Motion sickness can make your travels a real trial
Sunday, May 28 2006, 12:35 AM EDT
Contributed by: R.J. Ignelzi
QUEASY RIDER
QUEASY RIDER - Suffer from motion sickness? There are a few simple steps you can do to prevent it. CNS Photo.Whoever said getting there is half the fun never had the "fun" of
hanging over the side of a boat, stomach churning faster than the water
below.
Studies estimate that a third to more than half of the population's stomachs start rocking when the boat, car or plane starts rolling.
"Some people seem to be more sensitive to motion sickness than other people," says Dr. David Spees, who specializes in travelers' health at the Sharp Rees-Stealy Travel Clinic in San Diego. "But, anybody is susceptible with the right pitch and right movement."
Fortunately, there are now more treatments than ever. They range from high-tech battery-operated devices, to a variety of over-the-counter and prescription drugs and patches, to common ingredients found in your spice cabinet.
TRAVEL TRAVAILS WITH MOTION SICKNESS
The problem is not everyone agrees on what works, and not everything works for everybody.
"Almost anything you do (to counter motion sickness) is going to make you feel better almost half the time," Spees says, noting that the placebo response rate is about 40 percent for motion-sickness remedies.
The miserable malady results from a tangled web of messages sent to your brain. The brain relies on cues from the inner ear, the muscles and the eyes to tell it where the body is in space. When any of these systems send different messages, your brain gets confused, and you turn a ghastly shade of green.
If you're reading in a moving car, your inner ear knows you're moving, but your muscles think you're sitting still, and your eyes don't see anything moving because they're looking at the page. On an airplane, your inner ear senses the motion but your eyes only see the cabin, which appears stationary.
"The brain can't make sense of the disconnect between the eyes and the inner ear," Spees says. "The motion your inner ear is feeling is not the same as what your eyes are tracking. And, this imbalance is what's believed to make you sick."
The effect of this signal confusion first manifests itself with a little queasiness and slight perspiration. It quickly progresses to a headache, profuse cold sweating, increased saliva production and nausea. And, we all know what comes after that.
Age and sex seem to play a part in who gets motion sick. According to a 1998 study conducted by health products manufacturer Cirrus Technologies, babies and the elderly are more tolerant of motion. Those who suffer the most symptoms are children 12 and younger (excluding babies younger than 6 months). And, more women (44 percent) develop symptoms than men (33 percent).
Migraine sufferers are prone to motion sickness, while anxiety, lack of sleep and poor ventilation can also contribute to the illness.
Few clinical studies have been performed showing the efficacy of any motion sickness aids, but there are champions and critics of each one. Finding the one that works for you may be a matter of trial and error.
"If you try one (remedy) for motion sickness and it doesn't work, don't give up. Try something else. They're not all the same, and they don't all work the same for everyone," says Dr. Erik Viirre, who specializes in treating inner ear disorders at the University of California San Diego.
When packing for your vacation trip, along with sunscreen and insect repellent, consider bringing one or more of the following motion-sickness remedies.
- Over-the-counter medications: Common motion sickness drugs including Dramamine (dimenhydrinate), Bonine (meclizine), and Marezine (cyclizine) are antihistamines. They prevent the release of histamine, which dilates blood vessels and blunts the effects of motion on the inner ear, and lessens the confusing messages to the brain.
According to Spees, regular antihistamines most commonly used to treat colds and allergies (such as Benadryl or Chlor-Trimeton), also can work for motion sickness. The downside of any of the OTC motion sickness/antihistamine drugs are the negative side effects: the drowsiness and dry mouth.
- Prescription remedies: An aid especially popular with cruise passengers is the Transderm Scop patch, which looks like a spot bandage and is usually worn behind the ear. Impregnated with scopolamine, a drug that reduces nerve fiber activity in the inner ear, it's released slowly during a 72-hour period. The patch needs to be applied about six hours before travel and can't be removed and reapplied. Scopolamine is also available as an oral medication and is effective for six to eight hours.
The side effects of scopolamine include drowsiness, dry mouth and blurred vision, and it's not recommended for children or long-term use.
