Health News and Tips:

How Do I Stop My Ears From Hurting On Airplanes?

 Before boarding a plane, keeping your nasal passages as clear as possible is important. If you have a cold, make sure to blow your nose thoroughly and consider rinsing it with saline. 

Chewing gum vigorously, even aggressively, with your mouth wide open can help, as it engages the palate muscles to open the Eustachian tube. 

Sipping small amounts of water or sucking on a hard candy can also be effective. 

Another technique to equalize pressure is the Valsalva maneuver, which involves closing your mouth, pinching your nose, and gently exhaling. This maneuver can help open the Eustachian tube, allowing air to enter the ear and making pressure changes less uncomfortable. (This one is my go-to and usually works well for me).

The Power Of Walking:

Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: 

Every day, I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. 

Even if one were to walk for one's health and it was constantly one station ahead—I would still say: Walk! 

Besides, it is also apparent that in walking, one constantly gets as close to well-being as possible, even if one does not quite reach it—but by sitting still, and the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. Health and salvation can be found only in motion... if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right."

Source: Letters and Documents (hat tip to Dylan O'Sullivan)