Every traveler knows that there are many things to worry about when they embark on their next adventure. One of the biggest concerns is whether or not they will become ill. There are many legitimate issues surrounding the contraction of infectious diseases while traveling throughout foreign countries. The World Health Organization constantly track outbreaks of viruses, bacterial and parasites around the world that wreck havoc on our total physiology especially our digestive tract and immune system. Warnings are posted daily and zones are marked across regions where it is unsafe for unsuspecting travelers to visit. The most common ways to inform yourself about the latest global concerns for infectious diseases is to explore the internet for reputable information and/or visit a physician who specializes in travel medicine. For Canadians we can research our travel destination and risk of infection from foreign invaders by visiting one of the following website links.
Public Health Agency of Canada:
www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/index-eng.php
World Health Organization:
www.who.int/topics/infectious_diseases/en/
International Centre of Infectious Disease:
www.icid.com
Health Canada:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/hisp-psis/canadian-infectious/index-eng.php
Centre for Disease Control Traveler’s Health:
www.cdc.gov/travel
These are important websites that will provide you with the appropriate reference material but what can a globe trotter do to avoid exposure and potential infection. As previously mentioned the most common trend before embarking on an adventure is to make an appointment with a specialist in allopathic travel medicine and then follow their recommendations. These appointments can provide the patient with many different pieces of information. Some advice can be very helpful but most is either common sense or useless because the global medical community is one step behind the spread of disease. There are typically three different pieces of travel advice given including:
1) there is no risk so do nothing but practice safe hygiene,
2) there is a moderate risk so you should do this as well as this
3) there is a high risk of infection so either do not go there or take
every precaution necessary.
The information is never absolute and will vary from physician to physician. Typical precautionary rules will definitely include a list of pharmaceuticals consisting of a variety of vaccinations in conjunction with a wide array of prescription medications. Other safety procedures that are discussed are the enforcement of proper hygiene rules like washing of hands, the avoidance of eating or drinking potentially contaminated foods and liquids, practicing safe sex measures and limiting exposure to insects with bug repellent, bug nets and other deterrents.
After an appointment of this nature, two questions come to mind. What are my options if I do not want to subject myself to the ingestion of these impurities and chemicals, as well as what can I do if I do not follow these proposed risk prevention tactics and become infected? We must explore these different avenues because the more you travel, the more you realize that your overall risk is generally low (especially if you do not fall in the immunocompromised or immunosuppressed categories of our population) in most places and the more common medical practices are not completely effective.
This is a personal story of my latest visit to a travel medical clinic. First I filled out a questionnaire divulging my most up to date health history including my latest immunization record. Immediately it is recommended to get two of the most common vaccinations suggested are to prevent tetanus, and Hepatitis. If you have ever taken the three recommended TwinRx injections for Hepatitis, you are now considered to be 99.5% guaranteed to be protected from a Hepatitis A or B infection. This makes you feel invincible unless you happen to be part of the population that falls into the 0.5% risk category. Vaccinations are the medical communities greatest tool in prevention. Unfortunately science has not been able to produce a vaccination for all infectious diseases. Currently, there are none available to prevent Dengue fever which leaves you at complete risk regardless of all the precautions taken when traveling to areas where this is a potential risk. When dealing with Typhoid fever there are two options
1) injection which can last for about two years or
2) oral tablets that have been reported to last for up to five years.
The unfortunate thing about either option is that they are only 60% effective. For an individual to choose to expose themselves to such an impurity with such little assurance of protection seems a little troubling. The next recommendation is how to deal with the common case of travelers diarrhea. For this situation it is suggested that you take Azithromycin when needed along with Imodium to slow the digestive system down and reduce your chances of dehydration. Dehydration is definitely a major concern but do we really want the bacteria to stay inside our bodies and festering in our digestive tract to breed and spread its toxic secretions. Personally I would prefer to kill the bacteria or virus with a properly working immune system and use heavy rations of fluid (including some electrolytes) to prevent dehydration.
The last issue that was discussed involved the highest risk when traveling in rural asia. The mosquitos in these tropic places can carry many diseases including Malaria. The information I received from the appointment was that most of the known medications available to protect a human body from Malaria is out dated and probably would not be able to do anything against the new strains of the infection. With this piece of information to ponder, Malarone was the drug prescribed to assist in reducing the exposure. This drug is the only chemical that reportedly could potentially kill the malaria parasite in the blood stream. Its effectiveness is not well known though. According to the Centre for Disease Control if contracted the signs and symptoms of patients with malaria are fever, headache, chills vomiting, diarrhea and/or cough. More severe symptoms include: anemia, hypoglycemia, acidosis, renal failure, shock, hemolysis, and hyperparasitemia. Untreated Malaria can cause mental confusion, seizures, coma, kidney failure and/or death. Now we can compare these symptoms to the potential side effects from ingesting Malarone, the recommended prevention. It is possible for a person to experience any of the following: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headache. Now the dilemma begins, should someone take a medication which could produce ill effects to simply create piece of mind because you will never know if you are actually at risk or that the drug will actually work after you have used it. Another commonly prescribed anti-malarial drug found on the CDC’s website is called Mefloquine. Its side effects include: headache, nausea, dizziness, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, vivid dreams, and visual disturbance. On occasion it has been reported to have caused seizures, depression, and psychosis. This does not seem like a reasonable thing do to yourself.
