Feeling Anxious*

Everyone gets a little queasy before that big job interview, that test worth half your grade, or that first date with the girl you've been eying since November.

Everyone gets anxious.

But when anxiousness interferes with daily life? Then you've got a problem.

Main way to tell if you have anxiety? Hands up, anyone?
Surprise! It's that you feel....
ANXIOUS!!

Congrats if you got that one right.
(It's a little more complicated than that, but that's why the blog doesn't end here. Read on!)


But hey. This ain't no joke, folks. We may laugh at the kid who pees his pants every time the teacher calls his name, but for that kid, and tons of other people with real anxiety problems, this is a very real thing that needs treatment. Chronic or problematic anxiety is a little more complicated than feeling a little but nervous about that test tomorrow. It's an overwhelming feeling of total uneasiness that compromises your ability to function.

Signs and symptoms of anxiety
The anxiety centre website (at www.anxietycentre.com) has over 100 symptoms listed! The following are just a sample, but I found them to be the most pertinent

Mental symptoms
- General feeling of uneasiness
- Intense fear (ie. dying, loss of control, impending doom, etc)
- Brain fog
- Feelings of helplessness
- Nightmares, insomnia,or poor sleep
- Intensified emotions or blunted emotions
- Mood swings

Physical symptoms
- Ringing in the ears
- Dizziness
- Muscle tension
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Excess perspiration (super sweaty)
- Inaccurate depth perception
- Tachycardia (heart beat goes up)
- Numbness and tingling
- Shortness of breath and tachypnea (fast breathing)
- Chest tightness
- Other symptoms associate with stress/ adrenaline reactions (fight or flight)

These and many others can often be the result of somatization, where the brain turns intense emotion into real physical problems

Outward expressions of anxiety
- Crying
- Biting your nails
- Doing nothing at all
- Curling up in the fetal position
- Any other bad coping method can be a sign of anxiety. If you're not coping well with a root problem, you may turn to poor sources to relieve all your uneasy feelings. These may include drinking, drugs, whoring around, or smoking.


Why am I anxious?
Anxiety is not a biologic, chemical, or genetic issue. It is a mental and social problem that has several hypothesized sources, as listed below

Knowing why you feel anxious can often help you to manage your symptoms.

Reasons for anxiety include:
- Phobias (irrational intense fear)
- Schizophrenia or other psychotic mental disorder
- Depression (see blog post from July).
- Social anxiety disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Unresolved feelings
- Ineffective coping methods (I just can't deal with it, man!)
- Inability to deal with stressful or adverse events (which is the same thing as above, I just wanted another item on this list)

Knowing where your problem starts is the first step to fixing it. That and acceptance.

So what do you do if you have anxiety problems?
First and foremost, if you get a little nervous sometimes, you are normal. Everyone should experience these symptoms in relation to anxiety at least once. The problem arises when everyday life is impaired.

If I have butterflies in my stomach about writing a test, I should be able to take a few deep breaths, tell myself that I know the content, and then write the test with minimal issues.
However, if I am terrified of writing the test to the point where my breathing is laboured, I am crying, fearful, and on the floor in the fetal position, then I may be having a panic attack, and will need to work out these issues.

Things you can do to minimize or relieve anxiety
- Avoid the trigger (with caution). This can work wonders if you have a paralyzing fear of bunnies, but not so much if you're terrified of the colour red.
- Relaxation techniques such as massage, deep breathing, or meditation. If all else fails, ativan or valium are relaxation medications, but you will need a prescription for these.
- If your anxiety is the result of an underlying medical or mental issue, resolving the core problem can relieve your resulting nervousness.
- If your anxiety is the result of unresolved feelings, consider journaling, blogging, talking it out with a friend, seeing a therapist, or facing your problem (depending on circumstance) and resolve them feelings!
- Research better coping methods. If you are anxious about that test or that date, getting a drink or a hit or a cigarette will not help the problem. You must face it and move on.
- Replace negative self talk with positive phrases. Remember, we believe in you.
- Take care of yourself. Eat right, exercise, blah blah blah. But also remember to take time for yourself to get a massage, talk to your friends, go for a drive, or take a bubble bath. If long term chronic anxiety is an issue, these relaxing activities can take your mind off your troubles, if only for long enough to wrap your head around what's going on.

Remember that anxiety is not the end of the world, even if it may feel like it in the moment.

So keep calm, carry on, and remember to breathe.

