Traveling News -September 2010
When you make your airline or other travel reservations, make sure your name matches exactly what is on the government-issued ID that you are going to use for identification. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that it will require full name (middle name too if on your passport or driver’s license), date of birth and gender for all passengers traveling on or after November 1, 2010, regardless of when the reservation was booked.
Invacare’s Solo2 portable oxygen concentrator has received FAA approval for use during flight. This means you now have 11 choices of portable oxygen available to you. As always, be sure to check your airline’s specific rules and regulations well before your trip is scheduled. American and United Airlines are still supplying oxygen to their passengers in addition to allowing portable oxygen concentrators to be used onboard.
The AARP recommends quick exercises while traveling hours, make sure the driver’s seat is at a 90 degree angle to prevent the head from tilting forward and that every- one has plenty of leg room. You should not sit on your wallet since it could irritate your sciatic nerve.Take frequent breaks to stretch. While standing, raise your arms above your head, clasping your fingers together. Look up at your hands, holding this pose for 20 seconds, then relax. Also try to place your right foot on a bench or step that is at knee height, as in a lunge position. Place both hands, palms down on your right knee, keeping your left leg straight. Lean in slightly and hold this position for 20 seconds and then repeat with the other leg. Finally, sit near the edge of a bench and extend one leg in front of you, toes pointed up. Bend forward slightly at the hip, keep- ing your back straight, until you feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings. Try to hold your leg up for 20 seconds and then try it with your other leg.
The concept of altitude affecting your breathing when you travel by air is a difficult one to understand. The pressure in an airplane’s cabin is the same as if you were at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. To give you some perspective, the people in Denver – the Mile High City – live at an altitude of 5,280 feet. The population of Winter Park, CO, is about 1,000 people when it is not ski season – they live at an altitude of about 9,000 feet.
When you go up in elevation – as on a flight – the pressure becomes less and less oxygen is available to supply energy to your body.
According to the Aerospace Medical Society, “Half the cabin air is fresh air drawn in via the engines with the other half recirculated from the cabin. The recirculated air is ducted through a HEPA air filter before being reintroduced into the cabin. There is a total air change (filtered/recirculated plus outside air) every 2 to 3 minutes.