General Information Archives - Page 69 of 70

Understanding Healthcare in Your Host Country

Eliot C. Heher, MD Expatriates need working knowledge of the health insurance system and the hospitals in the host city and country, just as they have for their own home country and city. As an HTH Physician in Germany explains: “The health care system in the host country is absolutely mandatory to know in its […]

Questions & Answers about Mad Cow and vCJD

Eliot C. Heher, MD For an introduction to Mad Cow Disease and its human variant, vCJD, please see Mad Cow Disease: Advice for Expatriates and Travelers. How did the epidemic start? Scientists don’t know for sure but it’s believed that the use of cattle feeds containing meat and bone meal from animal carcasses, including sheep […]

A Flight with Sore Eyes: Vision Care for Travelers

Eliot C. Heher, MD Waiting for the ferry from Sifnos to Athens on a windy day in August, Boston attorney Scott Martin (an alias) felt something fly into his eye. Severe pain began immediately and continued throughout the six hour ferry ride despite all attempts to wash the eye clean. After an emergency room nurse […]

When Ears Have an Altitude Problem

Eliot C. Heher, MD The human body didn’t evolve to accommodate air travel at 33,000 feet. So, it’s not surprising that high altitude flying can cause a variety of physical symptoms, despite the high quality pressurization systems available on modern aircraft. In-flight ear pain is certainly one of the most common problems fliers report. Steep […]

Preventing Motion Sickness

Eliot C. Heher, MD Motion Sickness is remarkably common and while some people are more susceptible than others, there’s probably no one who is immune if the motion stimulus is strong enough and unfamiliar enough. While modern cruise ships are designed with stabilizer systems to minimize the movements that stimulate Motion Sickness, in certain types […]

Fear of Flying – Part 2

Eliot C. Heher, MD My last column discussed fear of flying and began a discussion of its treatment. To reiterate, every successful program starts with the fearful flyer learning as much as they can about the safety of air travel, the operation of airplanes and the air traffic control system. Once the fearful flyer has […]

Fear of Flying – Part 1

Eliot C. Heher, MD While most of us find travel at least mildly travel stressful, fearful flyers dread even the most routine flight. Pre-trip anxiety can hinder the fearful flyer’s preparation for a trip and anxiety about the return leg of the trip can ruin a vacation or make the fearful flyer less effective during […]

US and British Medical Degrees Explained

Eliot C. Heher, MD International travelers, particularly Americans, are sometimes surprised to learn that many physicians around the world don’t have an “M.D.” degree. The reason for this is that upon graduation from medical school many physicians around the world receive an MBBS or MBChB–degrees bestowed under traditional British medical education. To complicate matters further, […]

Travel Health Basics – Part 2

Eliot C. Heher, MD In Travel Health Insurance Basics — Part 1, I discussed the importance of travel insurance and listed the three major coverages to consider: (1) supplemental health/medical, (2) medical evacuation, (3) trip cancellation/interruption. Here are some other key points about travel insurance, and a discussion about why insurance isn’t enough: Multi-Trip vs. […]

Travel Health Basics – Part 1

Eliot C. Heher, MD Open your U.S passport to page two and you may be surprised by the following warning: HEALTH INSURANCE. Persons considering foreign travel should determine what health insurance coverage, if any, they require while outside the United States. Medicare does not cover health care costs outside the United States and its territories, […]