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Show Heart experts give tips on vacations Because approximately one out of every five households has a member with some form of cardiovascular ailment including high blood pressure pres-sure the Utah Heart Association Asso-ciation offers some suggestions to help you make vacation time safe and pleasant for all members of the family. The person with a chronic ailment should visit his physician physi-cian before a vacation. Tell the doctor about your vacation vaca-tion plans, where you intend to go, how you intend to get there. For example, if you're flying: most commercial airlines air-lines have pressurized cabins, and can offer special diets or oxygen if needed, but it's best to make sure in advance. Climate and altitude are two important factors to keep in mind, the Utah Heart Associ-atioin Associ-atioin says. High altitudes, with the oxygen-poor air, can make persons with some heart and respiratory ailments feel miserable. Heat and humidity add to the work of the heart because the cardiovascular system plays an important part in helping the body to adjust ad-just to weather extremes. If you find yourself at a high altitude or in an excessively exces-sively hot and humid area, rest a few days in order to give your body a chance to adjust to its surroundings before be-fore you start strenuous sports or sightseeing. Eat lightly of nourishing foods. Don't get over-tired. Take short rests. ' Dress comfortably. Precaution If you require medication, take enough to see you , through the trip. And just in case your pill box goes overboard over-board or gets lost, ask your physician to make out an extra ex-tra prescription blank to keep in your wallet. Most people with chronic ailments have learned to live with them and know what they can and cannot do safely. In many ways, they are better bet-ter off than their apparently healthy kinsman who hasn't had a physical examination in years and has no idea of his physical capacity or ' limitations. limita-tions. Many of these people, accustomed to soft living during dur-ing the year, plunge into a frenzied vacation round of over-eating and over-exertion that can lead to trouble. And, after all, vacations are to come back from. |