The so-called “economy-class syndrome”—the development of potentially fatal blood clots in the legs known as deep venous thromboses (DVTs)—may have nothing to do with where a plane passenger sits.

HealthDay News, in a story carried by MSN health, said new guidelines from a leading physicians’ group suggested that the class where a passenger was in a plane might not raise DVT risk, but distance from the aisle could. And the reason is movement or lack of it.

According to the story, “Sitting in a window seat is a risk factor for DVT, the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) warn in their new advisory, regardless of whether it’s in economy or first class.”

The report quoted Dr. Gordon H. Guyatt, chair of the ACCP panel that drafted the new guidelines, as saying that how much a person moved around was more important than which class he/she was in. And the experts said those who chose the window seat were probably “more willing to sit for long periods of time being uncomfortable, because you are reluctant to make anybody else move to let you out.”

HealthDay News said DVTs were blood clots that typically occurred in the legs. If the clots travelled through the bloodstream to the lungs, they could form potentially lethal pulmonary embolisms.

Long flights, which could also mean “long-haul immobility, increased DVT risk. The ACCP panel found no basis for the “economy-class syndrome,” but suggested that folks in window seats might be more hesitant to get up and move around, raising the odds for DVT.

Guyatt, a professor in the department of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, said healthy persons should not really worry about DVT because their risk—even on a long-term flight—was considerably less. The guidelines, he said, were primarily for those with more than a normal risk.

The guidelines suggested that people on flights lasting six or more hours should move about frequently and stretch their calf muscles.

Dr. Christopher Cannon, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said people should get up once every hour or two during a long flight and walk up and down the aisle. He said the guidelines also applied to people going on long car trips.

(Visit https://health.msn. com/health-topics/aging/avoid-window-seats-to-cut-risk-for-in-flight-blood-clots-study#scptid.)

Speaking of flying, I hope Gov. Joey Salceda can get the people of Albay to use a uniform spelling of their capital city. I know Legazpi is spelled with a z because it is named after the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. But at the city’s airport you will read Legaspi Control Tower and Legaspi Fire Station.

Even AirPhil has posters at the airport that read “Legaspi to Manila.”

Diversifying

I was quite surprised to learn that Tupperware, always associated in my mind with pretty and colorful containers, now also makes laundry detergent. It is supposed to be eco-friendly, which is what a growing number of consumers is looking for in new products, so I am looking forward to using it. Products like this should help further expand the client base of the company.

Incidentally, Tupperware Brands has adopted the slogan “Better Lives… One at a Time” for 2012. The slogan is supposed to convey the company’s commitment to help Filipinos “achieve progressive lives and let them become a symbol of hope and inspiration for their families.”

By introducing consumer products that will help protect the environment, the company can certainly help Filipinos hope for a better future.

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