The worldwide web is full of information. As the Information Age gathers pace the quality of that information becomes critical. Re-hashing old and outdated information just doesn’t cut it anymore. Especially when we have a way to experience the cutting edge on a live medium like the worldwide web. The sheer scale of information available makes for lots of opportunity and creation in many fields and disciplines.
Why then do we see the same old information about jet lag being trotted out by “expert” after “expert.” As a crew member for the airline industry it is painful to see that the core advice given to fliers has not changed in over thirteen years. Dated advice doesn’t improve with age, it isn’t like old wine.
Fliers are being short-changed. I take it personally because I see the effects of long-term flying weekly at the airline I work for. Too many people appear on the stay in-touch obituary board due to illnesses and cancer. Too many of my female colleagues struggle with conceiving children because long haul travel upsets the delicate balance of hormones within the body. Many others have to keep working constantly at maintaining their weight without the knowledge that their hormone picture is probably part of the difficulty in shedding excess fat.
The standard advice to drink plenty of water, keep your mind active and get plenty of rest needs updating. Repeating it across the advice forums on the web and by rote doesn’t make it better. Just as no one is still using an Atari or Commodore computer so we too have to upgrade the tools in our life to get the best results.
Any frequent flier can tell you that most of the information bandied about by the experts doesn’t fit their lifestyle. What good are tools that don’t fit the way you live? These solutions yield short-term results that are obtainable but not sustainable and as a result old habits get the upper hand after a while. If you fly often this isn’t good enough.
Paradoxically just as Technology can drive us apart it also brings us together. It allows us to collaborate across the globe. The knowledge we have at our disposal in the aviation industry and other disciplines is available to us for collaboration. Why are we using it?
Jet lag has been left alone too long with the weak assertion that it is part of the terrain. Its mechanism’s are poorly understood by the average person and the airline industry alike. What other reason can you give for some of the practices you see taking place on airlines these days. The rethink has to include all parties and airlines have to acknowledge that their duty of care extends beyond getting you from A to B.
Jet lag needs a new conversation. It needs new breath and creative thinking. A shift in how we look at the problem is the best place to start and will yield the best kinds of questions and answers. As Globalization engulfs us and the world gets smaller some transactions will still need the visceral touch of being there in person. As Technology plays a greater role in the lives we lead we will crave the magic of presence. What good is that presence if we are not present.
The long-term chronic damage that jet lag inflicts on fliers is avoidable through education and self-interest. Education in choosing a new context. Self interest in recognizing what it is you have come to do here and making sure you increase your health and vitality in the process. The cost of doing nothing is unthinkable for the individual and corporations. At a time when people are evaluating work/life balance no one wants a job that robs them of the joy of the fruits of their labor. The costs are too high in productivity and in health.
The aviation industry could do more but they are reeling from acute to chronic crises. Nine eleven, stock market crashes, terrorist attacks and all time high fuel prices to name a few. The political will is absent in the face of scientific evidence that now confirms what many have known all along. Flying isn’t only unhealthy it is vitality sapping and should come with a sanctioned health warning. You complete the trio. As you live in the twenty-first century with all its advances gadgetry and technology will you rise above the impact of EMF’s in your life. It is this same energy, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation that it silently affecting your health.
This is a new but vital way of looking at jet lag and flying. Not just the radiation you deal with in the air but the total foot print it leaves on you and how you live your life in the digital age. This is the new battle ground, jet lag needs a new conversation and it needs it now!
Norwegian offers free in-flight Wifi……..for now
Five airlines offering onboard connectivity
Whenever I hear another airline opting to install in-flight wifi I am reminded of a line from the film Gladiator. Two senators are watching the games at the Coliseum. One of them is disgusted at the triviality of what it presented to entertain the people while there are more important pressing matters at hand, he comments “He will bring them death and they will thank him for it”. This is exactly what all the airlines who add this service to their in-flight entertainment options are doing whether they know it or not.
All travellers who want to avoid jet lag should be worried at the growing number of airlines offering in-flight Wifi. The mounting evidence continues to suggest radio waves (a type of radiation) used by these devices are dangerous to human health. Most of the current research has been performed on the ground where the Earth’s atmosphere has the most dense oxygen. On planes the oxygen is not as dense and the effect of exposure to radio waves in this type of environment is increased. For those who don’t know, oxygen covering the Earth at sea level protects us from radiation. As an example places at high altitudes expose humans to more UV light (another type of radiation) from the sun and increase the likelihood of sunburn and some cancers. On a plane installing Wifi which uses radio waves from the electromagnetic spectrum (the entire range of radiation) and can be dangerous to all traveller especially on longer flights.
