What to pack for healthy travel

Jim's watching "Quantum of Solace" while I tap away on my iBook. The crashing, jolting soundtrack is the opposite of the soft, flowing music Naomi Caspe turned on just before she left me for a while, stuck full of needles, in the treatment room this afternoon. Acupuncture isn't for everyone (nor is James Bond), but since the treatment, my pain is greatly reduced. (I aggravated an old whiplash injury).

After the treatment, Naomi and I ate lunch at Bombay Garden, an all-you-can-eat, Indian buffet-style restaurant at Fourth and Lootens streets in San Rafael. The food was fresh and yummy. I didn't take notes about the food though because I was collecting advice from Naomi on how to stay healthy while traveling. And here are five tips she passed on to me:

1. Pack White Flower Oil. You can find it at any Chinese grocery, and it comes in small (even tiny) sizes, so it's easy to take on planes. It's a mixture of lavender, eucalyptus and wintergreen oils and is used to stop the spread of germs and prevent colds and infections. When in an airport or on a plane, dab a drop under each nostril. It is also good for soothing headaches; just put some on your temples.

2. Pack Po Chai pills to treat travelers' diarrhea. These are tiny pills sold in any Asian grocery and are renowned for their ability to rebalance the digestive system.

3. Don't pack your !#X? with you, i.e., have a bowel movement before you board a plane. This will greatly reduce or even eliminate jet lag symptoms and contribute to overall well being on the trip. Eating lightly the day before your flight will help with this, as will drinking lots of water. (If elimination is a problem, acupuncture directly before the trip might also help.)

4. Pack Bach Rescue Remedy. This is a calming flower remedy that can reduce emotional stress while flying (turbulence, fear of plunging into the sea, all that awful stuff). It's also handy to keep in the glove compartment in the car in case you have a near-accident on the road (caused by someone else, not you, of course).

5. Pack No-Jet-Lag, a homeopathic medicine sold at Trader Joe's and some drug stores. Naomi recommends taking it just before any flight and every two hours on a long flight.

That's the end of the post containing Naomi's advice.