A debate arises as to whether or not there other thoughts on how to prevent the contracture of an infectious disease while traveling and treat these harmful illness when affected. Dr Still believed that all remedies the body needs are contained internally. He said “A disturbed artery marks the beginning to an hour and a minute when disease begins to sow its seed of destruction in the human body. The rule of the artery must be absolute, universal and unobstructed, or disease will be the result.” The sole purpose of Osteopathy is to produce structural and functional harmony by removing obstructions to fluid and neural flow. This would suggest that continuous monitoring and maintaining the perfect cycles in the human body would guarantee the body’s ability to self heal and defend itself from foreign invaders. In JM Littljohn’s book called principles he states “germs can only find lodgement in your body that is in a weakened, or depleted condition, due to the perversion of function, followed by neurosis and malnutrition, all hyper-physiological stages.” Tasker reminds us that the necessary food from cell protoplasm is brought to us by blood and any disturbance changes the metabolism of the cell. This change produces a change in resistance because there begins a deficit between the removal of catabolic products and the renewal of material for anabolism.
Osteopaths have always believed in the additional things that promote optimal phyiscal health including exercise and proper dietary regimes that enhance chemical defenses. Here is a small list of things that could be done chemically to assist in boosting your immune system before traveling. After speaking with a Naturopathic doctor it was recommended to take a mushroom extract. Mushrooms have always been considered an advanced immune booster. Other beneficial practices are taking a quality multivitamins, Omega 3 oils, probiotics and other homeopathic remedies.
In addition to these chemical enhancers, receiving preventative Osteopathic treatments can remove adhesion or restrictions to arterial supply to all major organs and glands. It is also helpful in improving neural influence on these same structures. The third benefit of improving overall body function through Osteopathic adjustment is observing the benefit to the lymphatic system. This is our nature waste reservoir that when clear will assist with the clearance of natural metabolic byproducts but also bacterial or viral exposure. Osteopaths have stood strong in the face of the spread of infectious disease since its inception. There might not be an Osteopathy if Dr Still had not suffered at the hands of bacterial cerebral meningitis. Many of the original principles of Osteopathy were developed because Dr Still fought this gripping disease in the mid 1800’s. Additional examples of the osteopathic battle of infectious diseases can be found in the great epidemic of influenza in 1918. G.V. Webster describes how 1370 osteopathic physicians battled 49,611 cases of influenza, losing only 170 to death. This fact was so astounding that the Chicago Evening Post wrote “Certainly every broadminded physician will welcome the news that there is a more successful method of treating the flu than the one he has been using.”
Many Osteopaths wrote textbooks on how to treat a wide variety of infectious diseases that commonly affected the general population. Hazard describes malaria as a disease due to the activities of the hematozoon of Leveran. He discusses lesions in the splanchnic area disturbing sympathetic and vasomotion of the liver, spleen and kidneys. McConnell marked lesions at the 9th and 11th vertabrae while Dr Still drew attention to lesions in the first lumbar, the sacrum, splanchnics and cervical region. Dr Still would open the abdominal blood and keep bowels in an active state. Dr Still would stretch the spine and twist the trunk at the 4th dorsal vertebra. This was repeated at the 12th dorsal spine for the renal splanchnics. He would finish the treatment with direct pressure over the femoral arteries that last the length of one heart beat. He believed this would produce a sudden strong beat to overcome resistance and stimulating the system. Other treatment consisted of removing obstructions that produced chill, overcame inward congestion and equalized circulation. This would remove the fever and aid chief vaso-motor centres of the medulla. Dr Still claimed he rarely needed a second treatment. Dr Hazzard’s book provides great insight into the treatment of many other infectious diseases found in foreign tropical environments like: Typhoid, Dysentery, parasites, smallpox, scarlet fever to name a few.
References:
1) www.cdc.gov/malaria/resources/pdf/travelers.pdf
2) Still, Andrew Taylor. Osteopathy: Research and Practice. 1910. Bibliolife. Kirksville, MO.
3) Littlejohn, John Martin. Principles. 1907. 1st Ed printed and published by the Maidstone College of Osteopathy, 1984. Maidstone, UK.
4) Tasker, Dain L. Principles of Osteopathy. 4th Edition. 1916. http://www.mcmillinmedia.com/eamt/files/tasker/taskcont.htm.
5) Goetz, Eduard W. A Manual of Osteopathy. 1909. http://www.mcmillinmedia.com/eamt/files/goetz/goecont.htm.
6) http://products.mercola.com/mushroom-immune-support/
7) V.M.A van Erp and M Brands. Malaria and Homeopathic Remedies in Ghana. Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. http://homeopathyplus.com.au/malaria3.pdf. 1993.
8) Homeopathic Remedies for Malaria. http://www.onlymyhealth.com/homeopathic-remediesmalaria-1298540862. 2011
9) Webster, George V. Concerning Osteopathy. 1919. http://www.mcmillinmedia.com/eamt/files/webster1/webcont.html.
10) Hazzard, Charles. The Practice and Applied Therapeutics of Osteopathy. 1905. http://www.mcmillinmedia.com/eamt/files/hazzard1/Haz1CH20.htm.