Though most of us love the summer – especially with the heat wave weather we’ve been having – living in a hot hazy climate either here or abroad is also associated with a range of holiday health horrors that can leave us ill-equipped to enjoy the weather.

According to a survey commissioned by Anthisan, more than a third (36%) of us have had a holiday ruined by sunburn, 30% have had to cope with diarrhoea and a tenth have succumbed to travel sickness. The average Brit also suffers from eight insect bites per holiday, a third having endured being bitten on the behind! Add to that the risk of sunstroke, irritable eyes from swimming pools and holiday hayfever hotspots and you have a potential recipe for poor health that can leave us laid out – but not on the beach.

Dehydration is also a big risk during the summer months, especially when away from home, where your system isn’t used to the type or quality of local water. This can lead to diarrhoea and loss of essential body salts – a particular concern for children and the elderly.

Would you know which medicines, creams, and tablets to pack in your holiday first aid kit to keep everyone smiling in the sun? Joining us for this WebTV show, senior GP Dr Roger Henderson will give expert advice on the steps you can take to keep you and your family fighting fit this summer.

Dr Roger Henderson joins us live online to discuss summer health hazards

For more information on summer hayfever hotspots visit www.nasacort.co.uk or download a guide from here

H: Vicky Letch, host
R: Dr Roger Henderson

H: Hello and welcome to the Healthcare Show, brought to you by Anthisan, I’m Vicky Letch. Now then I don’t know about you but I love the summer, especially with the scorching weather we’ve been having lately. It’s a good opportunity to top up our tans. But we all need to take care when we’re out there in the sun, and according to research by Anthisan, more than a third (36%) of us have had a holiday ruined by sunburn, or had to cope with diarrhoea while a tenth have succumbed to travel sickness. So whether you are holidaying abroad this year or staying put, keep watching because in today’s show we’ve got some essential advice so that you can avoid those nasty seasonal sources of stress. Here to guide us through this is Dr Roger Henderson – welcome, thank you very much for taking time out –

R: Good to be here Vicky

H: You’re busy doctoring schedule

R: Not a problem at all

H: Now we are live, so if you have any questions for Roger please do submit them and we will work very hard to get as many answered as possible. Now Roger we’re going to be covering an array of summer issues with you

R: Sure

H: Before we do that, we’ve done some work before you got here – are you impressed?

R: Very impressed

H: We have pounded the streets of Britain to find out what you guys at home see as a problem, those sort of summer sun woes – take a look

R: Oh I’d like to see this

Video footage:

“When it comes to summer I get sunburn, especially on my nose. Red nose a lot. And insect bites. I get covered – my legs get covered, sitting in fields and parks and stuff. Big, massive bites – it’s horrible.”

“Things I don’t like about summer – getting really dehydrated, getting covered in insect bites, getting all sweaty. Having to top-up on water and suncream. Moving about, get too hot and dehydrated.”

“Most things about summer are good. I love the summer, but my biggest hate – sunburn”

“Last month I went away on holiday and I stupidly forgot to pack any insect repellent and as a result I got absolutely covered in bites, didn’t have any bite cream to make them any better, just felt a bit miserable for most of the holiday.”

“I love summer. Don’t get me wrong, I love it, you know the long nights – I look forward to it all year, but I’m a massive holidayer you see, so I’m always saving up to go on holiday, but it’s a little bit embarrassing, the last thee holidays I’ve been on I’ve had a really gammy tummy, so that would be the thing I don’t like, and I just tend not to drink nearly enough water as well, although when I do it tends to be the local water which is possibly part of the reason why my stomach collapses with alarming irregularity. So yes down point of summer, that’s the one for me.”

“I love the summer but I don’t like the hay fever. I get it really, really badly, I’ve tried taking so many different things, and what’s really weird actually is like when I go on holiday, for example in Paris I got it really badly, so I have a good time but the really, really blotchy red eyes don’t’ really make it so fun.”

H: Wowzers, I think we’ve covered everything there haven’t we?

R: I think so

H: I think as a nation we really yearn for the summer sun but of course there are problems that come with being in the sun. I’m a bit of a sun worshipper, although I will say with age it’s getting slightly more uncomfortable, now I use sun cream when I’m sunbathing – is that enough? Is there more I could be doing?

