With summer in full swing and vacations on the horizon, the last thing you want is to let an illness or injury to stop you from enjoying your hard-earned time away. By being prepared for your next trip, you can avoid common issues that can arise while on vacation: gastrointestinal upset, travel bugs, insomnia, nausea and indigestion. Below are 4 essentials to keep the whole family healthy on your next trip!

1) Avoid the Travel Bug with Probiotics

• No one wants to spend their vacation feeling ill from a travel bug. The chance of picking up gastrointestinal bugs increases on vacation with all of the new foods, environments and people we’re exposed to. Probiotics are essential to boost beneficial bacteria and ensure that the gut flora is equipped to ward off any gastrointestinal bugs we may come in contact with. Saccharomyces boulardii is a bacterial strain that has specifically been studied for the prevention of traveler’s diarrhea. Research has shown that those who took a boulardi supplement had significantly fewer instances of travel-related diarrhea.

2) Boost Your Immune System and Speed Wound Healing with Vitamin C

• Vitamin C is beneficial not only for its well-known immune-boosting effects, but also for its ability to speed wound and injury healing time. Our bodies are not able to make it’s their vitamin C, therefore, the only way to get enough is through diet or supplementation. Vitamin C is essential in collagen production which may be beneficial for injuries such as sprains, strains, or skin ruptures. Vitamin C also plays an important role in maintaining optimal immune cell function, helping to ward any infections you may pick up.

3) Catch Some Zzz’s With Melatonin + Valerian Root + GABA

• Sleep is a common concern while travelling, especially if you’re heading somewhere in a different time zone or you have trouble sleeping in new places. A product with a combination of Melatonin, Valerian Root and GABA may be beneficial. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that helps you sleep. Valerian is a plant that has sedative effects and can help with the release of GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps to relax the body and relieve anxiety. This combination of hormones, neurotransmitters and herbs can promote relaxation and make it easier to fall and stay asleep.

4) Double Hitter: Quell Nausea and Indigestion with Ginger

• If you get queasy on planes, trains or boats, ginger is a great supplement to pack with you. The active component in ginger is 6-gingerol, which acts as an anti-emetic and works to help quell nausea. Added bonus – ginger is anti-bacterial and can help with indigestion and upset stomach. Ginger supplements or ginger chews are great things to have on hand if nausea or indigestion hits.

References

 Bleichner G, Blehaut H, Mentec H, Moyse D. Saccharomyces boulardii prevents diarrhea in critically ill tube-fed patients. A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Intensive Care Med.  1997; 23:517-523.

Konmun, J., Danwilai, K., Ngamphaiboon, N., Sripanidkulchai, B., Sookprasert, A., & Subongkot, S. (2017). A phase II randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study of 6-gingerol as an anti-emetic in solid tumor patients receiving moderately to highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Medical Oncology, 34(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12032-017-0931-4

Melatonin. Monograph. Altern Med Rev. 2005 Dec;10(4):326-36.

Monograph. Valeriana officinalis. Altern Med Rev. 2004 Dec;9(4):438-41.

Pauling L. “The significance of the evidence about ascorbic acid and the common cold.” Proc Natl Acad SciUSA. 1971; 68:2678-2681.

Shaw, G., Lee-Barthel, A., Ross, M., Wang, B., & Baar, K. (2016). Vitamin C–enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. The American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 105(1), 136-143. http://dx.doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.116.138594

Originally posted at: https://drnibber.com/4-natural-travel-essentials-to-pack-for-your-next-vacation/ and used with permission.