By: Karl Neuman, M.D. Fasten your seatbelts – family air travel is heading for turbulence. Children are becoming persona non grata in the supposedly friendly skies. London’s Daily Mail reports that several major airlines are considering child-free sections on aircraft and child-free flights. The Wall Street Journal asks, “Will new airline seating proposals create “baby ghettos” in the back of…
Airplane EarLindsay Block, M.D. Many of us have experienced Airplane ear, also called barotrauma, during air travel. Airplane ear is caused by an imbalance in the air pressure in the middle ear space and the air pressure in the environment. Most people experience airplane ear during take-off when the plane is ascending quickly, or during…
By: Karl Neuman, M.D. You need not be under suspicion of possessing narcotics to be hassled by security and customs inspectors at airports. Families have been hassled for merely carrying everyday, over-the-counter medications, have had the medications confiscated, missed their flights and, very rarely, been detained to explain their “crime.” Moreover, once overseas, obtaining medication…
Karl Neuman, M.D. There is nothing novel about infants traveling by air. They have been doing so since time immemorial, long before adults. Legend has it that they were “delivered” by storks, and were never the worse for their trips. Of course, stork flights skimmed rooftops, eliminating concerns of high altitude and accompanying ear issues,…