19 Tips for Staying Healthy on a Tropical Vacation

Cold and ‘flu infection can be both prevented and treated with echinacea and vitamin C.

With the arrival of winter many of you may be planning a trip to a tropical destination in the sunny south. Along with the health benefits of sun and sea come potential health hazards faced by the travelling public. These include ‘traveler’s diarrhea’, ‘Montezuma's revenge’, H. Pylori infections, Giardia, along with other parasites and viral infections.

Westerners are often blissfully unaware of sanitation issues in the Tropics which can increase the risk of infection during a vacation. So it’s wise to check with your travel agent regarding any health warnings that may exist at your destination. Should you become ill, you may need to see doctors in foreign lands or even be admitted to hospital, so prevention with natural remedies could make a big difference to your health.

Most conventional doctors and travel clinics will recommend various vaccinations for tropical disease prevention, and some would even prescribe preventive antibiotics and drug treatments for emergency use. This article is not about any of those, but instead aims to provide sound information on natural preventive strategies that can offer you some peace of mind while travelling in the Tropics.

1. Wash Your Hands Often

It’s easy to pick up germs by touching shared spaces on trains, planes, in restaurants and cars. So it should go without saying that washing your hands often can prevent many infections. If a sink, water, and soap aren’t readily available then a natural hand sanitizer with tea tree oil as one of its main ingredients can be a good substitute. Travel-sized natural sanitizers are available from most health food stores and even pharmacies so get one before you travel.

2. Hydrate with Filtered Water

It’s easy to become dehydrated in a tropical climate so make sure to carry filtered drinking water throughout the day. Staying well hydrated is one of the best ways to prevent illness while on vacation. Avoid local tap water and use a thermos or glass bottled water.

If you have a tendency to sweat profusely or plan on playing sports or jogging use an electrolyte drink like coconut water to replenish adequate minerals. Avoid water bottled in plastic.

3. Avoid Sugar

Sugar comes in many forms. Consuming large amounts of sweets – especially from soft drinks and desserts – weakens the immune system and makes you more prone to sickness. Vacationers are famous for throwing caution to the wind, but try to keep your sugar intake down to prevent infections.

4. Be Careful with Fish and Seafood

Over many years I have cautioned people to avoid all fish and seafood due to its content of mercury and parasites. The worst offenders in this area are sushi (raw fish) and large fish like tuna. Bottom feeders like shrimp and lobsters are also best avoided.

Although mercury and parasites can be found in other contaminated foods like poorly cooked pork products, fish and seafood are the worst offenders. If you must eat them for social reasons, take some chlorella and selenium supplements to offset the mercury. And take a probiotic to guard against overgrowth of harmful microbes.

5. Cook or Peel Your Fruits and Vegetables

To prevent diarrhea caused by contaminated fruits and vegetables, it is best to cook or peel them before eating. This helps prevent the transmission of bacteria, fungi, and parasites which are linked to various gut infections. Washing them in tap water may not be enough to solve the problem. Instead, cooking your vegetables and peeling fruits like apples and bananas will offer the best protection against infection.

Needless to say, consumption of raw salads is not generally recommended in the Tropics.

COCONUTS ARE A VERSATILE, DELICIOUS AND INCREDIBLY HEALTHY TROPICAL TREAT

6. Take Probiotics

Shelf-stable probiotics (friendly bacteria) are available from most health food stores; start taking them a week before your travels to boost your microbiome. Then continue taking them daily once you get to your destination. Avoid buying probiotics that require refrigeration to maintain potency.

Taking a daily probiotic will help you to maintain normal bowel movements and prevent diarrhea caused by contaminated foods. Look for a high potency probiotic with 50 billion organisms that has at least 8 different strains. One good shelf-stable brand is NAKA.

As well, Bovine Colostrum can be effective as a remedy against traveller’s diarrhea, even though it’s not a probiotic. AOR makes a good brand of this supplement. I have found it to work well in most cases of diarrhea where the cause is unknown. Colostrum has immune boosting properties so it is also valuable as a preventive.

7. Consider Using Pancreatic Enzymes

Pancreatin is composed of natural pancreatic enzymes containing amylase, protease, and lipase. Its primary use is to aid digestion by breaking down protein, carbohydrate, and fat into a more easily digestible form. It is often recommended by natural health practitioners as a way of improving the absorption of important nutrients like zinc along with other vitamins and minerals.

The reason why pancreatic enzymes may be useful as a preventive for various tropical disease infections is because they can break down bacteria and parasites and render them unable to create infection symptoms. Not only do digestive enzymes like pancreatin help to reduce gas, bloating, and abdominal distress, they may also prevent illnesses caused by bacteria and parasites.

An excellent brand that I often recommend is Enhanced Digestive Enzymes by NAKA. Taking one or two of these enzyme capsules with meals in a foreign tropical country can really make a difference for your health.

8. Boost Your Immune System with Echinacea, Zinc, and Vitamin C

Over many years, people have told me they got colds or influenza shortly after flying to or from their vacation in Cuba or Mexico. I think this happens because travellers are in close contact with potentially infected people while clustered together onboard an airplane. Also, the air quality inside an airplane cabin tends to be poor.

Cold and ‘flu infection can be both prevented and treated with echinacea and vitamin C. You can start taking both supplements about a week before, during, and after the vacation to prevent sickness. Just about any brand of these two supplements will do but I usually recommend St. Francis Herb Farms, Natural Factors, and AOR.

Zinc bisglycinate by NAKA is also a great immune booster, or you can opt for zinc gluconate lozenges to both prevent and treat upper respiratory tract infections. Since most of these infections are thought to be viral, taking prescription antibiotics which work on bacteria only are simply a placebo that really does nothing to kill off viral invaders.

