Keeping Healthy On The Road (or in Your Dorm, Home or Apartment)

The fall being my busiest touring season with Turtle Island, I’m often thinking of the best ways to stay healthy and happy throughout the dark days of “flu season.” After years of almost constant travel, with endless days of connecting plane flights, shared van rides, and occasionally horrifically early lobby calls, I feel somewhat qualified as an expert at keeping my body in tune enough to weather the storm of illnesses that plague the general population. In 27 years, I’ve never missed a concert due to illness. I thought I had the flu once while on the road, but at a recent physical/flu shot pitch, my doctor informed me that if I was able to play a concert, it wasn’t the flu. Nevertheless, my record speaks for itself. I’m not a doctor and these are only suggestions. Hence, the following recommendations for staying healthy on the road and in general: For safety’s sake, please consult your doctor before taking herbs and supplements.

Even my luggage has luggage! Here’s my standard traveling rig: brown personal suitcase, smaller brown bag holds music, electronics, stand, etc, black suitcase holds CDs, small bag on top holds computer and personal stuff, back holds my cello, Daphne. I like to travel light!

I always carry several items with me to keep me up and running. These are my personal choices—there are certainly other over the counter supplements that work as well.

1.  Wellness Formula, made by Source Naturals.
Available at Whole Foods and pretty much everywhere vitamins and supplements are sold. This is a “kitchen sink” formula that includes immune system boosters such as Vitamin C, Echinacea, Garlic, Zinc as well as tonics such as Goldenseal and Ginger. Some of these herbs have been somewhat discredited as effective in combating illnesses such as colds and flus. All I can tell you is as a scattershot pill, it seems to do the trick. At the first sign of the tell-tale weariness that immediately precedes impending illness, I take a double dose of Wellness the first time and then follow the directions after that. Please beware that the tablet form of this supplement is “elephant sized,” so taking the six pills I advocate for the first dose is not something everyone can swallow. Wellness Formula also comes in gelatin capsule form, but you have to take twice as many capsules to get the same dose.

2.  Emergen-C made by Alacer.
Widely available just about everywhere that sells supplements, including the Vitamin Shoppe, an oasis on the road. I’ve been taking this for almost 30 years. It’s a Vitamin C drink that purports to deliver the C directly through the mucus membranes of the mouth. You can gargle with it, and in fact, the more slowly you drink it, the longer your mucus membranes have to absorb the Vitamin C. There are many different flavors and different formulations with include other minerals and supplements for joint health, among others that are not included in the basic Emergen-C.

3. Oscillococcinum natural flu relief, made by Boiron.
Despite the frightenly difficult to pronounce name, this homeopathic remedy is very easy to find in all the sources I’ve mentioned so far. The Free Dictionary by Farlex defines homeopathy as “a system for treating disease based on the administration of minute doses of a drug that in massive amounts produces symptoms in healthy individuals similar to those of the disease itself”. This remedy seems to work very well, and I recommend it for those who either don’t believe in getting the flu vaccine, or don’t completely trust the vaccine once you’ve gotten it. Besides, the milk sugar pills taste great!

4. Lots of liquids, especially plain, pure water.
I take a filter water bottle with me wherever I go. Keeping properly hydrated is a full time occupation on the road, and even at home. I tend to think about water intake more on the road, with so many dry environments, like airplane cabins, and overheated hotel rooms to consider. There are many bottles to choose from; each has its benefits and defects. Pressure changes in airplane cabins seem to cause many a filter bottle to leak, leaving the next passenger to become a “soggy bottom boy” (or girl) so lately I’ve been using the Liv fit and fresh Pure (whew, that’s a mouthful!) filter bottle. None of these bottles are expensive, generally about $10, and they all will replace hundreds of plastic water bottles, saving you hundreds of dollars and saving the earth in the process.

5. Exercise.
This is a subject that merits an entire blog, but suffice to say, it’s simply a challenge to stay fit on the road. Things are much better than when I began touring in 1987. Most hotels have workout rooms, and indoor pools are becoming the norm in many hotel chains. I always bring running shoes, gym shorts and/or bathing suit. I also come armed with knowledge of stretches and exercises to do in my room to keep my back, arms and shoulders loose and kink free. Nicer hotels are beginning to include a yoga mat in the rooms, but a towel on the floor does nicely.

There are a lot of great ideas for keeping healthy and fit. A short conversation with friends will undoubtedly produce a fountain of suggestions and recommendations. These are mine, and have served me well all these years. I wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous fall/winter season.