Motion Sickness

When our brain receives the wrong information about our environment, motion sickness occurs.  To maintain our balance, our sensory systems constantly collect information about our surroundings, and send the information to our inner ear, which in turn sends it to our brain to help us maintain our balance. When what we see, and what our inner ears senses, is different, motion sickness can happen. Not everyone gets it, but the symptoms are dizziness, sweating, paleness, nausea, and vomiting. Once you feel the symptoms coming on, motion sickness can be very difficult to stop, especially after nausea sets in. The best time to stop motion sickness, if before it begins.

Home Remedies For Motion Sickness:

Over The Counter Remedy:

Take an over the counter medication, designed to prevent motion sickness, before you ever begin an activity you know could give you motion sickness.  Give it an hour to get into your system, and take it as directed, especially if you know you are prone to motion sickness.

Avoidance:

Leave nursing the sick to someone else.  It's a common for everything to be fine until someone gets sick.  It's the domino theory in action, one by one, everyone gets sick.   As mean as it may sound, try to ignore others who are sick, otherwise you're liable to end up in the same boat.

Watch Out For Odors:

Bad smells like engine fumes, dead fish, or even smelling food can trigger motion sickness.  Moisten a cloth and add a little mint oil or even light body spray or lemon juice, to mask any unpleasant odors.

Diet:

If you have ever had a problem with a certain food, it is more likely to cause motion sickness, and should not be eaten before or during traveling.  Keep your head especially still, while traveling.  Your movement sensors are already confused and lots of head movement will only make it worse.

Positioning:

In a car, either drive, or sit in the front seat, and focus on the road or the horizon ahead.  Looking down or to the side, causes motion sickness.

Ginger Root:

Taking ginger root for motion sickness dates back hundreds of years, and a recent experiment showed that two powdered ginger root capsules were more effective than a dose of a popular motion sickness medication in preventing motion sickness.  It is believed that ginger works by absorbing acids, and blocking nausea in your gastrointestinal tract.

Olives:

The early stages of motion sickness cause you to produce excess saliva, which adds to the feelings of nausea.  Olives produce chemicals called tannins; which make your mouth dry, so eating olives at the first hint of nausea can help.