What is Motion Sickness?

• Motion sickness is illness caused by movement in cars and on airplanes and ships. Scientists describe motion sickness as a conflict between the senses. Physiologically, your ear canal, filled with fluid, is telling your brain you are in movement while your eyes are not sending your brain signals that anything is moving. Dizziness and nausea are the most common symptoms of motion sickness. There are many remedies for motion sickness that transcend what you can find in a pill. They include preventative measures such as proper nutrition, hydration and sleep before the trip. Avoiding greasy foods and alcohol and drinking a carbonated beverage have been said to help. Peppermint, ginger and acupuncture bracelets are also used. If you are looking for a motion sickness remedy in the pill, there are certain anti histamines that are said to alleviate motion sickness. Whichever remedy you choose to use, there is no solid evidence that one method is decisively better than the other.
  
  

Over-the-counter remedies

• While there are several over-the-counter motion sickness remedies out there, they address the symptoms rather than the illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the only real way to end motion sickness is to prevent it through behavioral modifications such as fixing on a focal point or avoiding reading while in transit. Because everybody's physiology is different, as are the environments that cause motion sickness, there is no hard and fast rule for alleviating the illness. Repetitive motions such as those experienced in boat, air and car cause certain parts of the brain to trigger nausea and dizziness. These parts of the brain, the hypothalamus, pons and the medulla oblongata, produce excess levels of histamines, associated with motion sickness symptoms such as nausea and salivation. Only antihistamines that actually penetrate the blood-brain barrier are considered to be effective. Most of the medicines suggested for motion sickness are antihistamines such as Dramamine and Benadryl. The medication should be taken a half-hour prior to travel, and can cause drowsiness and dry mouth.
  
  

Prescription remedies

• Anti-psychotics and other prescriptions also work on the hypothalamus, pons and medulla oblongata to alleviate nausea, vomiting and dizziness associated with motion sickness. Phenergan is an antihistamine prescribed for motion sickness, and the anti-psychotics Haldol, Thorazine and Diazepam (valium) are also prescribed by doctors on occasion. The substance Scopolamine is often prescribed for motion sickness in pill or patch form. The migraine medication Verapamil, the seizure medications phenytoin and carbamazepine, the anti-anxiety medication Buspirone (Buspar), and the alternative medication Beta-histine are lesser used remedies for motion sickness.