R: There’s probably more you can be doing. I mean most people still have this perception that a tan is healthy and actually it isn’t, a tan is actually a sign of damage to the skin. So there’s basic things you should be doing – obviously sun cream, sun lotion, that’s essential, but also other stuff, for example don’t go out in the sun when it’s at its peak,

H: Yes

R: Between the hours of 11 and 3, you know. Or another little tip, if you haven’t got a watch on, don’t go out when your shadow is shorter than you are

H: Ooh, I’m only 5’ 1 ½ –

R: So a really short shadow!

H: It’s a centimetre!

R: Just common sense applies

H: Ok

R: Wear a hat for example, if you’re like me, not a lot of hair, have to wear a hat all the time. Reapply sun tan lotion if you’ve been out in the sun for an hour

H: Yes

R: Ok, people forget, it doesn’t last for 12 hours, it doesn’t last for 6 hours

H: Yes

R: Even some of the waterproof lotions, you have to reapply after you’ve been swimming

H: Yes

R: Ok, people forget that, so just think about the sun, don’t go out in long bursts, don’t fall asleep, whatever you do in the sun, that’s the worst thing that can happen, the worst case of sun burn I see, when someone has a few drinks after lunch, fall asleep on the beach – ooh nasty

H: Oh it’s so horrible, I mean I have been there – sober – a sober snooze, I want to throw that in, and I woke up and I was crisp. It was very painful. I think one of the problems is when I go on holiday there’s something in me that just switches off, so I could be laying there for 4 hours and think oh I need to reapply because I forget, because I’m so relaxed – so it really is a case of if you’re with a partner, certainly if you have children, keeping an eye on the time and just thinking it’s time – family fun, make an event of it~!

R: exactly and certainly with children, when my children were smaller I would actually put them in, I suppose sun costumes, bathing costumes, ok, and it helped protect their skin, and that made a big difference to them getting sunburn

H: Yes

R: But you have to think about it. It’s really boring, come on in, reapply the sun cream

H: Yes

R: But you’ve got to do it, there’s no substitute for that, and if you feel that you’re starting to burn ok and some people say oh I’m just burning a little bit and stay out – if you feel you’re starting to burn come back out of it. That’s the time when you know you’ve had enough

H: And what about when you don’t know you’re burning, because we’ve all been there on a cloudy day – Sue Letch, my dear ma always says to me it’s cloudy you can still burn. I remember as a child thinking no I want to get a really tan, there’s no way I’m going to burn through this cloud, and then lo and behold you do, you can still –

R: It’s the ultra violet light A that burns you, it will still come through clouds, it will go through clothing, so t-shirts, cotton

H: Yes

R: Loose clothing. It’ll go through water

H: See you don’t think of these things

R: That’s right, so you see – and in lots of ways if you get sunburnt in water it’s worse, because the sun is magnified through the water ok? So again just pace yourself, do it in moderation, common sense, and you’ll be ok

H: Ok excellent. Now Pamela, thank you very much, has sent a question in for you Roger. She says “I’m very fair skinned and burn easily. I hate that my friends can be on the sun lounger all day on holiday while I have to stay in the shade. Any tips?”

R: Unfortunately Pamela you are more at risk than your dark-skinned or dark-haired, dark-eyed colleagues, but they will still burn, they will still suffer, it’s just that you will suffer quicker

H: Yes

R: Ok? And there’s no getting away from that ok? Fair-skinned, blue-eyed people, blond haired people are more at risk, not only of sunburn and sun stroke but also long term of skin cancers

H: Yes ok

R: And there’s good evidence now that serious sunburn, even at an early age is a pre-disposition, 10, 20, 30 years down the line of malignant melanomas developing, ok it’s a long process this, so whatever you do try and avoid that in the first place. I think there’s no substitute, you have to sort of look at your friends, make sure they’re doing the right thing, but you can probably only be in there for a quarter / half of what they’re in the sun for

H: Ok and I would say Pamela, celebrate being pale and interesting. Maybe a gorgeous, floppy beach hat, an ice long chiffon kaftan, that kind of thing

R: Absolutely and the other point I’d make is that a tan is actually a sign of skin damage, it is not a healthy thing ok?

