maven&meddler

I was reading about motion sickness the other day, and reflecting on my own experiences with it - largely as a part of flying low-level search and rescue in small airplanes in turbulent conditions around mountains. I’ve handed bag after bag to big, grownup men in the backseat of a Cessna 210. I’ve also had to deal with youngsters who go queasy in the backseat of a moving car.

The cause of motion sickness, according to WebMD:

“Motion sickness occurs when the inner ear, the eyes, and other areas of the body that detect motion send conflicting messages to the brain. One part of your balance-sensing system (your inner ear, vision, and sensory nerves that help you keep your balance) may indicate 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 cure for motion sickness is to prevent it.

Start with eating a light meal before traveling. I stress light, since I’ve also seen what happens after a huge Greek omelet breakfast. Ick. Having a light meal actually settles the stomach, and if the worst happens it gives your stomach something to expel. Simply vomiting the stomach bile is nasty and hurts.

Keep cool. In airplanes I always make sure to have good ventilation throughout the cabin, and if somebody does start to feel nauseated, point the moving cool air right on them. A cool compress - if available - on the back of the neck also helps.

Cool liquids help, too. Selzter or fizzy water that’s cold, plain ice water, or ginger ale all help

Ginger also helps, but ginger ale doesn’t have enough. You need to actually eat some candied ginger to do any good.

Focus in the distance. One of the surest ways to make an airplane passenger puke is to have them look through a camera lens. Or binoculars. Or looking down reading a map. Look out the window forward, if possible, and fix your gaze on any random distant point and hold it there. If you can’t look outside - say inside the cabin of a large airplane - then look at a point distant in the cabin that is stationary, holding that gaze. Don’t read or move your head unnecessarily. Listen to music and try to relax.

Avoid cigarette or - yikes! - cigar smoke/smell, and also the smell of foods.

Medications also help - especially since they’ll often put you to sleep. The newer ones actually don’t so much. The Sea-Bands (accupressure) are claimed to help, but I’ve yet to see them work on others.

Another strategy: get up in the front seat and fly the airplane - or drive the car. It takes your mind off the sick feeling and allows you to recover.

And, if you’re really worried, carry your own ‘barf’ bag. I make some up for people - especially videographers - who will be flying with me. I just get a large zip-lok baggie and put several moistened paper towels in it. I’ve seen people who need - uh, several of these. That’s why I say skip the really big meal.

The good news: You actually can get over a tendency to motion sickness by following the preventive measures. I had it as a child, but haven’t been bothered by it for years.

Bon voyage!