MOTION SICKNESS HELP NEEDED.

[Bob23]

Ladies and gents:
   A good friend of mine suffers from motion sickness. She used to not even be able to ride in the back of a car but that has improved over the years. In September of 2014, I took her out for the first sail of her life and she did fine. Last year we tried at least once but the dreaded sickness suddenly appears and it's the end of the sail. Same thing last Saturday although it was a bit rough. She's tried the bracelets, ginger chews (hates the taste) and has occasional success with Dramamine. Help is needed from the deep wealth of sailing wisdom that resides here at the site.
   I've done some research and found that ginger root may help. And I read on Earth Clinic that honey in cold water could help, too. I've never heard of that one before. I personally have had success with shots of Pepto Bismal but the taste and color would make anyone puke!
   So if any of you characters out there have had success conquering this demon, please get back to me. Hmmm...maybe it's my steering! I hope we can find a cure because she loves to sail. Just doesn't care for barfing all that much.
Thanks,
Bob23

[kahpho]

I had an uncle that swore by getting drunk early and following through until returning to the dock. Sometimes he'd follow through until bedtime, just to be careful I guess.

Of course, no one could ever remember if he got sea sick before he invented his miracle cure so I can't really vouch for his method.

[Bob23]

Hmm...interesting but I'm not sure it would work in our case. I'll try in on myself as a preventative measure. I've told my friend Kathy to eat before we sail. Sometimes she listens...sometimes she doesn't. I wonder what is the best breakfast to eat to lessen the chance of barfing. I've heard that proper hydration plays an important part.
Bob23

[rbh1515]

Bob,
I carry two things on my boat in case someone is prone to sea sickness.  The braclets work on about 2/3's of people, but they have to be positioned precisely to contact the median nerve.  Also, I think its important for the person to put the bracelets on as soon as they get on the boat, before you leave the dock.  I also have motioneaze:  http://motioneaze.com/motioneaze/motioneaze-questions/      I was at a boat show once at the motioneaze booth, and almost everyone walking by was saying how great it is.  Bought some and have had some good luck with it for people on my boat.
Rob

[frank]

Ginger is a natural aid. Start consuming well before leaving...

[Jon898]

Maybe it IS your steering?  Have her take the helm...it will make her concentrate on something else (particularly the horizon) instead of how the world is moving and how she's starting to feel queasy.  It also helps to face forwards and not aft.

Traditionally the only "cure" is to sit under an apple tree with your back against a brick wall - everything else is just suppressing the symptoms.  Some people find success with different suppressants (e.g. if Dramamine is not 100%, try Bonine, etc.), also avoid spicy foods (don't ask me how I know...think Indonesian food before a force 9 across the Adriatic) or large meals.

Jon

[tmw]

I'll second what Jon said and suggest putting her to work. I'm prone to motion sickness, but in rough conditions while at the helm navigating, my lunch stayed down while others waiting for their shift didn't have the same success.

I also find the return to land almost as painful, when my legs keep rolling, even though the earth is still.

Best of luck.

[lkm]

Medical therapies traditionally include Scopolamine patches, Dramamine, or Caffeine + Promethazine.  They all have some potential for side effects.  Scopolamine and Dramamine can cause sedation, blurred vision, mouth dryness, confusion and urinary retention.  Scopolamine is contraindicated with Close angle Glaucoma.    Promethazine can cause sedation, and dyskinesias (weird jerky movements).  But, in most the side effects are minimal, and some swear by these.  These are the standards.

The problem is believed to be the disconnect between the visual signals to the brain and the signals received from the vestibular inner ear.   The exact anatomic mechanisms are not well understood, but the vestibular response to head motion can decline over time (habituate), if a given motion pattern is presented repetitively. For this reason, physical therapy approaches that utilize recurrent head movements and associated visual cues can sometimes reduce the sensitivity to motion sickness in subjects who are particularly prone to this problem.  This may or may not reassure her that it does tend to get better, if she can get through it.  I've read that those that are stuck for some reason (e.g. in the middle of the ocean and cant escape) tell that the symptoms get better after a day or two at sea.  So, you might try many frequent (e.g. every day) small gentle trips then build up if that is an option.   There is a video kit for home therapy http://www.pumamethod.com/ that seems to have some success, but it costs money and I don't know how effective it is.