The Telltale Scent

Ok. I have a secret to share with you.

Its a filthy disgusting habit, and if my parents knew they'd probably shoot me. I'm a....geez this is hard.

OK. I'm a....smoker.

I can hear you cringe. Sidle away slowly and give me *the look*. The one that says "I'm judging you for your poor life choices." That incomprehensible why?

I get. I'm a nurse (in training) and I know all the health risks. I have cancer in my family, so why am I acting like a moron?

HE DOES NOT APPROVE OF MY LIFE CHOICES

The thing is, and I'm not trying to excuse my behaviour except that I totally am but its never on a frequent basis that I indulge. I promise. I'm infrequently a disgusting human being, and I don't even smoke real cigarettes, I smoke cloves of all things.

The last time I had a cigarette was when I was in Germany, where you stand out if you're not sucking on a tar stick. Heck to them, the more tar the better; to Europeans, a black lung is a good lung.

Until yesterday that is. I'm introverted, so I spend a lot of in my own head. Recently, I've been spending just a little too much time there, and I needed to just escape. Instead of a healthy outlet like I usually utilize, like going to the gym or beating the bejeezus out of a punching bag, or talking to someone, I indulged in my dirty little secret.

Now you need to know this: I hated every second of it. Before, during, and after.

I could still taste my weakness, long after I'd discarded the spent butt, brushed my teeth, and showered the lingering stench away.

But, this is a health blog! So, here's some information about smoking:

1. Tobacco kills about 45,000 Canadians a year. That's more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, car accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisonings combined.

2. There are over 4,000 dangerous chemicals in cigarettes, cigars and pipes smoke. Many of these chemicals are cancer-causing (carcinogen).

3. Smokers are at very high risk for many diseases:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), Lung cancer, Cancer of the mouth, lip, throat and voice box, Cancer of the pancreas, Breast cancer, Cervical cancer, Stomach cancer, Liver cancer, Kidney cancer, Bladder cancer, Leukemia, Coronary heart disease (e.g., heart attacks), Circulatory problems, High blood pressure, High cholesterol (LDL), Pneumonia, Influenza (the "flu"), The common cold, Peptic ulcers, Tooth decay (cavities), Gum disease, Osteoporosis, Sleep problems, and Cataracts.

Cheerful, huh?

As I'm in my maternity rotation I can also tell you that second hand smoke is extremely harmful to children, and an important factor contributing towards SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

Luckily for you, dear reader, society is determined to wipe out this dirty habit, and has been heavily legislating smokers. Alberta's newest distracted driving bylaw means that you can get a $172 ticket for smoking while driving, and you can't smoke in restaurants, near doors, pretty much anywhere.

Got the message Uncle Sam

Also luckily for you, there are tons of resources and programs out there that want to help YOU quit smoking! And if you quit, there's a noticable difference in hours. Seriously, that quickly. For instance:

Within 8 hours:

carbon monoxide level drops in your body, oxygen level in your blood increases to normal.

Within 48 hours:

your chances of having a heart attack start to go down, your sense of smell and taste begin to improve.

Within 72 hours:

your bronchial tubes relax and make breathing easieryour lung capacity increases

Within 2 weeks to 3 months:

your blood circulation improvesyour lung functioning increases up to 30 percent

Within 6 months:

your coughing, stuffy nose, tiredness and shortness of breath improve

Crazy, amIright? Of course, none of this would have happened if you hadn't started smoking in the first place, but I'm certainly not one to judge.

Also, you'd be saving tons of $$$$. With a minimum of $10/pack and tobacco taxes only going up, imagine all the money you'd save once you finally quit! You could buy that thing you always wanted but could never quite afford. Besides, who doesn't like having more money?

Ok, so the best way to quit smoking is NOT to quit cold turkey. I mean, it works for some people, maybe it might work for you, depending on just how addicted you are, and your willpower. However, you should know that this would send your body into withdrawl and shock which is NOT GOOD. Also not good? Mood swings. Yeah, that part is going to suck.

So,

1. Pick a quit day

Choose a date within the next two weeks to quit. Don't wait for the "perfect" day – just pick a date and work with it. Put it in your calendar.

