Dear Dr. Mirkin: Is there any way to prevent sea sickness
without
medication?
Slow, deep breathing can help control motion sickness.
Two major organs control balance: your eyes and your inner ear.
Motion sickness occurs when your eyes and your balance apparatus
in your inner ear don’t agree, causing nausea, vomiting, rapid
breathing, headache, dizziness, sweating, weakness and inability
to concentrate. For example, reading a book tells you that you
are still, while being tipped in a boat tells you that you are
moving, confusing your brain and making you sick.
Some people can prevent motion sickness by not using
their eyes when they are on a boat or plane or by looking at the
waves so their eyes agree with their ears telling them that they
are moving. Sometimes attacks can be prevented by taking
over-the-counter Benadryl one hour before getting on a boat or
applying a special skin patch containing scopolamine four hours
beforehand. Ginger can also be helpful. Prevention is best,
because once you suffer a headache, nausea or dizziness, no
medication is particularly effective in controlling your symptoms