Travelling has become easier than it has ever been, however with this increased freedom, comes additional responsibility. When you travel, particularly abroad, it's important to take all the necessary precautions beforehand to ensure that you don't have to deal with a health emergency. There are many different factors to take into consideration when doing your planning, such as where you are travelling to, for how long and what sort of activities you will be taking part in when you are there.
Some of the most common illnesses that affect travellers include travellers' diarrhoea, jet lag, malaria, altitude sickness and motion sickness, for which many medications exist that can be ordered online from 121doc. These treatments include the malaria medications Doxycycline, Malarone and Palurine & Avloclor; the Travellers' Diarrhoea pack; the Jet Lag Treatment Pack; travel sickness medications such as Kwells or Scopoderm and a treatment to prevent altitude sickness.
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The easiest way to define jet lag is the feeling of fatigue and confusion experienced after a long aeroplane journey. This sensation is usually enhanced when the journey has crossed many time zones, leaving the body unable to adjust....
While malaria is not transmitted in the UK, it is widespread in many tropical and subtropical countries. Every year, roughly 1,500 British tourists return to the UK with malaria. This risk can be minimised by the correct usage of antimalarial...
Altitude sickness can be a serious condition caused by ascending from high altitudes without acclimatisation. Altitude sickness isn't to be taken lightly with seven altitude related deaths in Nepal alone every year – all of which are...
Travellers' diarrhoea is an umbrella term used to describe stomach upsets in travellers. Usually occurring within the first few weeks of foreign travel, it is typically caused by certain parasites, bacteria and viruses in local food and water...
Travel sickness, also called motion sickness, is a common condition that may affect you when you travel long distances by car, boat, plane or train. While it is not a serious illness, it can cause unpleasant symptoms including dizziness, nausea...
Every year thousands of British tourists return to the UK with malaria. This is largely due to the fact that they used their travel treatments incorrectly, took the wrong treatment for the region they were travelling to or didn't use any preventative medication at all.
Malaria is one of the most serious conditions that affect travellers and it is spread by the female anopheles mosquito. When a person is bitten, the malaria parasite is released into the body where it spreads, infecting healthy blood cells causing them to explode. The main aim of the malaria parasite is to reach the liver.
There are four types of malaria parasite that affect humans: plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium ovale, plasmodium malariae and plasmodium vivax. The most serious of the four is the plasmodium falciparum parasite and is also the one most commonly contracted.
Malaria symptoms are very similar to that of flu, which is why many don't realise they have it. Once a person has been infected with the parasite, it can still be treated and cured, but it's far better to prevent the initial infection from occurring.
Travellers' diarrhoea is a very common condition that affects travellers and it's most likely to affect you during the first two weeks of arriving in a new destination. It tends to be more common in countries where sanitation infrastructure is under developed, but sometimes you can contract it simply because your body isn't used to the different types of bacteria found in your new destination.
Traveller's diarrhoea is self-limiting in most instances and shouldn't be dangerous if it's contracted by a person in good health. However, dehydration is a potential risk, which can lead to serious complications. It's also very uncomfortable, especially since it causes symptoms such as nausea, diarrhoea and sickness, which is why having treatment in hand is a good idea. Buy the travellers' diarrhoea pack online with no need to visit your doctors.
Traveller's diarrhoea can be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites, but in most cases infections are bacterial in nature.
Jet lag is an often unavoidable consequence of travelling through a number of different time zones at speed. It's not a life-threatening condition, but it can make it difficult for you to adjust to your routine in your new destination. One of the most common symptoms is an inability to stay awake or fall asleep when you are required to, however you may also feel irritable and disorientated as a result.
Some travellers find the use of a melatonin-based medication helpful. Melatonin is a natural hormone that helps to stimulate the body so that it prepares for sleep, therefore allowing you to fall into your new routine with greater ease.
Travel or motion sickness is one of the most common conditions that affect people who need to travel long distances by boat, sea, air or train. It happens because the brain is receiving conflicting messages from the eyes and the vestibular system, the one perceiving movement while the other stability. This conflicting message results in the brain believing it's experiencing a hallucination because of poison and triggers the brain's nausea centres to remove the 'toxin', resulting in the signature feeling of sickness.
Luckily travel sickness can be prevented or relieved relatively quickly with a number of treatments, designed to prevent these conflicting messages from reaching the brain's nausea centres. Treatments available include Avomine, Kwells and Scopoderm patches. These treatments can be administered in a number of different ways, allowing you to find the most convenient treatment for you.
Altitude sickness is a serious condition that can result from ascending to high altitudes without acclimatising. The higher a person climbs above 1500m above sea level, the lower the oxygen content in the air. The most common symptoms include nausea, tiredness and shortness of breath, however it can lead to more serious complications that could eventually lead to death.
Acclimatising while climbing means resting at each new altitude to allow your body to adjust. This is the only way to really effectively minimise the risk of altitude sickness. However, some people use Diamox as an additional measure. Diamox can help prevent the symptoms of altitude sickness, but it's always advisable to go to a lower altitude or to allow your body to adjust when you start to notice any symptoms.
We understand that it can be a challenge to prepare for your travels, which is why we provide a service so that you can get all your travel treatments online. However, so that we can help you get the right medications based on your destination, current health and your planned activities, we ask all our patients to complete a quick and convenient online consultation form. This will be checked by our partner doctor who will issue a prescription for the treatment of your choice, if it's appropriate and have it sent directly from our pharmacy for free next day delivery. If you live in London you're also eligible for same day delivery and you may receive your order in as little as two hours.