9. Get Enough Sleep

Inadequate sleep can make you vulnerable to infections. Most people who have sleep problems can benefit from taking supplements like melatonin before bed. It is also effective to prevent jet lag. Minerals that can be effective for improving sleep include magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium L-threonate or L-theanine. Take at least one of these along on your trip and avoid caffeine and alcohol as much as possible if you have a sleep problem.

Pack some chamomile tea bags and brew some tea with it at bedtime. It will help calm your nerves and improve sleep. Avoid chamomile if you are allergic to ragweed because they come from the same family of plants. Most tranquilizers and prescription sleeping pills will likely make you groggy the next day so they are best avoided.

Other strategies to improve sleep include getting some exercise throughout the day, having your evening meal earlier rather than later (4 hours before bed), and doing some deep breathing or meditation to calm the mind.

10. Use Curcumin if Needed

Curcumin is an extract of turmeric which has numerous benefits to offset fungi and other invasive microbes. Curcumin is also anti-inflammatory and is successfully used to treat arthritis and chronic pain conditions. One can also add turmeric powder to various dishes but since turmeric contains only 3% curcumin this would be a good preventive but not strong enough as a treatment. For fungal infections it’s best to use curcumin supplements as part of a treatment protocol, and not just turmeric.

11. Use Oil of Oregano to Prevent and Fight Infections

Oil of oregano is an immune-booster, natural antibiotic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic remedy that fights infections of almost all kinds. Combining oregano oil with curcumin is an excellent natural approach to heal acute infections. It’s best used early to catch an infection before it becomes unmanageable and requires a prescription antibiotic.

Oregano oil has a hot, spicy taste so if that irritates your mouth too much then mix a few drops of it with a teaspoon of olive oil so it’s better tolerated. Oregano oil can kill both good and bad bacteria so use a probiotic about two hours away from taking oregano oil. One can also purchase oregano oil in capsules to avoid the spicy taste altogethe

12. Consider Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal binds toxins and helps to flush them out of your body. If you develop digestive upsets from unwittingly eating contaminated food then charcoal can really be a good solution for relieving gas, bloating, and abdominal discomfort. It’s best taken at least two hours away from other supplements or medications you may be taking.

Activated charcoal can be purchased in most health food stores in pill form, or as a powder that can be added to a glass of water.

13. Use Ginger When Needed

If you are prone to nausea while travelling on an airplane or cruise ship, then bring some ginger root capsules or tea bags along for the ride. This helps to prevent nausea and vomiting from motion sickness. Ginger is safe to be used if you are pregnant so no need to worry. In fact, some women use it as an antidote to morning sickness.

Ginger is also a great anti-inflammatory for those who have arthritis pain. But avoid gingerale with its high sugar content and even the ones sweetened with aspartame

14. Sort Your Supplements in Ziploc Bags

If you need to take a lot of medications or natural supplements during your holiday, use a Ziploc bag to divide up the doses for each day to avoid the necessity of multiple bottles in your suitcase. If you are away for two weeks you will need about 14 bags, or more if you are away from home for longer periods. This may take some time to organize if you have a lot of medications and supplements but it will leave more room in the luggage for other things.

15. Use Natural Antihistamines and Anti-allergy Remedies

I have always found that a combination of vitamin C and quercetin works very well to relieve most food and airborne allergies. These supplements can be easily taken with every meal.

And black seed oil (Nigella Sativa), which comes either as a liquid or capsule, may be one remedy that works well to help reduce or even offset asthma attacks.

16. Use Wormwood for Malaria and Parasites

Artemisia annua (aka sweet wormwood) is an herbal remedy that became popular during the 2021 Covid-19 pandemic as an effective antiviral treatment. Some countries like Madagascar used it as an alternative to antiviral drugs.

Wormwood has antimalarial and antiparasitic activity without the side effects of prescription drugs. St. Francis Herb Farms has a liquid form of this supplement called Sweet Annie and there are also capsule versions available.

17. Try Honey for Coughs

Honey will work well to relieve most coughs in both children and adults and helps fight minor infections. Manuka honey is one type that has antibiotic properties and is available as chewable lozenges that can be easily packed in your suitcase in case of a cough or sore throat. Some brands are formulated with bee propolis, another natural antibiotic.

18. Apply Aloe Vera for Sunburns and Skin Irritation

Aloe vera gel is an effective remedy for minor sunburns and skin irritation from bug bites that might occur in the tropics. Not only does it relieve the pain of a sunburn but it also speeds the healing of damaged skin.

19. Make Hydrogen Peroxide Your Ally (Note from the Editor)

Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent disinfectant. A small spray bottle of 3% H2O2 can be carried in purse or pocket and used to disinfect hands, door handles, toilet seats, etc. when you’re in a hurry. For more information on this product, see References.

Check with your natural health practitioner for travel advice in your situation. Have a wonderful time in the Tropics.

REFERENCES

• 15 Tricks for How to Avoid Getting Sick While Traveling: https://www.halfhalftravel.com/travel-advice/avoid-getting-sick-when-traveling.html
• Staying Healthy While Traveling – Natural Preventions and Cures: https://www.theprofessionalhobo.com/staying-healthy-while-traveling-natural-preventions-and-cures/
• Natural-Product-Based Solutions for Tropical Infectious Diseases: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8673330/
• 15 natural remedies to keep in your travel kit: https://we3travel.com/travel-kit-must-have-natural-remedies/
• Benefits of pancreatic enzymes: https://draxe.com/nutrition/pancreatic-enzymes/
• Black seed oil (Nigella Sativa) for asthma: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6111118/
• More on hydrogen peroxide (see item 7 on this list): https://vitalitymagazine.com/article/my-top-8-ways-to-keep-well-during-the-pandemic-and-you-can-too/