Other Names:
Car Sickness, Sea Sickness

Symptoms:
Nausea, excessive salivation, vomiting, cold sweat, queasy feeling, stomach churning. Possible dizziness, sometimes fainting.

Cause:
The semicircular canals in the inner ears detect your vertical position. When there is too much jostling back and forth, movement which you do not have control over (as when riding in cars, planes, or boats), your sensory system may become overloaded. Since the eyes also sense vertical balance, when what you see does not seem to agree with what your labyrinthine receptors in the inner ear sense, then mental confusion results. Nausea occurs when the brain does not know what to tell the body to do. This weakens the stomach.

The experts say that nausea at such a time also indicates that your liver is not doing well.

Treatment:
• If at sea, lie down and close your eyes. If in a car seat, rest your head back on the headrest, so it is somewhat faced upward. This relaxes the semi-circular canals.

• Charcoal tablets may help settle the stomach.

• Ginger capsules are highly recommended.

Prevention:
• Prevention is the best. Do not eat heavily processed meals, drink liquor, or eat junk food. Some people do well eating a few whole-grain crackers before and during the trip. Avoid smoke and food odors. Stay cool, and get fresh air!

• You may wish to take 5 charcoal tabs, one hour before the trip begins. Another method is 2 ginger tablets every 3 hours, beginning one hour before the trip. Ginger helps prevent motion sickness, by absorbing acids and thus preventing nausea.

• Some recommend additional magnesium (500 mg, one hour before trip) and vitamin B6 (100 mg one hour prior to trip) to relieve anticipated nausea.

• In order to settle the stomach before a trip, use the nervine herbs: hops, scullcap, chamomile, and valarian root.

Here are more preventative suggestions:

• Travel at night. When it is dark, what you see conflicts less with what you sense, and the air tends to be fresher.

• Avoid junk food, smoking, and alcohol. Keep a window open and stay near it, all the while breathing that fresh air.

• Sit still and do not look around very much.

• Look straight ahead. If you are in the driver's seat, you will sense (and have) better control of the movements taking place. Do not read while riding. Keep your eyes on something stationary far ahead.