H: Yes

R: So pale and interesting is healthier

H: Which makes me wonder why I stand there in my paper pants being spray tanned on a weekly basis. I wonder why I do it

R: It’s an image. It’s a look

H: It is a look, trust me it is. So we’re talking about the tanning and the sun, but obviously when you go on holiday and you’re experiencing different cultures for the first time, there are other areas that we need to be aware of. Run us through some of those?

R: Well the two big ones I commonly see in my surgery, people coming back from abroad having had a good holiday initially and then it all going horribly wrong – travellers diarrhoea

H: Yes

R: Unfortunately, both adults and children

H: Yes

R: And to some extent, insect bites, ok

H: Oh right

R: Now although we get them in this country, insect bites often seem to be worse abroad, I’m not quite sure why that should be, whether the insects are just bigger

H: Yes

R: They can be a real misery for people, so if you look at diarrhoea first

H: Yes

R: Usually it’s because people have drunk the local water

H: Is it really?

R: It really is

H: Because I always feel that I’m being slightly uptight about that, I’ve recently been to the South of France and I thought no we’ve run out of bottled water, and I had a mild panic attack, I won’t lie to you, head between the knees, hyperventilating, I’m going to die, I have nothing to drink tonight, and my other half was saying just have a glass of water out of the tap, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it

R: You’d probably be ok in the south of France

H: In the south of France!

R: If you go slightly wider you may run into trouble

H: I thought you’d say that, yes

R: So it’s usually a combination of that. Sometimes shellfood, shellfish, that can be, and spicy or food you’re not used to

H: Ok

R: So the usual tips are if you can avoid anything that isn’t bottled

H: Right

R: Including ice, ok. Take the ice out of the drink

H: I would never think of that

R: Take the ice out of a drink, and be very careful if you’re having salads that have been washed with a bit of tap water, be careful of that. Only eat fruit that you can peel

H: Of course, yes

R: Ok? And you know obviously any other drinks, booze is fine, but if you can just stick with bottled water, avoid ice, you know stick to those tips, you should be ok

H: Ok

R: And don’t blow out too fast on the local cuisine too quickly, you know –

H: Yes I’m a naughty one for that, yes. I like to cram everything into one meal on my first day there. Everything. So that’s preventing it obviously. We would ideally not like to get it. If we do get it, is there anything we can take to help us along the way?

R: Luckily there is. And if you have diarrhoea it’s essentially your body’s way of saying I don’t like what’s inside me and I want it gone, so you’ve got some inflammation of the bowels and that causes the problem

H: Yes

R: The key point is actually fluid replacement

H: Right

R: And it’s not just fluid you have to replace, it’s the salt and the essential sugars and salts that we lose in our fluid as well

H: Ok

R: So it’s not just water. So that’s why I tend to say to my patients go away and take something like Dioralyte, ok which –

H: Right

R: Is a basic fluid replacement drink, but is also got all the salts and the supplements in that you would need as well

H: Ok

R: So you’re getting all those back

H: Yes

R: If you’re really very loose as well you can get one called Dioralyte relief, which has got some kind of rice powder in it which can actually help firm things up without being too graphic, and help you slow things down, and usually just by doing that and giving yourself 24 / 36 hours of respite and taking it easy, you’ll come right

H: Ok

R: You can take anti-diarrhoea tablets away with you as well, and it’s not a bad idea but most people don’t need to do that if you just do fluid replace and give yourself enough time

H: Right so when we are packing those holiday suitcases as the case now – listen mums out there, because it’s always the mums that do the packing, add it to the list

R: Add it to the list

H: You would say it is a holiday essential?

R: As a holiday essential, and we talked about sunburn before, don’t forget that sunburn itself can actually trigger diarrhoea

H: Yes

R: Nasty sunburn can do that. You feel miserable

H: Ok. Ed, thank you very much Ed, you sent a question in that says “my parents always told me to use bottled water, even when I brush my teeth abroad.” I agree. “Is that really necessary or are they being OTT?” Over-the-top

R: It’s sort of in-between really. I mean I think if you’re somewhere sort of relatively civilised it’s probably a bit OTT. If you’re in the middle of nowhere it’s not OTT ok and you should still splash it on from the bottle, the bottled water supply, and then brush your teeth. And that’s the model of perfection ok

H: Ok

R: If you want to really dot the I’s and cross the T’s you go for it

H: Yes I mean I’m all up for that, you’ve heard my stories. Ok we had a brief little chat about those nasty insects, because obviously even in this country if you’re in the garden, if you’re blessed with a garden, you do get friendly little things coming to visit you, and they leave their mark

R: Absolutely

H: But this had got to be worse abroad, surely?

