turaj

family sitting right behind us all coughing and sneezing and little attempt to use proper cautions to avoid spreading it....have any of you used some of the products claiming to help this situation? I wished I had had a mask but did not have one with me!!! Airlines should maybe provide them? The proximity in this case combined with my immune system which must not have been good was toxic. Any recommendations will be welcome.

CarolA

Airborne had to pay out on a lawsuit because thier claims had NO backing.

Dayenu

Airborne is just vitamin C with some other additives. Use large doze, start with 250 mg 3-4 days before the flight, 1,000 on the day of the flight.

EricH

The original advertising for Airborne said that it was "invented by a teacher." If that was the most convincing claim they could make, you know it's worthless.

Seamus

As a wise man once observed, the nice thing about the placebo effect is that it is an effect.

suze

I think carrying your own mask would be the most effective. Also using hand sanitizer and wipe down your seat arms & tray table with antibacterial wipes. Emergen-C or Airborne are OK but they are just vitamins.

gail

Masks are designed to keep germs IN, not OUT. If you bring a mask, it is only going to work if you could get the infected people to wear them. You would just end up looking silly with no real effect.

Cold viruses are most effectively spread by contact with mucous membranes rather than inhaled - so you were more likely to puave picked up some virus by touching something contaminated and then touching your mouth, eyes, etc.

patandhank

I once showed a pharmacist the label of Airborne and even he didn't recognize some of the ingredients! As for one of the ingredents -I can't remember which one- he did comment he was familar with it and it was known to cause problems with people who had heart or high blood pressure issues. I agree on the anticacterial wipes

CarolA

I always wonder...

If you wear a mask do you not eat or drink during the flight? Because it would seem to me that if you do, you have to take the mask off and the 'benefit' (if any) is gone.

I travel weekly and have had about one cold in the past six months so... I am never sure of the cause and effect that folks claim about air travel and illness.

CarolA

(Forgot to add... I have NEVER even considered traveling with "wipes" to clean up the plane, my hotel room etc...)

dutyfree

People who wear masks on my flights and then lift them up to eat and drink look stupid! The best thing before you fly is to make sure you are properly hydrated;saline solution gel in your nose to keep your passages moist(sold at Walmart and Target),make sure that you are rested and take your various vitamins.

Dukey

First, we heard more than a FEW "trusted" posters here who swore by Airborne..I remember reading the rather preposterous claims about how it was a miracle drug or close to it (Quick, call the Mayo Brothers) and more than a few of us knew it was nothing more than scam and then the big lawsuit.

Now, think about THIS:

YOU are on a plane; a BUNCH or even ONE (person) people WEARING MASKS get(s) on and sits directly across from or behind you..feeling a little nervous yet?

I'm sorry but the OP's claim about the "toxicity" of the situation as well as the PRESUMPTIONS about immune systems are NOT helpful.. Furthermore we are not trold exactly WHAT this "sickness" that came on "right after a plane trip" consists of.

If it was some sort of URI (upper respiratory infection) those germs are more often than not spread hand to hand and from contaminated surfaces such as in bathrooms.

Sorry, but IMO this kind of post is not helpful

suze

well I often get sick after flights, so I was interested to read any ideas people might have to help prevent it from happening.

travelgourmet

well I often get sick after flights, so I was interested to read any ideas people might have to help prevent it from happening.

Well, you could always not fly...

Seriously, though, at the end of the day, there isn't a whole lot you can do. There is no miracle cure and the close proximity to lots of people, combined with the toll flying takes on your body isn't exactly a recipe for healthy living. Certainly, taking a couple of vitamins isn't going to make a drastic difference.

AnthonyGA

People get sick after flights because they are going to different places, and they are being exposed to viruses that they haven't previously encountered. It's as simple as that.

The common cold, for example, can be caused by more than 100 different viruses. When you are infected by a cold virus, you develop a cold, and then you become immune to the virus. If you're exposed to it again, you don't get sick. However, if you're exposed to a different cold virus, you'll get sick again.

When you travel, you encounter cold viruses that are different from the ones that you've encountered at home. Thus, you get exposed to viruses for which you have no immunity. And so you often end up with a cold shortly after traveling somewhere.

It has nothing to do with the airplane. The airplane just takes you to a place with new viruses. It doesn't infect you itself.

As for Airborne, whatever effect it actually has probably just comes from the vitamin C it contains. You can just take vitamin C instead and you'll likely get the same results (if any—although I find that heavy doses of vitamin C do seem to help a bit with colds). I've always been amused by the claim that Airborne was "invented by a schoolteacher" … as if that were a good thing! What do schoolteachers know about medicine?

Maggi

While the hand washing and not touching your eyes, ears or nose are good suggestions, the best way to keep from getting sick is to keep your immune system strong. I do that by getting enough rest, staying calm (stress really does a number on your immune system), and I take a regimen of vitamins, including 1000 vitamin C, daily without fail. I am an accompanist and have people singing over me at the piano all the time and (knock on wood) never get sick, even when the rest of the cast has the same cold.

ympepe

I am always healthy and only get sick after a plane trip. I wear a mask and don't give a darn about how I look or what others think.
The sickness comes on within a week after the trip and eventually goes to bronchitis and then pneumonia, if not treated. Airlines are guilty of not changing air filters often enough and have had a few conversations with the FAA who denied this and then have seen articles when this situation was admitted.

AnthonyGA

A strong immune system won't protect you from colds, because the symptoms of a cold are caused by ... a strong immune system.

Cold symptoms are mostly symptoms produced by the immune system as it responds to the invasion by the cold virus. A strong immune response to the virus just makes the symptoms worse. Ironically, someone with a weak immune system might not have cold symptoms at all. Once you've been exposed to a specific virus and have developed immunity, though, you won't have symptoms if exposed to that specific virus again.

Other diseases, such as the flu, cause symptoms directly, rather than indirectly, and for these diseases, a strong immune system reduces the symptoms of the illness.

AnthonyGA

I forgot to mention: Masks won't stop viruses, although they reduce the chances of catching them.

And filters do not diminish in efficiency if they are not changed. In fact, the more clogged they are, the more germs they stop, as long as they aren't leaking. The reason for changing filters is that dirty filters greatly reduce airflow. But dirty filters still filter quite well. The filter material used on airplanes is much finer than the material in masks, and it's hermetically sealed, so it stops germs better than a mask.

ympepe

AnthonyGA - It seems there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves. However, I feel better wearing one and the only time recently I got sick was when I did not put it on flying home from Puerto Rico in Dec. Just have to take our chances and continue to see the world.