2. Choose two or more proven quit-smoking methods

-Join a support group for people trying to quit. Research shows that people in quit-smoking support groups are more likely to quit for good. (Find out about quit smoking support groups in your area)

-Get individual counseling in person or by phone. You can get counseling in person or over the phone, through a free smoker’s quitline. Both are proven to help people quit. There are free quitlines across Canada - find out about the one in your area. If you prefer to see someone in person, ask your doctor or quitline staff to recommend a counselor. The cost of counseling may be covered by your workplace or extended health plan, if you've got one.

-Take nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The nicotine patch, gum, lozenge or inhaler replaces some of the nicotine you usually get from cigarettes. This can make nicotine withdrawal easier to manage

IMPORTANT: If you slip up, don’t give up. Try again, and again... keep trying until you've quit for good.

3. On your quit date, butt out completely.

-Don’t smoke, not even a little. Toss out your cigarettes, other tobacco, and ashtrays.

Avoid people and situations where you will be tempted to smoke.

If you usually smoke in a certain chair, don’t sit in that chair.

If you usually smoke at a nightclub, avoid that nightclub for a while.

Change your usual routine, so your new routine doesn’t include smoking.

Go for a walk instead of a smoke.

Be positive. Believe in yourself and your plan.

Remember that nicotine withdrawal symptoms only last a short time.

Follow these tips to cope with withdrawal symptoms.

Get help from support groups, counselors and your local quitline

Take it one day at a time. Remind yourself that once the withdrawal is over, you’ll feel better than you have in years. You deserve to feel better…. You’re almost there!

Celebrate your success and give yourself credit! Tell people how long you’ve been quit. It's a major achievement and you should be proud.

So, good luck to ya.

#End of discussion. Period.

Alright ladies, put your latte's down, turn off your Glee Cast remake of Lady Gaga, and please bring your attention to my face [er, words], because this one's for you.

[And guys too if you really REALLY wanna, but I'm warning you...it's gonna get messy!]

We ladies have....lady parts. And once in a while - every 28 days or so - our lady parts like to make us hate our lives by making us bloated, grumpy, hormonal, bloody, [sorry, I had to.] and hurty [hurty is not a medical term by the way.]!

So tell me, what's worse than your monthly visit from Aunt Flo [besides someone calling their period Aunt Flo..]?

No? Nobody's going to even take a shot at it?

Ok then, I'll just have to tell you.

Not getting your period at all.

Also known as amenorrhea in medical language land. [A - the absence of. Men or meno - month. Rrhea - discharge, or flow. Word breakdown courtesy of my greek and roman studies class.]

Yeah. I know. That's some scary stuff right there. Worse than zombies, and bigfoot, and Twilight. Just kidding. Nothing is scarier than a sappy interspecies love story.

But seriously, not getting your period can be because of an external stressor, a dramatic change, or an issue going on inside your pretty little lady body.

So let's get down to business here folk's and talk about some of the reasons you might be missing your period.

You're pregnant!
Congratulations fellow woman, you are with child! Whether this was planned or not, you have a little bun in the oven. To verify if you're pregnant you can take a simple home pregnancy test which tests your level of the 'pregnancy hormone' hCG. It's important to make an appointment as soon as possible with your family doctor. And make sure your baby's daddy knows what he's in for!

Milking!
Otherwise known as breastfeeding. This commonly occurs after pregnancy, hence why it followed pregnancy on my list! Lots of women do not have regular cycles while they are breastfeeding. So if you're pumping out that boob milk [which I highly encourage you do!], don't fret too much if you've missed your period, or it's late. But be on the lookout for other signs of abnormalities in your body. Remember, nobody knows you like you do!

Stress!
How often do we hear this? Stress seems to be the root of all evil causing everything from wrinkles and acne, to cancer, and everything in between. Including irregular or absent periods. Stress does a whole load of work on the body and in the process decreases the amount of gonadotropin releasing hormone [or GnRH] in the body. This causes a war zone inside your body that can be neatly summarized into your lady hormones [FSH, LH, estrogen] are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, or being released at all. Moral of the story - take up yoga or any hobby that relieves some stress. Namaste.

Illness!
Super vague, right? Let me narrow it down for you. It can be short-term or long-term illness! [Good thing I was here to clarify that for you, right?] Main reason - illness puts your body under stress. If you want more information about how stress affects your period please refer to the paragraph you read just before this one.

Medications!
First it was illness, now it's medications. You just can't win! Be sure to consult with your doctor if you are starting a new medication and know the side effects it may have on your body. Also - illegal drugs can have an effect on your menstrual cycle, as well as EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENS IN YOUR BODY. Illegal drugs are not recommended. In fact I would advise against it. [So I'm a straight-edge party-pooper. Deal with it!] Fun Fact! Penicillin can reduce the effectiveness of birth control. If you don't want a baby, tell your man that if it's going to rain, he better wear a hat.

