Ned
02-26-2008, 07:50 AM
Chris Elliott has a new article at MSNBC entitled, That’s sick! 8 ways to avoid the bug, Learned lessons from travelers’ experiences and current events (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23297578/). The theme of the article is staying healthy while traveling.
I normally like Chris' articles, and his personality in them, and while many of the points of this one are quite good, there is one, which by the way he put it, that I found close to offensive, considering most people don't have the economic wherewithal of flying up front. I think Chris was trying to be "cute," but it didn't come out that way, when he said,
Never fly in economy class
“The lack of leg room will bring your knee into your face — or the face of the person in front who leans his seat all the way back,” says Irvine, Calif.-based travel agent Tommie Imbernino. That can be hazardous to your health. Cramped seats raise your risk of developing a potentially fatal blood clot. A British parliamentary committee recently called for the minimum space between seats to be increased by at least two inches for health reasons. If you’re stuck in a small seat, don’t forget to get up and stretch. Your life could depend on it.Yes, the seats in economy, virtually any airline's economy seats, are too small, and the rows are far too close together, but I personally found Chris' point's heading a bit too blithe, and his suggested preventative not nearly detailed enough, even in a short column, considering its importance.
The problems of sitting during long flights in cramped economy seats have been documented for a long time now, and even has a name, "economy class syndrome." There have been many studies of the syndrome done during the last decade. Dr. Stanley Mohler's outstanding pioneering work in this field at the Wright State University (named for the famed Wright Brothers) School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio is perhaps the best known in the field. Dr. Mohler is director of the preeminent Wright State Aerospace Medicine Program.
Dr. Mohler offers the following advice for preventing "economy class syndrome" on long flights:
Book exit row, bulkhead, or aisle seats to get more leg room.
Wear loose-fitting clothes and avoid knee-length stockings that constrict circulation.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which contribute to dehydration during long flights. Drink plenty of other fluids.
Walk up and down the aisle periodically.
Massage feet, ankles, lower legs, and knees to move blood out of the legs and toward the heart.
While seated, exercise calf muscles by clenching your toes.
According to Dr. Mohler, people at high risk of blood clots should consult their doctor about taking a half-strength aspirin to thin the blood before long flights.I am fortunate enough to have lots of frequent flier points on several airlines, and have been able to upgrade to FC/BC on most of my long flights, yet I continue to follow Dr. Mohler's advice even when up front. Frankly, flying in FC/BC is not much of a "economy class syndrome" preventative, and even those up front must take precautions.
When flying up front, one thing I see all the time, which mystifies me, is passengers loading up on alcoholic drink after alcoholic drink. Since alcohol is included in the price of the ticket, I guess they're trying to get their money's worth, but it's diametrically opposite to being smart, and staying healthy. In my life, I could be considered a caffeine addict. I drink lots of ice tea, all year round, but while flying, I exclusively drink orange and tomato juice, and lots of water.
In recent days, two deaths on commercial plane flights have been reported, one a passenger, and the other a pilot. We don't know if "economy class syndrome" played a part in those deaths. Nevertheless, I hope everyone takes Dr. Mohler's advice seriously, and in the future flies safely and healthy.
I normally like Chris' articles, and his personality in them, and while many of the points of this one are quite good, there is one, which by the way he put it, that I found close to offensive, considering most people don't have the economic wherewithal of flying up front. I think Chris was trying to be "cute," but it didn't come out that way, when he said,
Never fly in economy class
“The lack of leg room will bring your knee into your face — or the face of the person in front who leans his seat all the way back,” says Irvine, Calif.-based travel agent Tommie Imbernino. That can be hazardous to your health. Cramped seats raise your risk of developing a potentially fatal blood clot. A British parliamentary committee recently called for the minimum space between seats to be increased by at least two inches for health reasons. If you’re stuck in a small seat, don’t forget to get up and stretch. Your life could depend on it.Yes, the seats in economy, virtually any airline's economy seats, are too small, and the rows are far too close together, but I personally found Chris' point's heading a bit too blithe, and his suggested preventative not nearly detailed enough, even in a short column, considering its importance.
The problems of sitting during long flights in cramped economy seats have been documented for a long time now, and even has a name, "economy class syndrome." There have been many studies of the syndrome done during the last decade. Dr. Stanley Mohler's outstanding pioneering work in this field at the Wright State University (named for the famed Wright Brothers) School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio is perhaps the best known in the field. Dr. Mohler is director of the preeminent Wright State Aerospace Medicine Program.
Dr. Mohler offers the following advice for preventing "economy class syndrome" on long flights:
Book exit row, bulkhead, or aisle seats to get more leg room.
Wear loose-fitting clothes and avoid knee-length stockings that constrict circulation.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which contribute to dehydration during long flights. Drink plenty of other fluids.
Walk up and down the aisle periodically.
Massage feet, ankles, lower legs, and knees to move blood out of the legs and toward the heart.
While seated, exercise calf muscles by clenching your toes.
According to Dr. Mohler, people at high risk of blood clots should consult their doctor about taking a half-strength aspirin to thin the blood before long flights.I am fortunate enough to have lots of frequent flier points on several airlines, and have been able to upgrade to FC/BC on most of my long flights, yet I continue to follow Dr. Mohler's advice even when up front. Frankly, flying in FC/BC is not much of a "economy class syndrome" preventative, and even those up front must take precautions.
When flying up front, one thing I see all the time, which mystifies me, is passengers loading up on alcoholic drink after alcoholic drink. Since alcohol is included in the price of the ticket, I guess they're trying to get their money's worth, but it's diametrically opposite to being smart, and staying healthy. In my life, I could be considered a caffeine addict. I drink lots of ice tea, all year round, but while flying, I exclusively drink orange and tomato juice, and lots of water.
In recent days, two deaths on commercial plane flights have been reported, one a passenger, and the other a pilot. We don't know if "economy class syndrome" played a part in those deaths. Nevertheless, I hope everyone takes Dr. Mohler's advice seriously, and in the future flies safely and healthy.