home
RSS
June 17th, 2010
01:18 PM ET

Motion sickness solutions

As a feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Doan in Vietnam:

“Why do I always have car sickness and vomit a lot when I travel? Any ways to prevent this?”

Answer:
Doan, thanks for the question. I feel your pain. I fall victim to carsickness myself once in a while. Motion sickness can happen just about any time you're moving. Some people, like myself, get sick in a car. Others can be affected at an amusement park, at an IMAX theater, even when getting off a treadmill! It's all about conflicting messages. Think of it like that. Your entire body is always working to orient itself. Your eyes, your skin, your inner ear, your central nervous system all sending signals.

Here's how it works. Say you're in a car reading a book. Your inner ear, that's the control center for balance, well - it sort of figures out that you're moving. Now take a look at these canals specifically. They have fluid moving through them constantly. And that fluid sort of gives you an idea that, in fact, your body is moving. Meanwhile, your eyes, another key source of balance, see only the page of a book. And it's not moving, oops, a conflicting message. And that's when motion sickness can set in.

I for one get the most sick riding in the back seat of a car. If you’re looking straight ahead at the headrest, your brain starts to get a little confused, and  your visual system can’t keep up with the twists and turns the car is making.  Some people get a little sweaty, get a little nauseated and your heart starts to race.

Some people actually have trained with body sensors to tolerate the mismatch. For example if you grew up in the mountains your entire life-chances are driving on a twisty road wouldn't bother you. So for most people, the more you actually do the things that trigger your motion sickness, the less sick you'll get in the long run.

In the meantime, an over-the-counter antihistamines can help control the symptoms. They get rid of some of the acid in your stomach to take care of the nausea. Simply taking ginger or soda can also help settle your stomach or  opening a window to get some fresh air–that may offer some benefit. But what you really need to do is get behind the wheel and drive the car yourself when available. Now you're in control and your eyes and your ears are all matching up and you can handle all those twists and turns.


soundoff (925 Responses)
  1. Sprinter Diesel Repair

    https://advisor.wmtransfer.com/SiteDetails.aspx?url=https://ocrv.online

    June 29, 2021 at 09:56 | Report abuse | Reply
  2. RV Repair Near Me

    http://2ch-ranking.net/redirect.php?url=https://ocrv.guru

    June 29, 2021 at 11:44 | Report abuse | Reply
  3. RV Repair Shops Near Me

    http://adserverv6.oberberg.net/adserver/www/delivery/ck.php?ct=1&oaparams=2__bannerid=2__zoneid=35__cb=88915619fa__oadest=http://ocrv.art

    June 29, 2021 at 13:48 | Report abuse | Reply
  4. Sprinter Van Dent Repair

    http://www.hvg-dgg.de/veranstaltungen.html?jumpurl=https://fleettruckrepairshop.com/

    June 29, 2021 at 18:33 | Report abuse | Reply
  5. Camper Repair Near Me

    Hello there! This blog post could not be written any better! Going through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I most certainly will forward this information to him. Fairly certain he'll have a good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

    https://ad.hvacr.cn/go.aspx?url=ocrvparts.com

    June 29, 2021 at 20:27 | Report abuse | Reply
  6. RV Repair Mission Viejo

    http://www.toushi-gamble-ranking.com/redirect/blog/190/?u=http://ocrvluxurycoaches.com/

    June 29, 2021 at 22:21 | Report abuse | Reply
  7. RV Repair Near My Location

    http://click.mobile.conduit-services.com/storeLink/?url=https://ocrv.info

    June 30, 2021 at 00:47 | Report abuse | Reply
  8. RV Repairs Near My Location

    Next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won't fail me as much as this one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I truly believed you would probably have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you could possibly fix if you weren't too busy searching for attention.

    https://drunkenstepfather.com/out.php?https://ocrv.life/

    June 30, 2021 at 02:03 | Report abuse | Reply
  9. Nearby RV Repair

    https://www.sporteasy.net/redirect/?url=https://ocrvmotorsports.life

    June 30, 2021 at 02:49 | Report abuse | Reply
  10. Sprinter Van Rooftop A/C Leak Repair

    http://dscottb.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=fleetvehiclerepairshop.com/

    June 30, 2021 at 04:07 | Report abuse | Reply
  11. Sprinter Repair Costa Mesa

    https://de.paltalk.com/client/webapp/client/External.wmt?url=http://www.ocrv.xyz

    June 30, 2021 at 05:24 | Report abuse | Reply
  12. Van Dent Repair Shop

    I want to to thank you for this excellent read!! I certainly loved every bit of it. I've got you book marked to check out new things you postÖ

    https://go.flx1.com/click?id=1&m=11&pl=113&dmcm=16782&euid=16603484876&out=http://fleetvehiclerepairshop.com/

    June 30, 2021 at 06:00 | Report abuse | Reply
  13. RV Repairs Near Me

    Iím impressed, I have to admit. Rarely do I encounter a blog thatís equally educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The issue is something which too few folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I came across this in my search for something regarding this.

    http://www.talad-pra.com/goto.php?url=https://ocrvcenter.info

    June 30, 2021 at 06:12 | Report abuse | Reply
  14. RV Repair

    https://www.stenaline.co.uk/affiliate_redirect.aspx?affiliate=tradedoubler&url=https://ocrvshop.com

    June 30, 2021 at 08:32 | Report abuse | Reply
  15. RV Repair

    http://menedzserpraxis.hu/sharing/?menu=email&url=http://ocrvcenter.com

    June 30, 2021 at 08:51 | Report abuse | Reply
  16. RV Repair Mission Viejo

    https://www.mf-shogyo.co.jp/link.php?url=http://ocrvmotorcoachsales.com/

    June 30, 2021 at 09:17 | Report abuse | Reply
  17. Conversion Van Repair

    https://www.vacationsfrbo.com/redirect.php?property_id=27796&website=https://campervanrepairshop.com/

    June 30, 2021 at 09:23 | Report abuse | Reply
  18. Van Repair Near Me

    http://gonzo.kz/banner/redirect?url=https://fleetrepairshops.com/

    June 30, 2021 at 10:57 | Report abuse | Reply
  19. Sprinter Repair Orange County

    You are so cool! I don't think I've truly read through anything like that before. So great to discover someone with some unique thoughts on this issue. Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This web site is one thing that is needed on the web, someone with some originality!

    https://www.pastis.org/jade/cgi-bin/reframe.pl?https://ocrvart.com

    June 30, 2021 at 13:14 | Report abuse | Reply
  20. Internet Marketing Companies Near Me

    After exploring a few of the blog posts on your site, I honestly like your technique of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my website too and tell me your opinion.

    https://jimwrightonline.com/php/tcpdf_php4/serverData.php?a%5B%5D=<a+href=https://www.bulknearme.com/

    June 30, 2021 at 14:08 | Report abuse | Reply
  21. Douglas Ostrye

    I really enjoy looking at on this internet site, it holds great posts. "Never fight an inanimate object." by P. J. O'Rourke.

    May 13, 2022 at 07:54 | Report abuse | Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Leave a Reply to Sprinter Repair Shop Near Me


 

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

Advertisement
About this blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.