Extra Baggage!
No, I'm not talking about your emotional baggage. I'm talking about being overweight. Now, I know this is a touchy, sensitive topic that nobody really wants to address, but the fact is you have to take care of yourself in order for your body to function optimally. Stomach fat in particular can have an effect on the hormones in your body and cause you to have irregular periods, and in some cases, cause infertility. If you're about to exit out of this screen because you're mad at me for saying you shouldn't be overweight you're gonna love me in a second..

Skinny Bitches!
See?! Skinny girls have problems too! The difference here is you need a certain amount of body fat to have a period, which is why intense athletes and ladies with eating disorders can have irregular periods and infertility issues. Typically a woman needs about 17% body fat to have a period because not having enough body fat has an effect on your estrogen levels. If you do not have enough body fat you will not have a period. Period.

So there you go. Pretty much don't be stressed, pregnant or breastfeeding, sick or medicated, fat or skinny and you will have regular periods. The End.

*Feeling The Crunch

So. It's been a while between blog posts. Isn't it always?
I was thinking; I needed a new topic to help spice up the interwebs; I needed inspiration.

And then it hit me. Literally.
(I know that's an awful pun, but come on, it's hilarious)

I was in a car accident a week ago, which was minor for me, and left poor Jenny needing a major nose job
Rye was in an accident a while ago, and she was okay, but Lucy was toast.
My dad was in an accident a year and a half ago. The Astro van was destroyed. And my Dad's not much better off.

I'm sure we can all count, probably on several hands, the people we know who have been in collisions, major or minor. We do live in Calgary, where poor drivers are stupidly common, so if you haven't, it's only a matter of time. Sorry. I know so many people who are good, aware, smart, and defensive drivers. And they have all been hit by a moron or two.

Healthwise, mva's (motor vehicle accidents) have a variety of health consequences. Everything from the shakes to headaches to broken bones, to whiplash to death (which is an awful health consequence; most often fatal).

General Aches & headaches

Car accidents happen so fast, we really don't understand the full impact until at least a few days after. Concussions are common with mva's, and are the leading cause of headaches. We may also have tensed up in the moment of the crash, leading to muscle tension, aches, and subsequent headaches. Any impact that was forceful enough that you were thrown around the vehicle will lead to much more damage.
-Imagine sitting in the driver's seat and suddenly having your face in the airbag, your arms in the air, and your body off to one side (picture the slow motion truck drop in Inception)-
Such a force will have a myriad of health consequences, all which should be looked at by a doctor as soon as possible!

Whiplash
Whiplash, in simplest terms, is when your head gets whipped back and forth from the impact of a crash. The head snaps forward, then back. In a situation of whplash, depending on the force of an impact, a headrest and an airbag can save your life and your spinal chord, but in other situations, the mish-mashing of your brain inside your head will most likely give you a concussion, and then headaches. More forceful impacts will leave spinal damage, severe headaches, and neck problems.
Sideways whiplash is a whole 'nother story. While doctors and researchers have tons of info on back-and-forth whiplash, sideways whiplash is mostly unexplored territory. The health impacts are known to be severe, but the exact underlying causes remain mostly a mystery. I've heard rumour of snapped nerves, cut off nerves, bone snapping, and calcified ligaments. Anything further, and I'm the wrong gal to ask. All I know is that sideways whiplash is a b*tch.

Broken or Fractured Bones
These are common. Some examples:

• Breaking your arm or leg if you are t-boned on your side
• Breaking your jaw if your face hits the dashboard
• Breaking or otherwise damaging your nose when it hits the airbag
  
• Fracturing your pelvis is common in high impact collisions
  
• Fracturing your wrist if it hits the steering wheel, the dashboard, or even if it directly contacts the airbag
• Breaking practically anything if you are a pedestrian and you're hit by a car (still counts as an mva)

If any breaks occur, treat them like you would if you got them from falling off a trampoline, or being pushed down the stairs; don't touch them, and get to a hospital. And maybe pop some pain meds; I hear broken bones hurt...

Statistically...
In Canada, the government has so kindly given us several statistics which I shall spit all over.

