Stress is one of the biggest causes for almost all chronic health issues (92% last I heard)!

As a result, the main theme throughout my Travel Balance program (presentations, workshops and one-on-one coaching) is stress reduction!

There are so many things that we can’t control on our trip (delays, sitting next to someone that is sick, security, cancellations…)…but…we DO have the ability to make many healthier choices IF we know what they are!! 

We all know that stress can affect us, causing headaches, anxiety, insomnia, and other health problems. In fact, Jon Barron has been discussing the mind-body link for many years, explaining how our mental state can be our physical undoing in a chapter in his book Lessons from the Miracle Doctors called The Thought that Kills. And now, new research provides further evidence that stress can be extraordinarily harmful, resulting in serious damage to the immune system.

The study, which was conducted at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, found that people who experience considerable stress may have a greater likelihood of developing an autoimmune disorder.1 These results were based on an extensive assessment of the medical records of men and women residing in Sweden between 1981 and 2013. The subjects were 106,464 adults who had sought treatment for a stress-related psychiatric problem, and the control groups were 126,652 of their siblings and more than one million unrelated individuals, none of whom were experiencing a stress-induced disorder.

Among the participants with stress-related issues, who had an average age of psychiatric disorder diagnosis of 41, the likelihood of 41 kinds of autoimmune diseases occurring was much greater than that of their peers or siblings with no psychiatric history. Certain psychiatric diagnoses were associated with a significantly higher risk of autoimmune dysfunction than others, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers facing an increased chance of developing more than one autoimmune disorder, including celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

In addition, some types of autoimmune diseases were more closely correlated to high stress levels in the subjects than others. For instance, the risk for celiac disease was greater than that of rheumatoid arthritis.

While the study was not designed to prove that mental stress directly results in the development of autoimmune diseases, it did show a strong association between the two. Similar links have been found in earlier research, such as a 2015 study at the University of California, San Francisco that determined a connection in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who had been diagnosed with PTSD and greater rates of autoimmune diseases.2

Plus, although we do not know everything about how stress affects the body, we do understand enough to be certain that it takes a damaging toll over time. Prolonged stress raises the body’s cortisol levels. This hormone is associated with a number of problems, such as weight gain, elevated blood pressure, memory difficulties, and impaired immune function. Cortisol helps regulate inflammation throughout the body, so when it is not functioning correctly, systemic inflammation can occur. Inflammation can contribute to or speed the progression of many conditions, ranging from the common cold to cancer.

On top of all that, chronic stress often translates to unhealthy behavioral changes. When you’re facing the serious illness or death of a loved one, potential job loss, or another major life stressor, it is likely that you are losing sleep, you might slack on your exercise routine, and you may not be as conscientious about what you eat. All of these factors can also make a difference over time, and possibly help set the stage for an autoimmune disease as well.

So, what can you do to protect yourself? Since there is no way to avoid having stress in your life, your best protection is to learn ways to cope with it and insulate yourself as much as possible from its effects. That means living the kind of lifestyle that helps you optimize your health both mentally and physically all the time so that, when a stressor arises, your immune system doesn’t start to go haywire. There are also lots of natural methods of stress reduction that are effective. Eating blueberries, using a supplement that contains herbs such as Valerian root, Kava Kava, and ashwagandha, as well as nutraceuticals such as L-theanine, not to mention meditating daily and getting regular physical activity are all great ways to ease stress and lessen the damage it can do to you.

[button link=”https://www.jonbarron.org/immunity/toll-stress-your-immune-system” newwindow=”yes”] From Jon Barron[/button]

• 1.Song, Huan; et al. “Association of Stress-Related Disorders With Subsequent Autoimmune Disease.” JAMA. 19 June 2018. Accessed 23 June 2018. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2685155.
• 2.O’Donovan, Aoife; et al. “Elevated Risk for Autoimmune Disorders in Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Biological Psychiatry. 15 February 2015. Accessed 24 June 2018. https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(14)00457-0/fulltext.

Even if you are not a flight attendant, frequent business travelers are exposed to quite a bit of radiation, beginning at the security checkpoint.