R: Yes I think I tend to see it worse abroad, although it can be quite nasty, horseflies for example in this country

H: Yes

R: Can give terrible bites. But the reason why they cause so much problem is not so much the bite itself but for the inflammation and very often the allergic reaction around that that then triggers the itch, triggers the redness and the swelling. We scratch them, makes it ten times worse and off we go. If you’re not then careful they become secondary infected and you need antibiotics

H: Right. Oh wow

R: So the trick is – unfortunately some people do seem to be tasty to insects – ok

H: Yes. Why?

R: We’ve got no rhyme or reason for it, but there’s no question, anecdotally I see that alot

H: It’s so interesting I’ve always found that interesting

R: It’s actually bizarre, it just seems to happen

H: Yes

R: It tends to happen below the knee or sort of on hands. Why is that? Obvious, either shorts or skirts

H: Yes

R: Ok, it’s exposed

H: Yes, yes

R: It goes without saying but that’s usually why. The trick if you are bitten, is to actually stop that inflammation and allergic reaction developing, so again I tend to sort of say to patients take away with yourself, as one of the essentials, a cream like Anthisan for example

H: Right

R: Which has got an anti-allergic and an anti-inflammatory component to it, which will stop that inflammation in its tracks, so you don’t get the itch, you don’t get the swelling, you don’t get the redness. You don’t want to scratch it, job done. So you’ll get a little mark where you’ve been bitten but it shouldn’t roll on from that

H: Right

R: It won’t sort of spoil your holiday. Because there’s nothing worse than being in the middle of nowhere

H: It’s rotten

R: With an infected bite, trying to find antibiotics down the nearest pharmacist at 5 in the morning

H: Exactly. So that’s something you would use when you have been bitten

R: Yes

H: Is there anything you suggest using to stop being bitten

R: You can – you can obviously get insect repellents, ok, and they do seem to work for some people – not a bad idea at all. Sometimes I actually say though to people actually use some Anthisan before you go out, just to put it on like you put a moisturiser on and that does seem to sort of reduce the incidents of being bitten ok? So a combination of repellents, something like Anthisan, you’re probably not going to go far wrong

H: Ok. I must ask you, I don’t know if this is a slight old wives’ tale or a bit of a myth, but I don’t know if any of you at home have heard of this, but I’ve heard that when you get a mossie bite you’re supposed to create a cross in it to release the pressure in the bite – is that a load of rubbish?

R: Absolute rubbish! It’s a cracker! Absolute rubbish

H: When I’m on holiday not only do I not drink out of taps in the south of France, but I walk around to complete strangers putting crosses on their –

R: And if you rub garlic in it, it doesn’t work either!

H: No that’s vampires! Come on, get it right! Ok so we know all about the bites then, we’ve covered that – do we have any questions about bites before I move on? Yes we do, from Hannah – thanks Hannah she says “I get bitten a lot by mosquitoes but only on my legs. Why is this?” It’s the naughty little short skirts

R: It’s the naughty little short skirts

H: Yes

R: It’s what’s exposed, you get zapped by. I mean it goes without saying you won’t get bit anywhere you’ve got clothes on

H: Yes. Yes exactly. Ok now so what about – hay fever? It’s rotten. Now I only get it very mildly so I wouldn’t say it effects my life all that much. My other half gets it awfully – he’s sneezing constantly and continually, it’s exhausting for both of us – how can you prevent it? Can you even prevent hay fever?

R: You can prevent it and it’s a misery.