Why are airlines doing this? One reason is to keep up with technology. It is the latest new fancy shiny thing and no-one wants to be left behind. Another is profit. It may be free to start with but some airlines will see it as a potential revenue stream. In a past article posted on NaturalNews.com I report on this growing trend and the companies who stand to gain financially.
The argument of whether you can get more work done while in transit to your destination fails miserably when weighed against the potential damage to human health. The short term gain in exchange for the loss of health is a no brainer. When airlines banned smoking on planes it seemed they had turned their backs on a dark age of flying. Although unproven the contribution smoke filled cabins made to the many who have succumbed to cancer (which according to Otto Warburg, the Nobel Laureate) has oxygen deprivation as part of its cause is real. It seems history is now repeating itself. The oxygen quantity in the plane cabin is less than at sea level. The technical name for this atmosphere is a hypobaric atmosphere which refers to less pressure of the air in the cabin and therefore less oxygen. Less protection from oxygen and the additional debilitating factor of radio waves (radiation) doesn’t bode well for anyone’s health.
It is a worry that even though blatant tobacco advertising is now a thing of the past and it is generally accepted that smoking is bad for you. We are still left with the damage it has done to people’s health and calls for the limited advertising to be banned altogether. How far down that road do we have to go with in-flight Wifi before it too is acknowledged as being detrimental to health.
The end of 2010 was overshadowed by the grassroots revolt against the invasive security measures of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) led by WE WON’T FLY.COM. As the new year begins and airlines are feted with travel awards, it is this frequent flyers wish to see the travel industry turn its attention to the health aspect of flying and how to make the lot of all flyers better in 2011 (it’s not just about Security). A recent Wall Street Journal article on travel starts with the headline “So many travel awards, but who’s best?” The real question is best at what? The entire article focuses on the money trail generated by winning awards, one independent body that avoids the gravy train and little else. You are left with the distinct feeling that if you have enough email addresses you can win any award you choose!
Aside from the security led fiasco in 2010, there were too few instances when flyers health was topical or on the mainstream agenda. A failed bid by Big Pharma to licence a drug to cure jet lag, a reputable chef’s evaluation of the macro nutrient content of airplane food, and tit bits of research on the latest findings about jet lag. While the aviation industry has been focussed on the continued threat of disruption from terrorists, it is worth mentioning that healthy people fly, sick people don’t…..and if they do aircrafts get diverted. It is no secret that the most valuable cargo on the plane is the passenger, without healthy passengers there is no airline or aviation industry.
The focus on staying profitable in these post bust economic times has led to a particularly damaging trend of income generation – WiFi in the air. This adds further challenges to all who fly regardless of whether you use it or not. As more carriers come “online” in the sky, you can expect to be faced with the doubly uncomfortable flying environment of a stuffy office and an oxygen deficient cabin.
There are too few travellers flying the world without jet lag and those that are know it is a matter of a shift in perspective. Making flying safer and HEALTHIER is my wish for 2011, but the aviation industry must wake up and stop neglecting its duty of care towards the millions it transports around the globe. Waking up to the new reality of flying in the 21st century is a first step and educating a captive audience on those long haul flights is another. Airlines and indeed the entire industry must start to use its influence to help people understand and mitigate the risks of flying, if they don’t flying empty planes around the globe won’t be profitable for anyone.
A recent AskMen.com survey gave 10 tips to improve your travel health when flying on business. Some of the tips were lame while others are just common sense. If this is all you do to preserve your health while flying then you ought not fly at all. After frothing at the mouth at the lame advice offered I have come up with an alternative list for those who might want to retire from frequent business travel without becoming an alcoholic! So as not to deprive the seasoned flyers amongst you of amusement I will list the AskMen.com tips alongside real travel tips for flyers who want to stay healthy.
1. AskMen – Never check luggage. Unless you are in the habit of packing family heirlooms on business trips which if lost cause stress and anxiety, this is no way to start a tip list supposed to be about better travel health. However while we are on the topic of stress the alternative number one tip is, Always arrive in plenty of time to avoid stress and anxiety before you fly. It would be a good idea to make this your golden rule as an American Express Business Travellers survey found that as much as 45% of travellers are stressed out before they get to the airport!