One of the keys to Travel Balance is reducing stressors on the body wherever possible. While we can’t stop the stress of radiation from flying, there are supplements we can take that can help our bodies to deal with the impact at the cellular level. Potent antioxidants (like Vitamin C and other vitamin and herbal formulas) are effective as are the polyphenols in green tea.

Flight attendants are exposed to a number of known cancer-causing risks, but few studies have rigorously quantified that risk, and researchers say they are an understudied occupational group.

The Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study (FAHS), begun in 2007, addresses some of the gaps in understanding health risks among flight attendants. In the latest report, published in the journal Environmental Health, researchers found that flight attendants had higher rates of many cancers, including breast cancer and melanoma, compared to the general population.

The FAHS included more than 5,300 flight attendants who were recruited through online and mailed surveys, and given in person at airports. The flight attendants answered questions about their flight schedules, as well as any diagnoses of cancer. The researchers, led by Irina Mordukhovich, a research associate at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, then compared the responses to those from a matched group of people not in the airline profession from an ongoing national health survey.

Mordukhovich found higher prevalence of breast, melanoma, uterine, gastrointestinal, thyroid and cervical cancers among the flight attendants compared to the general public. The study also revealed for the first time a higher rate of non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, among flight attendants.

The prevalence of breast, melanoma and non-melanoma cancers were especially striking, says Mordukhovich. Flight attendants had a 51% higher prevalence of breast cancers, more than two-fold higher prevalence of melanoma and four-fold greater prevalence of non melanoma skin cancers, compared to people not in the profession.

“Flight attendants are considered a historically understudied occupational group, so there is a lot we don’t know about their health,” says Mordukhovich. “What we do know for sure is the exposures that both pilots and flight attendants have—the main one being high radiation levels because of cosmic radiation at altitude.” That exposure may not be concerning for people taking individual flights, but for people whose jobs involve flying, that risk may have a negative effect on their health, as the study results suggest.

While cosmic radiation originates in outer space, small amounts reach the earth, and greater chances of exposure occur at higher altitudes. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer determined that ionizing radiation, like that found in cosmic radiation, can contribute to cancer in people.

The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements reports that flight crews are exposed to the largest annual dose of radiation among U.S. radiation workers. But there are no limitations or regulations in the U.S. on how much exposure is safe for flight attendants. (Other radiation workers have certain occupational safety regulations in place to protect them from exposure and restrict risky exposure.) The European Union regulates flight attendant schedules and flying time of pregnant flight attendants to limit potentially dangerous exposures.

Flight attendants also have disrupted sleep schedules, since they frequently cross time zones and aren’t able to maintain a regular circadian wake-sleep cycle. Other studies have linked shift work and disrupted circadian clocks to higher risk of breast and prostate cancers, possibly due to a reduced ability of DNA to repair itself and the way circadian rhythm processes may be connected to immune function.

Mordukhovich says that the results need to be repeated by other groups to confirm the risk, but the data should raise concerns about the risk of cancer for flight attendants. (The risk for pilots may be similar, but this study focused specifically on flight attendants.) The Association of Flight Attendants did not provide comment in time for publication.

The findings are particularly worrisome considering that according to data the study collected, flight attendants are in many respects healthier than the general public. They are, for example, less likely to smoke or be overweight, and have lower rates of heart disease.

“The fact that we are seeing higher cancer rates in this study population is definitely striking,” she says. “We hope the study highlights issues about exposures that we know are problematic for flight attendants and pilots and aren’t currently being addressed. We have known carcinogens that flight crews are exposed to, and we’re hoping that this study allows people to start thinking about what should be done to implement protections.”

[button link=”https://www.yahoo.com/news/flight-attendants-higher-rates-many-000049225.html” newwindow=”yes”] From Yahoo[/button]

Detailed article on the risks of radiation from flying on airplanes…

If you travel a lot (ie several times per month), I’d highly recommend that you opt out of the scanner at the security checkpoint (option in the US) per the suggestion below.

