The Healthy Traveler About the Author Susan W. Kramer is a therapeutic herbalist and an accredited professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. She earned her Ph.D. in 1978 from Duke University and her law degree in 1986 from the College of William and Mary. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Back to Sales Page

Notes From the Author I have always wanted a travel guide that would tell me what to do when emergencies arose. Preparing to dive the Great Barrier Reef and coughing up blood. Dealing with the inevitable constipation at conferences. Driving cross-country with a companion who became car sick on winding roads. At a remote country inn, my Dad running out of his needed water pill. A friend with food poisoning who was vomiting. Me with food poisoning and diarrhea. Arriving in Colorado Springs for the Olympic Trials and feeling the altitude. Hiking in the Rockies and experiencing altitude sickness. Difficulty falling asleep. Difficulty staying asleep. Tossing and turning all night. Feeling tired. I looked for over 30 years, but I've never found the guide I want. So I decided to write one, to provide the information a traveler is likely to need in one convenient, accessible place. I chose an easy-to-read format so you can find the information you are looking for without more stress. It is written in layperson's language with a minimum of medical jargon. It explains, step by step, how to deal with different problems. This handbook has the answers you need, emphasizing inexpensive and natural solutions and where to find them. It includes information on common travel ailments that can ruin a trip, ailments such as constipation, jet lag, stiffness, and blisters. I made it entertaining because I never liked those dry-as-dust medical books. We have health problems when we travel that we rarely or never have at home. Because we don't have these problems at home, we don't think of them when we prepare to travel. This guide reminds you of common travel ailments so that you can plan ahead and assists you with travel solutions to problems you may not have anticipated. Travel ailments can differ from at-home health problems because diet, clothing, schedule, and environment change with travel. We lose many of our anchors, many of our constants. Air travel exposes us to desert-dry air, decreased oxygen, and lower atmospheric pressure. Changing time zones upsets our internal clocks. We tend to do too much. We lift too much, talk too much, eat and drink too much. Increased quantities of food, salt, sugar, and fat, the hallmarks of most restaurant meals, all affect our digestion. Travel involves change, and change is stressful. Increased levels of stress during travel increase the likelihood of illness. Stress exacerbates everything; many problems appear only under stress. People who never get sick fall ill. Athletes experience unexpected fatigue. Sound sleepers cannot fall asleep, and sometimes they cannot stay asleep. Normally relaxed people become tense and anxious. Eating while under increased stress plays havoc with digestion. Travel is stressful even under the best of circumstances, and not feeling your best makes it more stressful. The increased stress of travel creates many of the problems that you commonly experience during travel, but rarely experience otherwise. The Healthy Traveler addresses travel ailments and their solutions. Major topics, such as constipation or jet lag, are organized into chapters. Chapters include personal experiences, specific instructions, food, herbal and drug store remedies, and handy chapter summaries. When you need assistance with a travel problem, look first to the chapter headings. Alternatively, look up words relating to your problem in the index at the back of the book. The remedies I selected for this book work well. They are drawn from western allopathic medicine, eastern and western herbalism, and homeopathy. The information in this book has been assembled from a variety of sources - personal experience, research of the medical and healthcare literature, advice and counsel of health professionals, and numerous case studies. Sometimes travelers know precisely what they need but that product (or healthcare tradition) may not be available for hundreds of miles - The Healthy Traveler assists you in finding effective substitutes. I firmly believe that "the herb you need grows in your own backyard." To paraphrase, you can find a solution close at hand, wherever you are in the world. No matter how much I have learned over the years, when I am suffering, I find that all my education and knowledge disappears. My idea is that this travel guide will stay packed in your luggage, and that you'll find it so useful that you will remove it only to read when preparing for travel or for entertainment or information while traveling. It's meant to be handy. And it's affordable, so you can buy copies to give to friends who are planning trips. It is my hope that The Healthy Traveler addresses all your problems and answers all of your questions.