2. AskMen – Maintain your health. For a tip sheet on health you would expect it to deliver more than just general information about vitamins. Maintaining your health while flying has moved on from simply staying hydrated and going jogging. Covering how to handle jet lag and jet stress should be basic knowledge available to all flyers. While this tip sheet can’t deal with that topic in such a small space as this, alternative tip number two is Find the best quality vitamin c you can lay your hands on and take it daily. A major health risk from airplane travel is the being in close proximity with so many others and an atmosphere potentially loaded with health destroying bacteria and viruses. Abundant vitamin c in the body is able to combat the ill effects of any such danger. Evidence of this is seen in primates living in the jungle where they are exposed to even higher levels of bacteria and viruses, yet are protected by high blood levels of vitamin c.
3. AskMen – The Dopp Kit. Packing miniatures of all your creams and lotions is supposed to keep you healthy or so AskMen would have us believe. Alternative tip number three is Pack Aloe Vera clear gel in your allowed carry on amenities kit. Aloe Vera can be taken internally or externally and is many times more hydrating than most moisturizing creams you can find on the market today. It can also be used to shave, brush your teeth (add salt), wash hair (add soap onboard) and for upset stomachs. Maybe you won’t need all those little miniatures after all!
4. AskMen – Wear the right shoes. I have never seen any business men or women tottering uncomfortably down the aisle in high heels in 12 years of flying, it wouldn’t be practical and I would hazard a guess and say that most business flyers know that too. Alternative tip number four, Wear magnetic insoles in the shoes you do choose to wear when flying. Magnetic insoles will help you stay in tune with the earth’s grounding energy and is a first step to helping you on your way to recovering from jet lag.
5. AskMen – Featherweight packing. This refers to the danger of packing too much when you travel. Packing too much is only really a problem if you are a weakling unable to carry your luggage, in which case you need to grow some muscle and stop being a sissy! Alternative tip five Resistance exercise will help your general health while flying. You have to stay healthy if spend a lot of time on the road anyway so you might as well pack what you need and deadlift your overstuffed suitcase in your hotel room and pack on that muscle. Improvise improvise improvise.
6. AskMen – Carry a good bag. I agree with this one but the recommendation is somewhat the opposite of AskMen’s. Their recommendation is not to use a trolley bag. If you don’t use a trolley bag that leaves a bag with straps or handles. Research has shown that people using a bag with a shoulder strap tend to prefer carrying it on one shoulder more than the other. This leads to posture problems and back aches. Alternative tip six Use bags that meets airline specifications with wheels or handles and save yourself posture problems. If you have posture problems check out the Egoscue method of posture alignment to help correct them.
7. AskMen – Bring a flask of coffee or whiskey. Any thought that this survey has anything positive to contribute to healthy flying must surely be abandoned at this point. Alternative tip seven Pack hydrating supplements like Megahydrate and drink water constantly throughout your flight. Coffee and any alcohol are definitely no-no’s for anyone wanting to arrive in good shape to do business.
8. AskMen – Stay warm. This tip focuses on getting fellow passenger envy. Alternative tip eight Bring your own mini hot water bottle and ask the crew for hot water and enjoy uninterrupted sleep. In addition, you could also stay warm by drinking hot medicinal grade herbal teas like Holy basil, Pau’darco and Jiaogulan, all good for building immunity and easing stress.
9. AskMen – Noise cancelling headphones. These are common place in most business traveller cabins these days so this is nothing new take it to the next level – alternative tip nine Add stress relieving brain entrainment tracks to your phone so even if you can’t sleep on the plane you can relax and get off the plane refreshed after a short meditation.
10. AskMen – Wear a good watch. Good advice but again the kinds of solutions available to the flyer have grown in recent times, i.e the definition of a good watch is more than one that has dual time zones. Alternative tip ten Get yourself a wrist watch with entrainment technology to help you stay connected to the earth’s magnetic field. This will help you arrive in better shape and get you on to local time quickly.
Ten serious tips to help you arrive well and stay on course for business wherever you go. It is time travel advice caught up with the variety of health enhancing options available to flyers and stopped bandying about tired dated information. Ultimately it’s not about how you travel it’s about how you arrive.