Tranquilizers can also help control motion sickness by calming all of the body's senses. They're generally reserved for adults who suffer severe and recurrent queasiness and who haven't been helped by antihistamines or other alternatives.
- Alternative treatments. Both acupressure and acupuncture have successfully relieved motion sickness symptoms for some people.
Acupressure bands worn on the wrist may stimulate a point on the inside of the wrist (the PC6) that may activate the part of the brain associated with nausea relief, says Dr. Robert Bonakdar, director of pain management at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in San Diego.
The problem with over-the-counter elastic wrist bands (SeaBands or BioBands) which are supposed to stimulate that specific point is that they can move about the wrist and may not always target the acupressure point, Bonakdar says.
Acupuncture needles can also be applied to the inside of the wrist to stimulate the meridian, which is supposed to block the nausea reflex. If acupuncture is your treatment of choice, Bonakdar advises starting treatments a few weeks before your trip if you anticipate motion-sickness problems.
- Deep breathing: For some people, basic deep breathing exercises may help prevent or lessen the severity of motion sickness. A simple rhythm of inhaling slowly as you count to seven, then holding the breath for a count of five, and finally releasing it for another count of seven should be repeated a dozen times, or until you feel better.
- Ginger: One of the oldest remedies for motion sickness may be found in your spice cabinet or produce market. Ginger acts as a sponge to absorb stomach acid that your stomach pumps out as a natural reaction to motion.
Ginger also may have some effect on the serotonin receptors which can affect nausea. Bonakdar recommends chewing on a couple of slivers of raw ginger, boiling some ginger root into a tea, or taking a ginger-honey syrup or powdered ginger capsules. Syrup and capsules are available at natural food stores.
Pass on the ginger ale or ginger cookies, since they don't seem to do the same job.
- ReliefBand: This FDA-approved device, which looks like a wristwatch and is worn on the underside of the wrist, uses gentle electrical signals to stimulate the nerves in the wrist. The little zaps are supposed to interfere with the nausea messages sent between the brain and the stomach.
Powered by batteries, the ReliefBand is activated by turning the dial to one of five stimulation levels. The electrical impulse creates a tingling sensation that travels up the wrist through the palm of the hand and into the middle fingers.
Available at some drugstores and at Sharper Image (about $110), the device comes with a tube of conductivity gel.
SIDEBAR
Simple steps lead to a smoother journey
Copley News Service
In addition to the patches, pills, powders and pulsating bands that ward off motion sickness, there are also a few practical things you can do to ward off motion sickness. As summer vacation season approaches, it's best to be proactive, because once symptoms start, they're tough to stop.
- Drive rather than ride. Since drivers anticipate changes in motion, their systems aren't as bothered by the curves and bumps. However, don't drive after taking sedating motion-sickness medications.
- If you can't drive, sit up front. And, look straight ahead out the windshield, not the side windows. The back seat is the worst for motion sickness because there is no focus point. If you must ride in the back, try to position yourself so you can look straight ahead out the windshield.
- Minimize head movement. Use the headrest to keep your head stationary when possible.
- Take driving breaks. Since most people recover fairly quickly when the movement stops, try to break up long car rides into stages. Make stops long enough so you can get out of the car, walk around and get fresh air.
- On a boat, when possible, stay up on deck where the visual cues agree with the sense of balance and motion. Keep your eyes fixed on the horizon, not the waves.
- On a cruise ship, ask for a cabin in the middle of the ship near the waterline, where the motion is minimized. Try to get beds that are parallel to the length of the ship; the rocking is usually easier to handle than rolling.
- In a plane, sit between the wings, where there's the least motion, and keep the air vent on.
- Get a good night's sleep before leaving on a trip. Lack of rest can make you more prone to nausea.
- Make sure you have good ventilation, no matter what your mode of transportation.
- Avoid reading if you get motion sick. Your eyes simultaneously deflect the motion of the landscape in your peripheral vision, which may make you queasy.
- Eat lightly. Avoid fatty, spicy, salty and strong-smelling food.
- Don't drink alcohol or smoke.
- R.J. Ignelzi
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