Ever Been Sea Sick – You’re Not Alone?
What is Motion Sickness? Almost everyone is susceptible… at one time or another. Except when fishing with Captain Woody. That’s the nice thing about fishing with Captain Woody Gore; you don’t have to worry about this problem, because he has suffered with it since childhood and does not fish were his client’s might get sick.
If you’ve ever been sick to your stomach on a rocking boat or a bumpy airplane ride, you know the discomfort of motion sickness. Although it doesn’t cause long-term problems, motion sickness can make your life miserable.
Whether you call it motion, air, or sea sickness; people often experience this terrible feeling from cars, airplanes, trains, amusement park rides, boats or when cruising on ships.
What are the symptoms of motions sickness? Motion sickness may cause one or all of the following:
- A headache
- A pale appearance.
- Nausea or vomiting, or both.
- A general feeling of being unwell (malaise).
- Cold sweating, which means you sweat even though you’re not overheated.
Symptoms usually go away soon after the motion stops. However, in severe cases, it can take a few days for symptoms to go away completely. On extended trips, such as a cruise people may become used to the motion. When that happens, your symptoms often subside. But when you are back on land, the lack of motion sometimes causes the symptoms to return for a short time.
What causes motion sickness?
When the inner ear, the eyes, and other areas of the body detect unexpected or conflicting motion messages it sends them to the brain and motion sickness occurs. Parts of your balance-sensing system (the inner ear, vision, and sensory nerves that help you keep your balance) may sense that your body is moving, while the other parts do not sense motion. For example, if you are in the cabin of a moving ship, your inner ear may sense the motion of big waves, but your eyes don’t see any movement. This leads to a conflict between the senses and results in motion sickness.
The best way to treat motion sickness is to stop the motion. If you can’t stop the motion, sit or lie down in an area with the least motion. In an airplane, try to sit near the wings. On a ship, stay on the deck and look at the horizon. Or, if you are inside, move to the center of the ship.
You also can take prescription and nonprescription medicine to prevent or reduce symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Most medicines work best if taken before travel. The medicines work in different ways. Some are sedatives that minimize the effect of motion. Others reduce nausea and vomiting.
Motion Sickness Treatments:
The following medicines may help prevent symptoms of motion sickness:
- Scopolamine (Transderm Scop)
- Promethazine (Promethegan)
- Antihistamines, including dimenhydrinate (such as Dramamine). Do not give your child antihistamines unless recommended by your child’s doctor has told you to. Be sure to follow the doctor’s advice on how to give it.
People often try alternative methods of preventing motion sickness such as taking ginger or wearing acupressure bands. There is little scientific evidence that these methods work, but there is no harm in giving them a try.
Folks wonder why I choose to guide as a profession when I have a problem with motion sickness. It’s only bad for me when I’m in rough offshore waters, so that’s why I fish inshore and only occasionally travel offshore, but only on calm days.
Having tried all the medicinal products with no positive results, I recently heard about a couple of non-medicinal remedies and gave them a try. Here’s what’s worked for me in recent years. I found a couple of companies that produced products I was able to tolerate. Both have worked for me without any drowsy side effects. Now, whenever I’m fortunate or perhaps unfortunate enough to get outside to fish offshore waters at least I have a couple products that seem to help keep my motion sickness in check and I would recommend them both.
Quease Ease Quease Ease Inhaler Link
Essential oils which have been described as helpful for the relief of nausea include Peppermint, Ginger, and Spearmint. The four essential oils used in Quease Ease are Peppermint, Ginger, Spearmint, and Lavender. Ginger, spearmint, and peppermint are essential oils that have documented efficacy in reducing nausea and vomiting. Lavender is added as an anxiolytic and antispasmodic, both of which contribute to a perception of nausea. Although there is no evidence for the effectiveness of the collective combination of these essential oils, individual studies demonstrate efficacy for both inhalant and botanical forms of the essential oils.
Pirates’ Gold Cinnamon-Ginger Candy – Link
Some further investigations revealed that cinnamon and ginger have been used for centuries as a natural remedy in the treatment of arthritis, seasickness, nausea, taste stimulation, morning sickness and are known for their aphrodisiac properties. These spices were so highly prized that fortunes were made and lost and empires were built around their import and export. Once more valuable than gold, these were two of the most profitable spices in the Dutch East India Company