One therapy I've been wanting to investigate is just using an ear plug in your non-dominant ear.  Sounds easy and makes sense related to the believed mechanism of mixed signals your ears.  Basically, it mimics a cold where the brain may ignore signals.

It has at least a couple of testimonies:
http://www.spinsheet.com/an-easy-cure-for-seasickness/#.V2bQRZMrKL4
http://sundownersailsagain.com/ear-plug-trick-for-seasickness/

If she does try the earplug trick, I'd like to know if it works for her.

Larry

[HeaveToo]

Ginger is a natural aide in preventing sea sickness.  The bands also help some people.

Watching the horizon is also good.  Having them take a turn at the helm will often assist a sea sick person.  It makes them watch the horizon and that helps.

Take it from someone that use to work on a charter boat on the Chesapeake Bay.  Never, NEVER, NEVER EVER let them go into the cabin.  That makes it so much more pronounced.

[mattman]

Here is a link for the all us nerds

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a472991.pdf

I get sea sick, here is what I do. When on other people's boats, I keep busy, try to steer if possible, stay in the breeze when I can, know that everyone gets sick and not be embarrassed, hydrate and eat. On my own boat I subscribe to the theory that my body believes that the reason that my vestibular system and my eyes are at odds is my body believing that I had ingested a neurotoxin (as in food poisoning) and hence the nausea. Therefore I ingest a neurotoxin that my body is well adjusted to which is some form of alcohol. My body recognizes this and says " oh ok, I can handle this with out puking" and the nausea does not develop as badly. It doesn't take much, just a few swallows will help. One does not have to get drunk...for those that feel the alcohol is a bad call due to impairment issues I would offer the insight that a seasick crewman going forward is much more likely to make a mistake than a crew member who has slowly sipped a half a beer over the period of a half hour or so.

Also as skipper if people are getting sick, try changing your heading a few degrees to change the motion of the boat, or alter speed a few tenths of knot. Just getting the exhaust out of the cockpit can make a huge difference. 

[Subsailor637]

I would stick with the Dramamine - you can get a "less drowsy" version.  The Admiral used to have problems all the time; now she pops one little tablet 1/2 hour before we go out and she is fine.  This has been her experience on large sail and power boats on Lake Michigan and my smaller Horizon Cat on Illinois River and Charlotte Harbor.

[NCboater]

Brandt-Daroff exercises were designed for benign positional vertigo and is usually very effective for that problem.  I have prescribed them for motion sickness as well and have had some success.  The idea is to clear particles out of the vestibular system and habituate the brain to the dizziness.  Sort of resetting the brain's threshold for dizziness.  Google them to get directions and diagrams.  I recommend a set of ten twice a day for a few days prior to the trip.

[Bob23]

Gents:
   First, thanks so much for all the helpful responses. On her very first sail, I did indeed immediately give her the helm while motoring out of the marina figuring that it was better if she had something to do. Of course, I took advantage of the opportunity to take some great photos of her during her very first sail of her life! She did fine and once we raised sail, I again asked her to steer while I sat back to take in the sights.

   I'll pass all of this information on and indeed I already have forwarded some of it. She may try the motioneaze. And I may buy her some ginger root. When I was having some weird light headedness and nausea after a trip to Mexico, my daughter made me a concoction of ginger in water. It really worked great!

  I really hope we can conquer this because she loves to sail. Thanks again, mates!!!
Bob23

[rbh1515]

Bob,
Was at WM today, and they had Motioneaze on the shelf.
Rob

[Bob23]

Yup. She found it at Wallyworld and Bass, too. It's pretty common around here. I'll pick some up. Thanks!