Also, green tea has been shown to help your body balance extra radiation – so good to drink before and after your trip. I don’t recommend getting the hot water on the plane, as it typically comes from the water tank, which is not filtered.

I hate going through security at the airport and often opt out of scanning by those put-your-arms-over-your-head full-body x-ray machines. If you’ve ever opted out yourself, you know that the alternative to being radiated is to get a manual pat-down, which means that the security crew needs to call someone specially trained to perform manual screenings, and they’re rarely happy about the extra work involved. Many times, when I’ve opted out, I’ve received a lecture from the security person in attendance about how I was going to get a lot more radiation on my flight than I would being zapped for a few seconds in the machine.

Which raises the question, is that true, and if so, just how much radiation do we get when we fly? The fact is that when you’re in the air, you are indeed exposed to additional radiation. This is not a new concept. Jon Barron talked about it 20 years ago in the first edition of Lessons from the Miracle Doctors. The radiation comes from space—from earth’s magnetic fields, from solar flares, and from cosmic rays emitted by the stars. The radiation you get in-flight differs from what you get during a medical x-ray or an airport scan.1 Space radiation is heavily ionized, which means it can travel through matter and human tissue easily, knocking out the electrons, which can trigger changes to DNA and cell structure if the dose is high enough. When you’re on the ground the earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field give you plenty of protection from these natural energies, but when you’re in the air, that protection is lessened.2

The amount of space radiation you’re exposed in flight depends on flight length, how high you fly, and the latitude of your flight path.3 Also, if there are solar flares when you fly, you can get a much higher dose than otherwise. The earth’s magnetic shield is most powerful around the equator, so if your flight takes you along those tropical zones, you’ll experience less radiation exposure than if you fly closer to the earth’s poles. In fact, you’ll get about two to three times the dose of radiation if you fly a northern or southern route compared to a route close to the equator. Also, the higher the flight, the more radiation you’ll experience since the earth’s atmosphere offers decreasing amounts of protection as you get farther away from it. And of course, the longer the flight, the more radiation you’re exposed to.

Radiation intensity is measured in units called milliSieverts (mSv), which indicate both the amount of radiation and also the damage that dose will likely do to human tissue, since different types of radiation have different effects. Under normal circumstances, the average person gets about 6.2 mSv of total radiation exposure annually—keeping in mind that the recommended limit for the general public is under 1 mSv per year. That radiation is cumulative and can come from contaminated air, food, and water, from radon gas percolating up from the ground below (the largest single contributor), medical tests, proximity to power plants, and from cosmic radiation, since some does reach earth. You get about 2.28 mSv of radiation just from breathing the air around you. Those living at higher altitudes are exposed to about 1.5 mSv more cosmic radiation annually than those near sea level. And if you’re pregnant, experts advise limiting annual exposure to just 5.0 mSv.

On top of the natural radiation you’re subject to, you may get occupational or medical exposure. If you have a chest x-ray, you’ll receive only .1 mSv of radiation, but a spine x-ray gives you 1.5 mSv and a CT scan of your abdomen and pelvis will slam you with 20 mSv, three years’ worth in one dose. And of course, if you work directly with radioactive materials, you’ll get extra, as you will if your profession involves lots of flying. The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends that airline crew members shouldn’t receive exposure beyond 20 mSv annually, while, as already mentioned, they recommend a limit of under 1 mSv per year for the general public. In fact, airline crew members get the largest annual radiation dose of all professions, at 3.07 mSv a year just from their jobs, on average—more than those working in nuclear power plants or medical x-ray technicians. In the EU, airlines try to limit crew exposure to just 1 mSv annually, and they train and monitor airline workers as if they worked in a nuclear plant, but not so in the US.4

For occasional travelers, the exposure is negligible. A typical coast-to-coast, round-trip flight exposes you to about the same amount of radiation you’d get from a chest x-ray—not much. Going from New York to Tokyo one-way will expose you to the equivalent of two chest x-rays. If you want to know how much radiation you’ll be subjected to during any particular flight, you can use this calculator. Remember, however, that the effects of radiation are cumulative, so the more flights you travel, the greater your exposure, and that can become a factor for frequent flyers. Also, if you’ve had a lot of medical testing or just discovered high levels of radon in your home, you might want to think twice about littering your schedule with lots of flights. Experts say that any radiation at all, even one x-ray, can be a health risk as some people are more sensitive to the effects than others.

