Tag Archives: health

Welcome to Kimber Westmore, inventor of the PillMap a new and clever item to simplify life and travel. Read how the PillMap solves a problem for people taking multiple medications with a management system that easily updates as medications change. This could be a lifesaver!

Article by Kimber Westmore

PillMapTM – Don’t Fly Without it! 

Did you know that 43 percent of Americans take at least one prescription medication each day? Seventeen percent take at least three. And even people who pop as few pills as possible typically pack extra medication in anticipation of out-of-the-ordinary circumstances. For instance, you may not regularly take allergy meds but carry them as a precaution when traveling to a new city. Or, it may be a good idea to pack anti-nausea medication if you’re heading somewhere with an unfamiliar fare. With so much medication to manage, make sure you take extra care when it comes to packing and traveling with pills. The inexpensive, easy solution for managing medications on the road or at home is PillMapTM.

Flow chart pills to box PillMap

PillMap

Before Your Trip-Up Date Your Pillmap

  1. Gather all of your medications, including extras that are not part of your normal routine.
  2. For each med, add the generic name of the drug and purpose under the line on each cardboard card. For example, under Prodaxa (which is the manufacturer’s name), write “Dabigatran” and a description, such as “blood thinner.”) This will help in the event replacements are necessary if your travels take you to another country.
  3. Once you have completed the card, take a picture of the front and back of it to send to family members. This will help if they need to speak to doctors or pharmacists on your behalf in the event of an emergency.

The PillMap Speeds Up Travel

  • Speed things up at TSA. Up your game by presenting agents with a completed PillMapTM. TSA and Customs’ agents can use the card to cross-check any pills you might be carrying in baggies or pillboxes. Bring a list of your prescriptions, as well, to further speed the process.
  • Reduce stress. Travel often involves ever-changing time zones, demanding schedules, mentally draining meetings and even much-needed relaxation by the pool. All of these can lead to the perfect storm in terms of thoughtful medication mismanagement. Keep PillMapTM in your hotel room for easy reference.

About PillMapTM

PillMapTM takes the guesswork out of medication management. It is easily customizable to fit patient and caregiver needs, including maintaining consistency and safety in hand-offs between multiple caregivers. We’ve poured our learning and our care into PillMap™. We want you to put your time and your attention to the one you love, instead of pill bottles. Don’t take a chance with your loved one’s health. Order PillMapTM today.

Medications change? No problem. PillMapTM is easy to re-customize with new meds or routines. With a pocket for a visual sample pill to make sure the meds are correct, PillMapTM was designed for once-a-day meds or multiple medications throughout the day. You customize it to your needs! It is simple to use, highly affordable, and puts you in control.

PillMap Helps First Responders

During an emergency first responders and medical personnel need to know which medications a patient is on. Rest easy knowing you, or your loved one just need to hand over the PillMap to the first responder.

First responder using PillMap

 

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You’ve heard that you should take measures to prevent dvt in flight. You’re smart to think about preventing deep vein thrombosis or DVT in your legs during a long flight and dangers of a clot traveling and becoming a pulmonary embolism. Do you have an upcoming flight that is longer, and is there anything you can do to minimize your chances of getting a potentially life-threatening blot clot? Reduce your fears and chances of DVT with the following advice.

What is Deep Vein Thrombosis

DVT can be a life-threatening blood clot that develops in a leg vein and then travels through your bloodstream to your lungs causing a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism can block blood flow and be fatal. In general, the longer the flight, the greater the risk with flights lasting more than 8 hours posing the most risk.

Signs of potential DVT include:

swelling of the ankles and/or legs
extreme pain and usually only in one leg
worsening pain
the skin over the clot may feel warmer to the touch
the skin may turn a reddish or bluish color

Your symptoms will chiefly depend on the size of the clot in your leg. The symptoms may barely be noticeable if you only have a small clot or even not at all. If the clot is large you could experience extreme pain and leg swelling symptoms, or you might only have minor calf swelling without a lot of pain. If the clot is large, your entire leg could become swollen with extensive pain.

Some travelers will already be more predisposed to developing DVT. The risk factors include:

  • being over 50
  • being overweight
  • smoking
  • having varicose veins in your legs
  • undergoing hormone therapy
  • having a family history of DVT

Preventing DVT on a Plane

The good news is you have a few things you can do to ward off a DVT event when traveling. The idea is to keep your blood flowing and circulate the blood that can pool in your lower let back up through your body.