• The number of fatal car crashes has decreased over the past 20 years by 58% (my math could be wrong on that though. Either way, I personally attribute this to better cars, and not to better drivers)
• Only about 50% of fatalities and injuries were to drivers out of all crashes in 2009. That means that the other half were pedestrians, passengers, cyclists, or motorcyclists.
  
• The highest age group of fatalities and injuries, both driver and passenger? 25-34.
  
• Alcohol use by drivers was a factor in almost 30% of deaths from vehicle crashes during 2003-2005,
  
• Of those boozing drivers, more than 30% involved in fatal crashes were aged 16-24 years.
• AND 40% of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes were 16 to 24 years of age. (Seriously, we young 'uns suck.)
  
• In Amurica, 16% of fatalities and 20% of injuries involved driver distraction; the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes was in the under-20 age group (16%) followed by those aged 20 to 29 (13%). Seriously.
  

So. What can we gather from all this? Mostly that people suck.

Other than that, I hope to spread a bit of a message.
1. Be aware. A sleepy, distracted, or simple unaware driver is a shitty driver.
2. Follow the rules for goodness sake!! Stop at stop signs, intersections, and red lights. I know it seems obvious, but the number of people who have forgotten that and damaged my family members is ridiculous.
3. Be defensive. Even if many of the drivers in Calgary suck, you don't have to. Pay attention to what's happening around you and avoid being in the way of bad drivers. Let them have their accident somewhere else.
4. Don't be THAT GUY. We all know THAT driver. Don't be him or her. Be better than that. They'll figure out the hard way that being a douche isn't worth it.

We can make the world's roads safer if we all just suck a little less

Feeling Angry*

We have all felt angry.

That bubbling, boiling, welling up inside of you that feels like everyone needs to get the heck out of your way before you punch a wall or kick a puppy.
I think we've all felt that

(But please, I'm hoping that no one has ever kicked a puppy)

Anger is powerful.

Today I was feeling angry. And I thought, "I wish I had a blog so that I could tell everyone how angry I am! Oh wait. I do have a blog!" And because this is a health-y blog, we're gonna talk about the health implications of anger. Hooray!

So. What happens inside when you start getting that vein pulsing in your forehead?
Anger will trigger the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol). The brain sends blood towards the muscles in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires. The mind becomes sharpened and focused (but usually on something bad... puppy kicking or dummy punching, not rainbows and unicorns)

Then, you could deal with anger in a bad way...

• Anger explosions – some people have very little control over their anger and tend to explode in rages. Raging anger may lead to physical abuse or violence, and you don't want to be that person, nor do you want to be friends with that person.
  
• Anger repression – some people think that anger is an inappropriate emotion, and choose to suppress it. However, bottled anger can turn into depression and anxiety (There's a blog post about that too!). Some people vent their bottled anger at innocent parties, such as children or pets. So repression eventually leads to explosions anyways.

Or in a good way!

• If you feel out of control, walking away from the situation temporarily helps you cool down and come back into a discussion with a level head.
• Try to pinpoint the exact reasons why you feel angry and deal with that instead
• Once you have identified the problem, consider coming up with different strategies on how to fix the situation. Read: yelling doesn't fix things.
  
• Do something physical, such as going for a run or playing a sport (exercise is super helpful to lower stress and anger... unless it just stresses you out more, then don't do it)
• Learn meditation or relaxation techniques. Yoga's nice too.
• Make a blog and write about it. If you're not that self centered, write it in a journal or on the closest piece of scrappy paper. Anything to get those thoughts out.
  

Long term anger makes you sick!
The constant flood of stress chemicals that accompany recurrent anger can eventually cause harm to many different systems of the body. Various short and long-term health problems that have been linked to unmanaged anger include:

• Headache
• Digestion problems, such as abdominal pain
• Insomnia
• Increased anxiety
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Skin problems, such as eczema
• Heart attack
• Stroke

How to stop it.
Control your anger before it controls you! Take anger management, see a psychiatrist, take a kickboxing class, start a blog, toke up, vent to a friend, take happy pills, whatever it takes to curb that anger! Life is way better when you chill the frick out anyway.

Don't be an angry bird!

Feeling Nothing*

Okay people. Let's talk something a little more challenging. Let's talk mental health.

Mental Health is the most highly stigmatized group of disorders out there. I know, we don't like to talk about it. It's tough, it's weird, it's beyond what we understand. But it needs to be talked about, because there are people out there, people who seem perfectly happy, who are struggling with something far bigger than themselves. Mental Illness is a monster. But there is hope, there is help.