If you fly 100,000 miles a year, you’re getting the equivalent of 20 chest x-rays on top of whatever other exposure you may have. And on top of that, you may accrue extra exposure going through the airport scanner, but it’s a small amount. Ostensibly, the scanners subject you to .1 uSv (that’s a millionth of a sievert) for each scan, which is a fraction of the thousandth of a sievert found in an mSv, or about 1000th the amount of a chest x-ray. But as we’ve noted before in previous blogs, the machines tend to actually emit much more radiation than reported, on testing, and again, radiation’s effects are cumulative. It’s interesting that in 2011, pilots petitioned to bypass the scanners because of the high levels of radiation they’re already exposed to, and they won their case.5

What are those effects? It’s a known fact that radiation can cause cancer, birth defects, and Dna damage. Studies to date have largely focused on effects of x-rays and nuclear radiation, not on the cosmic radiation in space. Still, a JAMA review of 19 studies involving over 260,000 people found that pilots and air crew members have twice the incidence of melanoma compared to the general population.6 And, a study in Iceland found that long-term flight attendants developed breast cancer at five times the rate of the population-at-large.7 It’s noteworthy that several of the studies confirming a cancer risk tied to lots of flying took place in Scandinavian countries where the flights took a northerly route.

The bottom line is that an annual long-haul vacation flight or two probably won’t to do much harm—and the benefits of relaxing on vacation will likely outweigh any radiation effects. But if you’re airborne constantly, particularly on long flights at high altitudes closer to the poles, you might want to think about cutting back and at least be extra careful about additional radiation exposures. If you’re about to take a long-distance flight, make sure you take a high-quality antioxidant supplement which may mitigate some of the effects from radiation, and eat foods high in antioxidants, which can give you some protection from oxidative and chromosomal damage. Foods rich in zinc (e.g., spirulina, goji berries, turmeric, green tea) and chlorophyll (kelp, seaweed, chlorella) also may offer some protection, as may foods that contain resveratrol and quercetin (apples and onions).

[button link=”www.jonbarron.org/cancer-alternative-cancer-therapies/radiation-flying-planes” newwindow=”yes”] From Jon Barron[/button]

• 1.“Understanding Space Radiation.” October 2002. NASA Facts. 7 June 2018. https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/spacenews/factsheets/pdfs/radiation.pdf
• 2.Calderone, Julia. “Here’s why airline crewmembers are classified as radiation workers.” 19 November 2015. Business Insider. 7 June 2018. http://www.businessinsider.com/airplane-flight-cosmic-radiation-exposure-altitude-2015-11
• 3.“Radiation from Air Travel.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 8 June 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/air_travel.html
• 4.“Cosmic Ionizing Radiation.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 8 June 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aircrew/cosmicionizingradiation.html
• 5.“Flight risk: How much radiation do planes expose you to?” Traveller. 10 June 2018. http://www.traveller.com.au/flight-risk-how-much-radiation-do-planes-expose-you-to-1a54m
• 6.Bichel, Rae Ellen. “Cosmic Rays Sound Scary, but Radiation Risk on a Flight is Small.” 6 September 2014. NPR. 8 June 2018. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/11/14/245183244/cosmic-rays-sound-scary-but-radiation-risk-on-a-flight-is-small?refresh=true
• 7.Hope, Jenny. “Frequent fliers raise cancer risk.” The Daily Mail. 8 June 2018. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-200443/Frequent-fliers-raise-cancer-risk.html

Germ Awareness

Today we’re going to chat about germs and your immune system…

Many people are aware of the impact of the ways that we are exposed to a wide variety of germs when we travel…literally an international festival!

The first encounter we typically have with one of the germiest things on our trip is the tray at the security checkpoint at the airport. Please make sure to wash your hands once you get through security!

