Thread: Sea Sickness Help

This is a copy of a magazine column taken from the Michigan Out-of-Doors magazine published by the Michigan United Conservatiion Clubs.




Motion Sickness by Capt. Fred Davis

Some people get queasy just thinking about motion sick­ness, but few boaters give the problem a second thought until a guest starts to display symptoms. Unless you are pre­pared, you may need to deal with an unpleasant situation.

If you're on a business outing, about to discuss a proposal, once the seasick feeling strikes your guest, he or she will want to talk only about getting back to dry land.

As the captain of a 30-passenger charter boat, I can attest that motion sickness is very unpre­dictable, hitting landlubbers with little warning. Every season on the water there are always a few cases to deal with. Symptoms can appear on a perfectly calm day, without any sign of rough weath­er or high seas.

Motion sickness, as I under­stand it, is a state of confusion. The eyes tell a nerve center in the middle ear one thing while anoth­er part of the body is sending a totally different message. The conflicting messages reach the brain, creating confusion, and so it starts. Some people merely get a headache or upset stomach. Others become violently ill and can even go into shock or become panic-stricken. Some people fight the feeling off until they can fight no longer, and then become extremely ill.

Numerous treatments may relieve nausea and, if used promptly or prior to conditions that may precipitate motion sick­ness, are quite effective. I have not found one that "fits all" but I will list a few that often work well.

Dramamine, taken an hour before getting underway, is a common treatment for those who anticipate a problem ahead of time. It is not as effective if you wait until the effects are felt, and it could even make things worse.

Although Dramamine is the best-known over-the-counter treatment, additionalOTC prod­ucts have become available. Some of the newer ones claim they do not cause drowsiness, which is the most common side effect of Dramamine. One new product is Bonine, which I have not reviewed. Another I have received a good report on is Triptone. Check with your pharmacist about the newer products.

Prescription drugs are avail­able in the form of a patch. It is worn behind the ear, and cus­tomers I have observed wearing it seem to tolerate it well and suffer no ill effects. Check with your medical doctor in advance if you wish to use the patch because of the requirement of a prescription.

Sea bands such as theQueaz-Away Band by Davis are simple, elastic accu-pressure wrist bands (similar to sport bands). They can be helpful if applied to both wrists as soon as symptoms occur. A small, ball-like object woven into the band needs to make contact in the center of the underside of the wrist about two fingers below the base of the palm. The bands come with directions that explain their use.

They don't work for everybody, such as youngsters with small wrists, but I have observed cus­tomers go from violently ill to reeling in fish with no signs of illness in a matter of 30 minutes after applying the bands. I have been told they also are effective for bouts of morning sickness. The bands are available at most sporting goods outlets.

Relief Band™ is a fairly new product for seasickness and may be a good choice for the person who goes boating frequently. It is a drug-fee, PDA-approved electronic device. You wear it on one wrist as you would a watch. A drop of gel is applied on the skin prior to strapping the face of the device under the wrist. An electronic pulse is sent from the battery enclosed and a slight tingle is felt. I have not used or observed the use of this device on a customer; more information can be obtained at www.reliefband. corn.

If you or your guests know ahead of time that you may suffer motion sickness, you may wish to pay close attention to what you eat. Bacon, sausage, and other greasy foods as well as bananas are known to bring on seasickness. Colas and ginger ale are often thought to help relieve the after-effects of motion sickness, but they are not a deterrent. Some wanting to ward off the queasy feeling eat soda crackers;
others try pretzels with good suc­cess. Natural remedies are plenti­ful, and perhaps the oldest natu­ral remedy for motion sickness is ginger. I have seen ginger candy and gingersnap cookies work for many. That's one of those "try it, you'll like it" treatments.

Another trick that works in some cases is having the ill per­son look at a fixed object, away from the water. I have also observed massage of the temples as a measure to relieve motion sickness effects.

If you take guests out on your boat, you may want to be ready for the worst. I carry the Davis Queaz-Away Bands™ but ginger-snaps make a fine snack if you stay out too long and the discomfort is just hunger pangs.

All of the above is good advise but... I highly recommend Bonine. I have been using it for many years and works great No side effects, does not make one sleepy, and no problems with drinking my champagne
I usually start taking it about 24 hours before I leave just to get it into my system so that means I will start taking a Bonine in about 84 hours

My wife and daughter have gotten great results with Seabands.

Even after feel very ill, the symptons were gone in just a few minutes.

John, my wife uses the sea bands too, with great results.

I'm trying ginger pills for my deep sea fishing in Cosumel. I saw this on the Discovery Channel show,"Myth Busters". They found 2 fellows that had serious sea sickness problems. They tried a few different things, but the best 2 were ginger pills, and Damamine, but the Damamine made them very drowsy. Adam, one of the hosts of the show said he will definately use ginger pills in the future. I have also heard that Bonine works without the drowsiness. It's worth a try.:headbang2

I use Ginger pills. They are even good here at home when I've eaten too much. Yep I was taking then during Thanksgiving and Christmas! Most likey need to take them this Sunday.

Here is a great link that will tell you just about all you need to know about sea/motion sickness...


http://seasickness.co.uk/

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Very good reading. I think the most important thing to remember is to take whatever your going to take, Before you start feeling sick. I'm going to take ginger pills an hour or two before I get on the boat for deep sea fishing.

Oh, no...now I'm beginning to worry!! I usually don't get sea sick but last year we had a pretty rough ride down to the Caribbean. I am adding this to my info list...

Location of cabin can have influence on seasickness. If I was seasick prone I would always try get cabine in midship lower decks where movement is smallest.