol before and during the flights—very dehydrating. Tea and coffee (caffeine) should be limited, too. Carry with yourself fruit and veggie snacks (especially US domestic flights) and other healthy foods.

Airplane seats couldn’t possibly be less ergonomic. Grab a blanket and pillow in the overheads as you walk to your seat (or bring your own) and prop your back so you’re supported—which helps respiration.

Exercise in that seat! The exercise film shown on overseas flights isn’t for your entertainment—DO IT! Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is caused by lower air pressure in cabins than we’re used to so our veins swell (can’t get your shoes on after a flight?). Blood clots can form and not even be known for weeks. This effects people of all ages and physical condition (U.S. Olympic athletes enroute to Australia suffered from DVT), and one in ten cases is fatal. I repeat—stretch out, get up and walk the aisles.

My secret defense on every flight is Young Living’s Oil of Thieves (inspired by England’s grave robbers’ formula to protect themselves from unimaginable diseases due to their occupation). Thieves Oil is always in my purse for use in crowds, especially aircraft. A couple of deep inhalations as everyone is settling in and again every few hours. Then a drop on my finger is spread on a mask if I hear any coughing or sneezing in the aircraft or, depending on how brave/stalwart I’m feeling, I’ll smear the drop on a shawl and drape it over my head. The scent of cloves and cinnamon is pleasant for all around me, too.

Keep hand lotion and lip balm handy and apply every few hours. The plane’s air has no moisture, and you can feel it. I also carry the homeopathic remedies I usually need for the first symptoms of viral colds.

Airlines will cut costs by using recycled air (germ tubes released!) instead of fresh air. When you’re at cruising altitude ask the attendant for “as much fresh air” as they can do because you’re having trouble breathing. (If you ask while still on the ground, they may ask you to de-plane due to poor health, so wait.)

Air quality in aircraft isn’t given the attention we all deserve. Noticeable toxins in the cabin are from fluid leaks, jet fuel, cabin furnishings, and at tropical destinations pesticides are sprayed in cabins over the passengers’ heads. Add to that the ozone, fumes, viruses—and take another whiff of Thieves!

My latest defense for travel is worn on a necklace chain around my neck, Q-Link.R Flight crews and professional golfers, who spend much of their lives on planes, are two professions who use this resonance technology to guard the body’s own energy field against the impact of the plane’s electrical circuits. Q-Link protects the wearer from electric fields caused by cell phones, computers, etc, in other words, our daily lives, but on planes we’re in an electronic/electrical cocoon!

Now with back supported, feet raised and plane socks on, well hydrated, hands and face moisturized, I wrap my scented travel shawl over my head to reduce cold air, bright lights and to inhale Thieves Oil—and try to nap (Melatonin may be necessary!)

Travel safely. We’re each an Experiment of One! Bon Voyage!

Salud,
Beverly Jensen, Ph.D.
President, www.WomensMedicineBowl.com