Back in the 90s, a second-grade teacher from California named Victoria Knight-McDowell got sick of getting sick. So she developed an herbal supplement full of immune-supportive ingredients like zinc, selenium, and ginger. She called it Airborne, and the supplement’s packaging shows an air traveler anxiously eyeballing his fellow passengers, suggesting he fears flying germs.

Air travel can be a germaphobe’s nightmare - crowds of coughing and sniffling strangers, all of those surfaces to touch, public restrooms, and the shared space of an airplane’s cabin. But during cold and flu season, and especially these days with pandemic flu concerns, we all need to be extra cautious as we take to the skies.

But is an airplane actually a germ trap? [Read more →]

On my first trip to Senegal, Africa, I developed a skin rash because I was allergic to the sunscreen I had bought in Canada before leaving on my voyage.

With a smile and a pat on my shoulder, my sister-in-law gave me a small tub of a semi-solid cream. Even though we could barely speak the same language, I understood that this was for my skin and she left me to tend to my rash. [Read more →]