Is there a cure for motion sickness

Motion sickness is unpleasant for everyone who suffers from it. There are many medications that help with the symptoms of motion sickness, but people who travel a lot might want to control and prevent it altogether.

There are several ways to do that, and they include mind-body therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and biofeedback. There are also other alternatives to pharmaceutical medications, such as herbs, acupuncture, homeopathy, changes in diet, supplements and exercise. The most important side effect of medications for motion sickness is drowsiness and impaired judgment, which is why most of them are not recommended who drive or operate heavy machinery.

However, they are usually useful for persons who occasionally have motion sickness. Most common medications include Scopolamine, in form of a patch that should be applied six to eight hours before the travel, Phenergan, Marezine, Dramamine and Bonine. All of them are supposed to be taken a few hours prior to a trip. As for the nutrition, small and frequent meals are recommended. It is generally advised to avoid spicy and greasy food and to eat saltines, crackers and to drink plenty of water.

Overeating is not recommended as it may promote nausea. There are several herbs that can help with the symptoms of motion sickness. They come in different forms, such as capsules, teas, powders, tinctures and glycerine extracts. Best herbs against motion sickness are ginger, peppermint and black horehound. Both acupuncture and acupressure may cure nausea caused by motion sickness. While acupuncture stimulates healing by inserting fine needles into certain spots on the body, acupressure uses stimulation with a finger to the same site.

The usual point in acupuncture and acupressure for relieving nausea is located on the inside of the wrist, at about two fingernails of length towards the arm. Some homeopathic remedies are proven to be efficient for treating symptoms of motion sickness. Homeopathic remedies are prescribed by an expert after taking in consideration may different aspects of the patient's condition. The most effective homeopathic remedies against motion sickness are borax, cocculus, petroleum, sepia and tabacum.

It is an important to note that different remedies aim to relieve different types and symptoms of motion sickness. Biofeedback therapy and relaxation have been proven to help prevent motion sickness in a study which involved 55 airline pilots, 76 percent of which successfully overcame this problem. Another study included 46 people who applied breathing techniques in order to control motion sickness.

Slow and deep breathing was most effective against anxiety associated with motion sickness, while the results of this kind of treatment on other symptoms beside anxiety remained unclear.