1. Exercise in your seat
The objective is to keep your blood circulating up from your legs while sitting for a prolonged period of time.  Therefore, a good habit to get in to is doing foot and leg exercises at your seat. A few exercises you can do is to stretch out your legs in front of you and turn your feet in a clockwise circle ten times and then ten times in a counterclockwise rotation. Another good exercise is to sit upright, lift your feet off the ground and run or pedal in place. Lastly, try pushing up your knees by leaving your toes on the ground and pushing up your heels.

2. Get up every hour
Walk the length of the plane or to the lavatory once every hour or an hour and a half if you can. This alone is why an aisle seat is the best seat as you won’t have to disturb your seatmates to get to the aisle. Walking will get the blood flowing. Also, try not to cross your legs which exerts pressure on the lower leg and may hamper the blood flow in that lower leg.

3. Stay hydrated
Drink plenty of water during your flight. It’s important that you stay well hydrated as dehydration can lead to thick blood that doesn’t move through the veins as easily as thin blood and can be more prone to clotting. Avoid coffee, soda, caffeinated tea and alcohol which all act like mild diuretics and therefore would add to your risk of dehydration.

4. Research if a supplement may be right for you
Taking an over-the-counter supplement can go a long way to preventing swelling and reducing leg pain.  The supplement is Pycnogenol. Pycnogenol is an herbal supplement and a registered trademark for an extract from the bark of the French maritime pine. Fred Pescatore, MD was interviewed by Bottom Line Personal and shared the results of a study that compared the antioxidant Pycnogenol to compression stockings (which aid with circulation) and a control group that did nothing special on a flight of over 8 hours and while sitting in economy.

Test results: Pycnogenol performed better than the stockings and the control group according to this study. Pycnogenol seems to make sense as a blood-clot preventive on long trips­—even long car rides. The test result showed that the pycnogenol group had the least leg/ankle swelling of the three groups and the least amount of pain. There were two incidents of thrombosis in the control group but none in the Pycnogenol or stocking groups.

Dr. Pescatore recommends taking 100 milligrams of Pycnogenol twice a day for one week before a long flight, on the day of the flight and for one week afterward. While Pycnogenol generally is considered safe with few side effects, as with any supplement, consult your physician to make sure that it’s right for you. For more information read the Bottom Line Article.

Another supplement formulated to help guard against DVT during flights longer than 6 hours is Flight Tabs. This formula includes pycnogenol and nattokinase to promote vein health. Each bottle is designed for one round trip flight.Flight tabs, prevent dvt in flight5. Compression stockings
If you can’t take pycnogenol or don’t wish to, consider wearing compression stockings designed for air travel on your next long flight. Compression stockings designed for women and compression stockings designed for men gently squeeze your legs to move blood up your legs. This helps prevent leg swelling and, to a lesser extent, blood clots. If you have varicose veins, spider veins, or have just had surgery, your health care provider may prescribe compression stockings. Compression stockings also help with aching and heavy feelings in the legs, swelling, preventing blood clots. If you’re a diabetic, discuss the use of compression stockings with your doctor. Knee-length stockings may be just as effective as thigh-length and are easier to wear.

compression stocking to prevent dvt in flightcompression stockings for men, prevent dvt in flight

6. Elevate your feet while in flight
Finally to help prevent dvt in flight, to relieve pressure on your thighs and to help elevate your feet use an airplane hammock style footrest. This style of in-flight footrest attaches to the arms of the tray table in front of you. When done elevating your legs the item folds ups small and light for placement in your carry-on bag.prevent dvt in flight with foot rest hammock

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Don’t let the fear of a medical emergency while traveling stop you from traveling. Prepare for an emergency or even a small health-related inconvenience and then begin packing your bag. You can fall sick, experience a minor injury, or have an accident anywhere in the world. It’s just easier if a medical emergency happens at home because you have quick and easy access to care at home.  Don’t let potential illness, injury or the thought of a medical emergency stop you from traveling. You just need to have a few contingency plans in place to deal with any illness or injury while you’re traveling. Here’s what you can do in advance of your trip for peace of mind.

