...your
holiday woe?
The thought of travelling on planes, boats or taking a trip to an amusement park feels some with apprehensive at the thought of the physical side effects. If you are a sufferer of motion sickness you'll know how dreadful it can be.
Motion sickness is your body's response to real, perceived, or anticipated movement. Most will experience it on a moving boat, train, aeroplane, automobile, or amusement park rides.
It is common, though the intensity can vary from being a minor nuisance to completely incapacitating.
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Symptoms can include:
- Nausea
- Cold sweats
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Fatigue
Fortunately, most symptoms disappear once the journey is over.
Why does it happen?
"Motion sickness occurs when the body, the inner ear, and the eyes send conflicting signals to the brain" (Alternative Medicine).
So for example; if you're inside the cabin of a ship, the inner ear may sense rolling motions that the eyes cannot see, and, equally, the eyes may perceive movement on a "virtual reality" simulation ride that the body does not feel.
For a habitual sufferer the anticipation of movement can cause anxiety and symptoms of motion sickness before the event e.g. on an aeroplane before take-off.
How can I help myself? Is there a cure?
Learning how to control and prevent motion sickness using a variety of techniques or therapies will usually help. Finding what works for you will be the key as of course everyone is different.
There may not be a cure, depending on the individual circumstances though steps can be taken to help avoid the general discomfort at the time and beforehand.
There are several alternative therapies that have shown to help both anecdotally and through controlled studies.
Herbs
These can be used in different forms, most commonly dried extracts (powder, tea) and tinctures. Ginger, Peppermint and Milk thistle extracts are all thought to be of benefit.
As a general rule herbs are safe, however it is always recommended to get appropriate advice beforehand. We are more than happy to answer questions and guide you in the right direction.
Homeopathy
Homeopaths take into account a person's constitutional type -- your physical, emotional, and intellectual makeup. An experienced homeopath assesses all of these factors when determining the most appropriate remedy for a particular individual. Remedies used may be;
- Borax -- for nausea caused by downward motions, such as landing in an airplane
- Cocculus -- the primary treatment for motion sickness especially sea-sickness and particularly if nausea, vomiting and vertigo or other type of dizziness are present
- Nux vomica -- for motion sickness (particularly car sickness) accompanied by headache, nausea, and ringing in the ears
- Petroleum -- for dizziness and nausea that occur when riding in a car or boat
- Sepia -- for motion sickness brought on by reading while in a moving vehicle
If you'd like further information about Homeopathy generally or help in finding a Homeopath, please contact the clinic and we will be happy to assist you.
Acupuncture and Acupressure
Though results do vary with these therapies there are several points which can be stimulated with direct pressure from sufferers themselves.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
The goal of cognitive behavioural therapy is to alleviate the anxiety that some people experience by simply thinking about movement or motion sickness. A study of 50 pilots who occasionally experienced motion sickness found that 86% of them successfully overcame their symptoms after cognitive behavioural therapy.
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