AMERICANWAY

Stay Healthy Tips For a Fit Flight Onboard Exercises Being stationary for long flights can cause stiffness. Get your blood circulating with these easy exercises that you can do in your seat. A N K L E C I R C L E S F O O T P U M P S K N E E L I F T S K N E E T O C H E S T A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that develops in a deep vein, usually in a leg. Sometimes these clots can break away and travel through the bloodstream to vital organs and can cause severe injury or death. Possible risk factors include prolonged physical immobility, blood-clotting disorders, family history, cancer, obesity, heart disease, pregnancy, recent major surgery, smoking or age. Many DVTs do not produce any symptoms, but symptoms could include pain or swelling and redness of the affected area. While preventive measures are still uncertain, passengers can wear loose clothing, regularly change leg positions, occasionally walk the cleared aisle of the plane when allowed by flight staff, avoid crossing their legs at the ankles or knees, or wear graduated-compression stockings to help reduce risk. Keeping hydrated and performing the exercises below can also help. Customers should keep their personal health in mind when following any of these suggestions. While maintaining good health in the air is done in much the same way as when you are on the ground, there are some special considerations when it comes to air travel. Here, Herbert DuPont, M.D., director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at The University of Texas School of Public Health and a specialist in travel medicine, answers your questions about stay- ing healthy while in flight. Q: Is there anything you can do before you get on the plane to stay as healthy as possible? A: Wear comfortable clothes; if you have clothes that constrict, you might compress some of the blood vessels. Get a bottle of water after you get through security so you have plenty of fluid to keep hydrated. If you're someone with heart disease or lung disease, you should check with your doctor about taking a long-distance flight; the altitude can have effects on circulation and breathing. I also recommend that all long-haul travelers — those flying six hours or more — take compres- sion stockings and wear those to help prevent blood clotting. Q: The lack of humidity on a plane can make the air feel dry. What effects on the body does this have, and how can you combat them? A: The dryness makes your blood more viscous, more concentrated, and it can promote a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and its complications. You tend to get a little dehydrated, so drink a beverage every chance you can. The air dries everything out — like your nose and eyes. People prone to dry eyes might want to have eye drops to take with them. Q: When the flight attendants come by with the cart, what's a good choice? A: Take a drink of water or a nonalcoholic beverage every time you're offered it, for two reasons: It keeps you hydrated, which can help prevent a DVT, and it will keep you moving down the aisle (for those bath- room breaks), which is another way to prevent a DVT. Q: Are there any special considerations for women who are flying while pregnant? A: Certainly no travel toward the end of pregnancy; there are airline requirements that prevent that. Walking around is a good idea, as pregnant women are much more susceptible to clotting disorders. Keeping up with fluids is also very important. Q: Is it possible to fly when you have a respiratory condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? A: The issue of flying with lung or heart disease relates to the severity of the disease. Those with mild forms of the disease (people who can do normal exercise and visit high-altitude cities like Denver) will do fine. If oxygen is required intermittently by people with lung or heart disease, this suggests that long-haul flights (more than six hours) should be avoided unless arrangements can be made with the carrier to receive oxygen during flight. Traveling With COPD Before you travel, talk to your doctor about any concerns. Also, when you book your flight, let American know about any needs for services (such as a wheelchair or a portable oxygen concentrator), and the airline will help coordinate assistance with your request. Please visit the COPD Foundation website at www.copdfoundation .org for more information about traveling with COPD. American recognizes that some passengers are allergic to peanuts and other nuts. Although we do not serve peanuts, we do serve other nut products (such as warmed nuts), and there may be trace elements of unspecified nut ingredients, including peanut oils, in meals and snacks. We do not have in place procedures that allow our flight crews to not serve these foods upon request of a customer. We do not provide nut "buffer zones." Our planes are cleaned regularly, but these cleanings are not designed to ensure the removal of nut allergens, nor are our air-filtration systems designed to remove nut allergens. Additionally, other customers may bring peanuts or other nuts on board. Therefore, we cannot guarantee customers will not be exposed to peanuts or other nuts during flight, and we strongly encourage customers to take all necessary medical precautions to prepare for the possibility of exposure. Nut Allergy Please visit aa.com/health for more health-related information and tips. D I D Y O U K N O W ? What Is a DVT? 1 0 6 N OV E M B E R 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY

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