Throwing Sea Sickness Overboard

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Next time you’re on a boat or ship and those rolling waters make you want to walk the plank, you might want to consider some tips from wilderness expert Michael Jacobs, M.D.

Sea sickness, he reports, can be minimized by:

• Eating a light meal before setting sail, preferably one that’s low in fat and high in starch
• Curtailing the time you spend below deck
• Avoiding reading and other tasks requiring close visual attention
• Positioning yourself near the center of the craft and out in the fresh air
• Snacking on more carb-heavy foods and taking in liquids in small sips
• Casting your eyes on the horizon to establish a stable reference point, or taking over the helm of the boat to achieve the same purpose

Of course, these methods alone might not be enough to ward off the nausea likely to occur, so medications are usually in order as well. Meclizine, Dimenhydrinate, Prochlorperazine, and Promethazine can all treat the symptoms of sea sickness and should be taken prior to boarding.

Natural products can also help. Ginger capsules and other ginger products have been known to relieve sea sickness in some people, and taking a nap can help too.

But what causes sea sickness in the first place? According to Dr. Jacobs, it’s the imbalance between visual and auditory input processed in the balance center of the brainstem. That’s why it helps to keep the eyes focused on something fixed in space (like the horizon.)

“The trick to preventing seasickness is to avoid sensory conflict by coordinating input, especially from your eyes and ears,” he writes in a new report. “Simply put, if your eyes are seeing what your ears are feeling, you will have a great day at sea!”

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SOURCE: Wilderness Medicine, published Oct. 26, 2007