Since there are so many different exposures to germs from airplane tray tables, sick passengers, dry air on the plane and the list goes on…it is important that we do what we can to boost our immune system.

While washing your hands often is a great idea, boosting your immune system is THE best way to combat illness when we travel.

The main thing we can do to help our immune system is to reduce stress wherever possible. Almost all of my travel health secrets have this as the foundation.

We’ll talk more about specific products recommendations for immune support…just know that QUALITY is the key, so find a brand you trust. I have several that I would never travel without, and you can read about them in my book Travel Balance…get your copy HERE!

Hire John to speak at your next meeting, conference or retreat about managing stress on the road (or at home)!

Very excited to share my top 5 Travel Tips in this network TV segment!

When we look back on vacations, we want to remember the good times.

“My favorite place was New Zealand. The people there, the nature,” recalled Dr. John Ayo, a naturopath who practices in Plano.

Ayo is sharing his top 5 tips on staying healthy before you head off on your next big trip– whether for business or pleasure.

“Companies expect you to be at your best and when you’re not, it’s not good,” said Ayo, who worked as an executive for IBM before transitioning to his work as a naturopath.

Ayo said the key to staying healthy during any type of travel is to reduce your stress.

“It’s going to make the trip better, it’s going to help my immune system so [you] don’t get sick,” Ayo said. When you plan the trip of a lifetime and you get over there and you’re jet lagged and sick, it’s not good for anybody.”

Why do some people tend to get sick when we travel?

“People are amped up,” Ayo explained. “My flight’s late, I’ve got to run to the airport… so stress starts to knock down the immune system. Then, we’re around the people who are coughing on the plane and picking up the tray to go through security that is just full of germs.”

Ayo said creating a packing list is top priority.

Here’s Ayo’s packing list:

1. An Immune Support Supplement

If you do start to feel sick during the voyage or when you land, Ayo suggests avoiding food containing sugar, dairy and wheat.

“Those three things [can] really knock down your immune system,” Ayo said.

For nausea or tummy problems, eat ginger.

If you start feeling really crummy, get your hands on some raw garlic. In a pinch, it can help to fight off infection.

“It may not smell great, but at least it’ll help you to fight that off,” Ayo said. ]

2. Pack a sleep mask and a pair of noise-cancellation headphones

“Put those things on and turn on the noise-canceling part to drown out the engine noise because that [airplane] engine noise – just that frequency– really knocks down the body’s energy levels,” Ayo said.

3. Stay Hydrated

“If you took a wet wash cloth and brought it on the plane, about an hour and a half later, it would be dry. It’s so dehydrating on that plane,” Ayo explained. “When you get through security, I always recommend buying a bottle of water.”

Another option Ayo shared is to take an empty bottle onto the airplane and ask flight attendants for a few cups of water with no ice in order to fill your bottle and sip the water throughout the flight.

If your legs or ankles swell during long flights, try Collinsonia root to help with circulation.

4. Earthing

To avoid jet lag, don’t think about what time it is back home. Do whatever it takes to stay up until 9pm the first two nights of your trip in order to adjust to your body clock. Ayo recommended getting your bare feet on the grass or beach as soon as possible after landing. It’s a concept called earthing.

“It really helps to discharge a lot of that electricity from the plane,” Ayo said. “If you can get in the water, that’s even better because now you’re getting all the minerals from the ocean in you and you’re connecting with the planet.”

5. Make your hotel room or vacation house as comfortable and inviting as possible

Check for bed bugs before you unpack. Move electronics away from where you’re sleeping and turn your phones on airplane mode if possible.

Bust out a travel diffuser and one of your favorite soothing essential oils like lavender.

“Diffuse it in the room [or] if you forget it, you can just have a cotton ball – a couple of drops [of essential oils] stick it in the vent… that will get the smell in the room and help calm you down,” Ayo said.

Remember: staying stress-free this summer will best support the immune system for healthy travels. Bon Voyage!

[button link=”https://www.wfaa.com/mobile/article/news/health/how-to-stay-healthy-while-on-the-move-and-traveling/560633821″ newwindow=”yes”] WFAA Source[/button]