How to Prepare for a Medical Emergency While Traveling
The simple preparations for a medical emergency abroad

  1. Always carry your ID, a credit card, and some cash Always have these essential items on you, even if you’re just going out for a walk or a quick trip. I ‘d add to that list your phone. As for your phone, you should have photos of various other health-related documents that could come in handy during a medical emergency. Have photos of your prescriptions, vaccination records and any information regarding implanted devices that may help you in case of a medical emergency. Plus having your phone makes it easier to communicate with travel companions or loved ones. This is where a travel money belt, anti-theft bag or waist pack comes in handy to carry your essentials.cash and cards help prepare for medical emergencies
  2. Pack a small first aid kit to deal with blisters, cuts,  and bug bites. Keep it in your day bag so you have it handy when you most likely need it. If you don’t want to make a kit from scratch you find some travel first aid kits here.  A few basic items you should consider for your emergency kits are band-aids in various sizes, an antiseptic cream like Neosporin, or anti-bug spray depending on your destination.First Aid kit for medical emergencies
  3. Pack over the counter medications in travel sizes so they don’t take up a lot of room in your bag. Anti-diarrhea, allergy meds and pain relievers, soothing eye drops and anti-itch remedies are the most common drugs you’ll need. Don’t wait to buy them in your destination country. They could be difficult to find in travel sizes and costlier too.
  4.  Bring a copy of any prescriptions you take and snap a photo of your prescription bottles in case of loss. Have a copy of your medical insurance card too.
  5. Know how to say you have a food/drug allergy or a medical condition in the language of your destination  Be sure you and your travel companion(s) know how to say you have an allergy in the language of the country you’re visiting. Have it written down or keep it handy on your phone if you can’t remember how to say it. Using your screenshot function or having a photo stored on your phone for this is extremely useful. Telling a waiter about a food allergy or a doctor about an allergy or implanted medical device could be life-saving.
  6. Local doctors or clinics are a good option for minor medical emergencies  Injuries like a sprain or an illness like the flu, seek out the help of a local doctor or clinic. Your hotel or a pharmacy clerk can help you find one. Use google translate to help describe symptoms if there is a language barrier.Minor medical emergency while traveling
  7. Check to see if the credit card you are traveling with provides any travel insurance benefits. Ask for a limit increase on your card before you leave on your trip. The increase could come in handy to cover emergency medical costs.
  8. Know what hospital to go to  If you think it is something worse or life-threatening get to a hospital immediately. Car accidents, heart attacks, strokes, gallbladder attacks can happen anywhere. Research prior to your trip which hospitals in the areas you are visiting cooperate with your insurance. If you haven’t done that ahead of time contact the US embassy. They can assist with wire transfers to pay for services, arranging airlifts if necessary and help with finding the medical care you may need. When our son went on a study abroad program, we made sure that he, the in-country program manager, and his host family knew of his peanut allergy and which of the 3 hospitals in the city he should be taken to for any medical emergency as dictated by his travel health insurance. Knowing where he would go in case of a medical emergency gave us peace of mind.
  9. Purchase travel insurance before you go. It’s worth it. Insurance coverage can vary by company so read the policy and talk with a company representative before selecting a travel insurance policy that will meet your needs. The travel insurance company may also have a preferred hospital or clinic in your destination, be sure to ask about it. If you have a significant underlying health condition or are uncomfortable about treatment for certain injuries or health issues ask the insurance provider about medical evacuation. Keep the information on your phone and keep it with your travel docs. Make sure your travel companions know where information is in addition to someone at home.
  10. Travel Insurance for medical emergencies
  11. Be prepared for medical emergencies – are your vaccinations up to date? If you hurt yourself you may be asked about tetanus. If you travel to areas where certain diseases not normally found in the US you may be asked about vaccinations for those too. This is a great transition to the next point for being prepared for a medical emergency while traveling.
  12. Visit a travel health doctor before you depart Do research about your intended destination at the CDC.gov. website. If you’re going to a location identified as having or prone to Zika, Malaria or Ebola Hepatitis outbreaks seek out a travel doctor to get the proper immunizations and advice for your destination.

Hopefully, you won’t need to take advantage of any of your medical emergency preparation. However, if you do experience a medical emergency while traveling you’ll be better off and less panicked that you did prepare.

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