Do you ever feel like you’re sick after airplane travel and chalk it up to a virus caught while on board? You may be reacting to the pesticides that are now used in most airplanes. The symptoms can include sinus pressure, headaches, hoarseness, difficulty breathing, prolonged fatigue, aching muscles and joints, and heightened sensitivity to chemicals.

Recently I was on a trip to Thailand. When I got back I felt exhausted—beyond the usual fatigue attributed to jet-lag. Even after many days passed, I continued to feel tired, brain-fogged, and uncharacteristically irritable. Then I remembered the pesticides that are used in the airplanes and realized I would need to devote some time to detoxification in order to get my vitality and sense of well-being back on track.

Spraying pesticides is a routine procedure now used in most aircraft to prevent insect-borne disease. The process has been named disinsection, a word created by the World Health Organization.

According to the WHO website, certain aircraft cabins are sprayed with an insecticide immediately before takeoff, while passengers are on board. This method is more commonly found on international flights. Alternatively, just before the passengers board the plane, the interior of the aircraft is sprayed with a long-acting aerosolized insecticide. The insecticide is applied to all surfaces, except those in the food preparation areas. Often the scent is masked so it is not recognized as being from a pesticide.

Before you travel, you could call your airlines and ask what method of pesticide application is used.

If you’ll be flying internationally and you’d like to know more about airline policies on pesticides, the US Department of Transportation provides a detailed overview of what to expect under the subject “Aircraft Disinsection Requirements.” The online site will tell you which countries require aerosol spraying of inbound flights while passengers are onboard.

There is an on-going debate over the potential dangers of spraying versus the dangers of airborne diseases carried by insects. Some environmental groups are pushing for mechanical methods of pest control onboard, but so far, they have not been able to make any changes in pest policies.

The pesticides most commonly used are pyrethroids, a synthetic version of pyrethrum, a substance derived from chrysanthemum flowers. Sounds pretty benign, doesn’t it? Well, actually, pyrethroids are neurotoxins and can result in chronic, debilitating symptoms in genetically susceptible people.

Pyrethroids kill insects by disrupting their nervous system. Since we share some of the same DNA as the insects, we have the potential to have our own nervous systems disrupted as well. The most well-known pyrethroid is Permethrin.

While the WHO claims that they found no evidence that the insecticide sprays are harmful to human health when used as recommended, there are thousands of people who have been sickened—and even permanently disabled—by the pesticides, especially flight attendants and pilots who spend extended periods of time in enclosed and poorly-ventilated cabins. There have been multiple studies that have linked recurrent pyrethroid exposure to Parkinson’s Disease.

So, if you’re a frequent flyer, what can you do about the potential risks of repeated pesticide exposures—besides contacting the airlines and urging them to switch to a nontoxic form of pest control?

You might consider wearing a charcoal-impregnated mask to keep from inhaling the pesticide vapors when they are sprayed while you’re on board. These vapors have direct access to your brain through the olfactory nerve that ends in your limbic system. Since most surfaces are sprayed as well, the mask will not prevent absorption through the skin.

Dry sauna is a fast and effective way to remove chemicals. Infra-red sauna is useful for people who don’t tolerate the high temperatures of standard dry saunas.

Here are some guidelines for using an infra-red sauna:

• Begin at a low temperature, like 120 degrees, and only stay in the sauna 10 minutes the first time to see how you do. If you feel extra tired or have a headache the next day, then you need to proceed slowly, increasing the time and temperature in tiny increments. The sauna is so effective at removing toxins through the sweat that we don’t want to overload the liver and kidneys with the chemicals that are being released.

• Drink 2 to 3 glasses of water while in the sauna. It’s important to stay well-hydrated to protect your kidneys from being harmed by the toxins they are filtering. You can add sugar-free electrolytes to the water.

• Be sure to take minerals during a sauna program because the act of sweating will cause you to lose minerals. The best minerals are food-based. I use MegaFood balanced minerals and take extra MegaFood zinc. In addition, I recommend you take extra magnesium since magnesium deficiency is very common. Leg cramps are one of the signs of magnesium deficiency. Take the magnesium without calcium.

• Avoidance of constipation is essential when doing sauna. The toxins that pass through the liver are dumped into the gall bladder where they attach to the bile that is essential for proper digestion of fats. The gall bladder releases the toxin-impregnated bile after a meal. With constipation, there is the risk that the toxins will be reabsorbed from the intestines into the blood stream.

• Be sure to shower afterwards and remove toxins from the skin with a washcloth.

A more long-term sauna program would be appropriate for those who have had a history of multiple toxic exposures and want to lower their body burden of chemicals.

In addition to the sauna, there are other measures you can take at the first onset of toxic exposures, such as buffered vitamin C. The vitamin C acts as an anti-oxidant, mopping up the free radicals. The minerals that buffer the vitamin C help to alkalinize the blood and bring the pH back to neutral. Toxins tend to acidify the blood which in turn creates inflammation. Take 1000 mg of buffered vitamin C every hour for 12 hours. If you get loose stools or abdominal cramps, cut down on the dose and take the capsules less frequently.

Liver support is important after toxic exposures. Foods that are especially helpful are vegetables from the cruciferous family, along with onions and garlic. They are rich in sulfur, a mineral that’s essential in the liver’s detox system. Eat whole, unprocessed organic foods. Avoid genetically-modified foods, sugars, alcohol, and milled grains during this time of cleansing.

The supplements that support the liver in clearing toxic chemicals include liposomal glutathione, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), milk thistle, and R-lipoic acid. Take these supplements for at least a month.

To clean the colon after a toxic exposure, take bentonite clay with psyllium husks once a day for three days. The bentonite clay strongly binds to the toxins in the intestines. The psyllium husks bulk up the stools to facilitate excretion. Be sure to drink adequate water and follow the instructions on the bottle. Take the bentonite clay two hours away from food and supplements.

You might consider three or four days of fresh vegetable juicing to get your system back on track.

Movement is important in the detox protocol. Without movement, the lymphatic system cannot remove the toxins because it is a passive system and requires the contraction of muscles to move the lymph through the body. Yoga and jumping on a rebounder (mini trampoline) are two ways to move the lymph. Walking is helpful, but you would need to include movement of the upper body in order to drain the lymph above the waist.

In summary, after exposure to toxic chemicals, you need to pee them out, poop them out, sweat them out, and move them out. And you need to support the liver through a healthy diet and specific supplements.

Here’s to your good health!