There are a few categories of mental health disorders, but I'm gonna talk specifically mood disorders, and again, specifically depression. Depression is more than just being sad sometimes. It is a persistent, nagging, deep feeling of nothingness that can last for long periods of time. Sometimes it comes in bursts, silent moments of pure sadness that hit us for no reason. The consequences are ruthless. Lethargy takes over, motivation disappears, and relationships are challenged. Life in general can sometimes feel too painful or difficult to even gather the strength to even get out of bed.


The official symptoms include:

• Sadness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
• Change in weight (This is a secondary side effect/symptom, as the depression can either increase or decrease your appetite, leading to a change in weight)
  
• Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping
• Energy loss (part of over/undersleeping)
  
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Causes include genetic, environmental, psychological, and biochemical factors

• It's complicated. As simply put as possible, depression is caused by hormone imbalances in the brain and body. These tendencies are genetically inclined, resulting in common family histories of mental illness. Environmental causes usually refer to the incidences in people's lives that result in occurrence and/or relapse.

Treatments:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an awareness approach, intended on keeping patients mindful of their thoughts, behaviors, and reactions
• Talk therapy; talking is important. Support is huge. Groups and therapies are available
  
• Antidepressants, or antianxiety meds. These are patient/experience specific. A prescription is needed, so PLEASE talk to a doctor if this is you.
• ALSO. Do not self medicate. This is big. Many people will not know how to deal with the sadness, so they will turn to alcohol, illegal drugs, or OTC drugs. This is a whole new topic, but it is so sad when someone hurts so much that they refuse or do not know how to get help.
  

In the meantime:

Depression is all about feelings. People with untreated depression hurt deeply, often for no logical reason whatsoever. What is so important to remember, is that depression is so much stronger than simple willpower. It is something we should not be ashamed of, and the people who are hurting NEED support. We need to be able to talk about this, because talking about the monster under the bed keeps him away, even for a little while. There is no shame in getting help, because if that's what it takes to get your life back, then get your life back.

If you are hurting, PLEASE get help. Talk to people. Talk to a doctor.

There is help. There is hope.

#Self Medicating

I am flying halfway across the world to a place unknown in 4 more sleeps.

It's not actually a place unknown, it's actually Belarus, which is in Eastern Europe.

But I'm not here to talk about Belarus and all that comes with it.

I'm here to talk about things to bring on vacation with you. Medications to be a little more specific.

We'll start with the plane ride:

• Analgesic (Advil, Tylenol,Asprin) - for pain relief when it comes to any types of headaches or pain that may occur from sitting in a pressured box for 12,000 hours.
• Antiemetic (Gravol) - this prevents nausea and vomitting. And Gravol has the added effect of knocking you right out. So if plane rides make you sick I would suggest it.

Now on to the actual vacation (you might laugh at some of these, but I promise you won't be laughing if you need them):

• Laxatives (Senokot) - in case you can't poop.
• Anti-Diarrheal (Immodium) - in case you can't stop pooping.
• Antiemetic (Gravol) - I told you to take this on the plane. I would bring enough for the whole vacation.
• I would also take Pepto-Bismol to cover all the other bases between your mouth and your bum
• Antihistamine (Benadryl) - you never know what you are going to be allergic to or what will cause a reaction in you. Especially in a foreign country. I would bring oral AND topical. Just in case.
• Any OTC Cold and Flu medicine - Be cautiously optimistic. Bring things like that JUST IN CASE you get sick. I'm not saying you will. Make sure you have something for fever relief as well.
• If you're going somewhere hot I would stock up on some Bactine - it relieves pain and prevents infection from minor burns. Or the staple Aloe Vera gel. Everybody knows about that one. 

I know what you're thinking, "Wow, this girl worries a lot about how my food is coming out of my body. What a weirdo." But you will thank me. Your gastrointestinal system (The one that connects your mouth to your anus) is the first one to be irritated in a foreign place. And you might THINK you're impervious to the reactions I'm talking about but chances are you're not. Because not only is the food different, the water is different. And when you can't poop, or you can't stop pooping you will not be a happy camper I promise you.

I would even bring a box of granola bars in your suit case. Just to be safe.

So there you have it. I'm sure there are a trillion other things you could bring, but this is my basic medicinal packing list for anyone travelling to a foreign coutry!