H: It is

R: It effects about – in the UK – it effects about 1 in 10 people, adults and children alike. It’s quite a bad season this season, and you don’t automatically have to go off to someone like me as a GP to get prescription medication, there’s lots out there you can take. So hay fever is essentially an allergy to pollens

H: Right, yes

R: It goes without saying. It is seasonal although you can get it 12 months round. Most people between about March and about September, that’s the worst time. So this time of year really starting to come up to the peak. Less common around the coasts, so if you go abroad and you’re around the coasts you’ll actually get it less than if you’re inland

H: Right

R: Because of the sea breezes. So again essential packing, take an anti-hay fever eye drop, an anti-hay fever nasal spray, and you can take an over-the–counter, not sedative antihistamines. So for example with the eye drops, I tend to say to someone go and buy some Opticrom eye drops, it’s called sodium cromoglicate, they’re anti-allergy, just put them in two or three times a day, it’ll stop the eye symptoms which for many people are the worst, you’re rubbing your eyes all the time

H: Yes

R: And you look like you’ve just broken up with your boyfriend

H: Yes

R: You know streaming eyes, red eyes. The other big symptom of course, nasal symptoms. Stuffy nose, blocked nose, runny nose. Sneezing, keeping you awake and making you shattered

H: Yes

R: Ok. And again we can use over-the-counter nasal sprays. The one I tend to prescribe or suggest is one called Nasacort, it’s very, very good, completely safe taken once or twice a day as a preventor ok?

H: Right

R: So you get up on your holiday resort, couple of puffs, you’re covered for the day

H: And away you go

R: Couple of puffs at night, you’re covered

H: Even if you’re not – so if you’re on holiday and your symptoms aren’t too bad, would you still continue –

R: I would still take it, that’s the thing. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

H: Oh I like that! Is that tattooed on you somewhere? That’s a good one

R: Somewhere but I haven’t seen it for some time!

H: I~ like that one. Right let’s go for another question then, thank you very much for all of your questions coming up. Oh this one’s a statement – it says “my best tip is DO NOT USE” – in capital letters! – “smelly perfume when on holiday. The best thing to use is Avon skin-so-soft, winter green fresh dry oil. It’s an industry secret and really great.” Other products are available in that field, I’m sure! So there you go, that was a bit of advice for you

R: So I’ll have to stop using the highly fragranced perfume round the ear

H: If you could, yes. Laura Finnigan, thank you very much Laura from Colchester, oh we’ve got some fans of Colchester here in the building actually. “I’m going on a world tour in the coming months – where I can go to get information” – oh sorry “where can I go to get information about what treatment products I might be wise to take when going abroad. I intend to travel everywhere.” How exciting

R: Well as a general point I get asked this a lot, it goes without saying it depends where you’re going in the world, but it would be a good idea to actually go down to your general practice surgery and go and see your practice nurse, because she will have on her wall a whole list of the areas of the world

H: Right

R: And the hot spots for certain illnesses and problems, and any immunisations and vaccinations and malaria treatments you might or might not need. And if you’re going on a world cruise for example, and you’re not actually stepping off the ship, you shouldn’t need much

H: Right

R: But if you’re actually going on to the mainland

H: Yes

R: You undoubtedly will need some immunisations and the vaccinations, and the trick with those is don’t leave it to the day before

H: Yes

R: Give it at least 4-6 weeks

H: Yes

R: Beforehand. Don’t panic, otherwise they might not work

H: I’ve been naughty and I’ve left it very late before doctor

R: Yes. Yes. I know your type

H: Bad times. Right we are sadly running out of time. I’m going to try and squeeze – can I squeeze one more question in, let’s squeeze one more in from Jared. Jared says “I am travelling to south east Asia in September, what do I need to take with me?”

R: Everything we’ve discussed, all the basic anti-diarrhoeas, anti-hay fevers, all those types of things. If you’re going to the Far East you will need immunisations, ok so get covered. You’ll probably need things like Hepatitis A

H: Yes, yes

R: That sort of preventions. And a basic first aid kit. You know make sure you’ve got the plasters, the small little – it’s worth actually taking some syringes if you can. You can actually get little kits, if you’re going somewhere with high risk. Not necessarily there

H: Right

R: Where there’s high incidence of HIV and hepatitis, you can actually get from pharmacists, you can actually get kits which have got syringes, needles, everything sterile and clean

H: Right

R: Bandages, so if you need something, you’ve got your own supply

H: You’ve got your own little kit

R: But again you might not need that for where you’re going, so just double check with your GP before you go off

H: Excellent. Thank you so much for coming in, thank you for your time

R: Pleasure. Now if you want more information on some of the products discussed today and the map of the hay fever hotspots in the UK and Europe, please visit www.nasacort.co.uk. There is also a comprehensive guide for holiday health hazards which you can download from webchats.tv. I’ll see you next time. Good bye

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