Health and Fitness
Health and Vaccinations
Travel Medicine is not our area of expertise, but we believe it is very important to get the right advice and preparation to ensure you have a successful journey Many adventure destinations expose people to unfamiliar environments. These risks are easily managed provided you have up to date pre - departure health information and maybe even immunisations, and a travellers medical kit.
We strongly recommend all our clients seek EXPERT advice about the best way to safeguard their health while away. These days there are specialised Travel Medicine Doctors that are familiar with the exact risks in the various countries, regions and itineraries etc and how to best manage those risks. For example: ...Did you know that new research has shown that the best way to deal with travellers diarrhoea is to take a special antibiotic. Which antibiotic depends on where in the world you are visiting. If your GP does not have a special interest in travel medicine you will get much more up to date advice from a doctor with more knowledge in that area. Also some destinations require Yellow Fever vaccination which is not given by GP's.
Ideally you should seek advice at least 6-8 weeks before departure, to allow adequate time for courses of vaccines, for vaccines to take effect, and for any side effects to subside, and to test any medications you may need before departure. Good organisation skills are essential to the modern women, and organising your health is no exception. Google is a great tool, but the best way to get good advice is to consult a travel medicine doctor in person not to trust lists off the internet.
Yellow Fever vaccine information - includes maps of where the disease occurs - www.yellowfever.com.au
Here is a wonderful resource - Dr Debs Travel Medicine Centre
An excellent source for expert independent travel medicine providers around Australia, the Travel Medicine Alliance.
Another very good resource is The Travel Doctor TMVC, Here is a link to their web page: The Travel Doctor
Fitness
Our adventure holidays do require a basic level of fitness where you are required to carry your pack on and off trains and buses, up hotel steps, etc.
Your itinerary may include activities such as treks of 3 to 4 hours per day carrying a day pack in hilly terrain, flat water kayaking or a day's bike ride, in conditions which are likely to be hot and muggy. You will raise your heart rate on these trips, so a basic level of aerobic fitness is required.
With trekking, the key is ENDURANCE ( a term which means " the ability to perform over long periods of time resisting fatigue). ENDURANCE TRAINING then would require that the client exercise (walking on a treadmill on a gradient of at least 3.0 or using a stepper or cross trainer or even outdoors using flights of stairs) for a minimum of 20 mins in any given session but building each time to go for longer and longer until up to an hour is achieved.
Other strength exercises such as squats and lunges for the legs, deadlifts or back extensions and other core work are also advisable to help guard the body against injury from unusual / unaccustomed loading patterns but usually a trainer would be required to oversee such exercises unless the client is already an experienced exerciser.
This information is courtesy of: Mickie du Boulay (Freelance Personal Trainer / Group Exercise Instructor) Ph: 0422 027096
Trekking At Altitude
To maximise the experience naturally some forward planning and preparation are necessary for ultimate enjoyment. The pleasures of trekking in the world's highest mountains cannot be underestimated. Neither can the dangers as inadequate levels of fitness and underestimating the risk of mountain sickness may spoil what should be an exhilarating journey.
Most experienced trekkers will be aware of the pitfalls of poor preparation and inadequate or poorly maintained equipment. For the purposes of this article I will be concentrating on individual fitness levels and reference to medications for altitude illness.
For people of very basic or novice fitness at least three months should be devoted to building endurance and strength. Walking volumes should be gradually increased over many weeks by increasing distances by about 10% each week from a comfortable starting point for the individual. Naturally any pre-existing medical conditions necessitate a clearance from one's personal physician. Rest days are essential in any fitness programme in order for the body to recover from a progressive overload.
As cardiovascular fitness improves strength work comes into play and a visit to a gym to see a personal trainer to learn some lower body strength work is advised. These may be quite simple such as lunges, step ups and stair repeats as well as some stretching routines. Supervision is encouraged initially to learn correct technique and avoid any injury that may delay progress. Aim for peak fitness about two weeks prior to the trek so that a tapering phase is introduced as it is important not to be in a recovery phase while departing on the journey. Hydration and nutrition issues are also important so it is advisable to incorporate the same nutrition and fluid regime on training days that you will experience on the actual trek to make sure that you are used to the various foods and fluids. experiment with various items that will be available at your destination. Attention to physical fitness preparation will lessen the risk of injury while trekking, and heighten the pleasure of the experience and improve recovery ability.
Acute mountain illness occurs commonly at altitudes above 3000 metres and causes severe headaches, exhaustion and shortness of breadth. More serious consequences are pulmonary and cerebral oedema (fluid in the lung and brain).
Several drugs are available to combat and lessen the symptoms ...
Diamox is a sulpha based drug and allows you to breathe deeper and faster and especially helpful at night. Naturally it cannot be taken be taken by those with a sulpha allergy and can cause tingling and alters the taste of beer and other carbonated drinks. It can also cause peripheral tingling.
Dexamethasone is a steroid drug that decreases brain and other swelling, reversing the effects of mountain sickness.
Nifedipine is a popular blood pressure drug that decreases pulmonary artery pressure thus preventing pulmonary oedema (fluid on the lungs). Believe it or not Viagra works in a very similar way and is possibly more effective but the cost can be prohibitive as it has to be taken three times per day!
Other alternative or natural remedies such has Ginko Biloba are still controversial as to their effectiveness.
Hydration is also a key issue at altitude as is keeping warm and packing appropriately is essential to avoid hypothermia. "Climb high and sleep low" is the mantra of climbers and most treks are designed to follow these principals. Tobacco and alcohol also exacerbate the symptoms of mountain sickness. Diet should consist of a roughly 70% carbohydrate content at altitude. For more detailed personal advice re altitude medical issues consultation with a physician experienced in mountain medicine is advised.
... prepared by Dr. Cormac Carey Travel Medicine Alliance Toowoomba, QLD
