Montezuma's Revenge or whatever else we may from time to time choose to call it, is, in effect, traveller’s diarrhoea and nausea - and a debilitating affliction it is too.  Holidays abroad were never intended to be restricted to the well-worn trail between the toilet and the bed and yet that is precisely what they become for many people; so instead of resting and relaxing, your body becomes a biological battleground between the pesky pathogenic attackers (the bad guys) and the good guys (whatever defences your system might have accumulated).  Read on - we can do something to fight the foe.

You might be surprised to learn that Montezuma typically affects 35% of all international travellers and on average lasts for three or four days. That’s a pretty large chunk out of your precious holiday; you’d think we’d take all possible steps to avoid it but the reality is that most people don't know how to. You probably arm yourself with copious supplies of anti-diarrhoea pills. Handy to have but, to use our battleground analogy, hardly a weapon designed to attack the problem - more a way (if this particular analogy is not perhaps a touch too near the truth), stick a finger in the dam!  We don't use it until we've already been attacked.

Most of us know to avoid drinking the local water, so we drink bottled water and even clean our teeth with it. We even avoid ice in our drinks and, conscious of the fact that we tend to drink more alcohol whilst on holiday, which will dehydrate us even more than usual in a probably hotter climate, we remember to drink plenty of fluid.  The mistake though, is to put all these problems down to poor hygiene.  It is not. By conditioning ourselves against what we might experience on holiday we are, in effect, laying down our defensive hordes. Who now would go on holiday without the appropriate sun protection? We must also take the appropriate protection for our stomachs and create an environment which is simply too inhospitable for the pesky bad guys to survive in.

Lactobacillus Acidophilus and bifidobacterium are probiotics that, amongst other qualities, possess the ability to lower the pH of the intestines to a point that is far too acidic for many pesky pathogens to survive. In theory, Live Yoghurts possess similar qualities but unfortunately are far too low in ammunition to count and represent nothing more than the waving of a peashooter at our attackers' heavy artillery.

Grapefruit seed extract has the unique ability to safely and effectively eliminate a wide array of potentially harmful disease causing pathogens too. Grapefruit seed extract (found in Higher Nature's Citricidal and BioCare's Biocidin) effectively kills fungi, parasites, viruses and bacteria.  It has been proven to be many times more effective against microorganisms than Chlorine Bleach - and yet we can consume it in effective, non-harmful doses.

These products will undoubtedly help protect you (though we wouldn't for one moment recommend you NOT to take your anti-diarrhoea tablets too). The old adage, "if you can't cook it, boil it or peel it, then forget it!" still applies and could help prevent many common illnesses associated with international travel. Even ice cubes can cause infection, and only bottled water should be used for brushing teeth and drinking unless you are absolutely confident about the local water.

Links to useful products that will help you fight Montezuma are shown below:

Biocare Bio-acidophilus Forte

BioCare Biocidin

Nutri Berberine & Grapefruit Seed Extract

Instead of taking anti-diarrhoea pills, there is the option of taking Bioforce Tormentil Complex

The Chief Medical Officer says he is concerned at the increase in cases of cirrhosis of the liver.
Professor Liam Donaldson says it's due to the rising levels of alcohol abuse among young men and women.

His annual report says cirrhosis deaths have been increasing in men for some time but are now also growing sharply in women.

Official figures show that twice as many 18 to 24-old women as men are drinking at or in excess of danger levels.

The rise in the number of young women drinking heavily is reflected in official figures, which show an alarming increase in the number of young women developing serious liver disease.

Cirrhosis of the liver kills in excess of 1600 women a year, compared to 1200 seven years ago.

Women are also developing liver disease in their 20s and 30s rather than in their 40s and 50s.

The director of Alcohol Concern, Eric Appleby, told the Daily Mail newspaper that the government must introduce a national strategy to tackle alcohol abuse, involving education, public campaigns, counselling and treatment.

He commented: "We need to work hard with kids to make them understand the impact of alcohol".