Scuba Diving club, Southern
California
Sea Sabres
Combating Sea
Sickness
What Causes Motion
Sickness?
Balance and
equilibrium are controlled by the brain, which interprets information from the
inner ears, eyes and various sensors on the body to come up with a final
decision on where the body is in space. If the information doesn't jibe, the
ears say right while the eyes say left, then the brain revolts and the result
is revolting.
There is some evidence from a 1988 study which suggests that the
up-and-down motion of a vehicle is more likely to make a person sick than
side-to-side motion. Other factors that can contribute to a person feeling ill
are anxiety, fatigue, being overheated or any coexisting ailment.
1) Don't Rock the Boat
Try to stay in a part of the boat that doesn't pitch and rock
very much, such as lower down and closer to the middle of a boat. The bigger
and wider the boat, the less it rocks.
2) Avoid the Exhaust Pipe
Stay away from fumes. Unpleasant odors can trigger upset
stomachs.
3) All Eyes on the Horizon
Above deck, face forward and fix your eyes on a stationary
object close to the horizon. This is a little trick that helps your eyes see
the same motion that your body is feeling.
4) Resting Your Eyes
If you must go below deck to lie down, close your eyes. It’s the
same principle as keeping your eyes on the horizon. It keeps your brain from
receiving mixed messages.
5) Get Into the Water
Once you are off the swaying boat, you'll feel much better, but
stay out of choppy waters. (works best for me)
7) Eat Something
Don't go on a boat with an empty stomach. Hunger can make you
fell nauseous. Try eating bland foods or a light meal before getting on the
boat. Also stay well hydrated. Juices
and water are a great idea. If you
already are queasy, then try breads or saltines and small sips of non carbonated
drink.
8) Rest Before the Dive & Dive Sober
Do not dive if you are exhausted and tired. Fatigue predisposes
you to getting seasick. As well, hangovers can easily deteriorate into
seasickness and increase diving risks.
9) Try to Relax
You may be excited about the dive, but nervousness and anxiety
contribute to feeling nauseous, which leads to seasickness.
10) Recognize the Symptoms
Be on the lookout for early symptoms such as chills and a
headache. If you are aware that you are about to be sick, you can take
preventive action.
Home Remedies
Ginger
About 1 gram of powdered ginger has been shown effective against
motion sickness in double-blind studies. In Germany, up to 4 grams per day is
recommended.
Start dosing the night before a dive; the beauty of the ginger is
it's easy to obtain and had no side effects. You might try gingersnap cookies
instead. Ginger root works just as well as the tablets or powder. Ginger ale
can also be used. Japanese food marts sell pickled ginger slices that can be
used for the same purpose. Ginger: Non-toxic Anti-Emetic
Botanical Name: Zingiber officinale
Plant Part Used: The rhizome
Active Constituents: The dried rhizome contains approximately 1
to 4% volatile oils. The aromatic principles include the sesquiterpene
hydrocarbons zingiberene and bisabolene. The pungent principles include the
gingerols and shogaols.
Actions on the Digestive System: Classified as an aromatic
bitter, ginger stimulates digestion. It is also noted for improving
gastrointestinal motility.
1. Ginger also improves the production and secretion of bile
from the liver and gallbladder.
2. Ginger also qualifies as a carminative herb. Animal studies
in Saudi Arabia show that ginger protects the stomach from the damaging effect
of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen is an example) and alcohol.
3. Ginger is a noted anti-emetic. While most research has
suggested that this action is centered in the GI tract in humans, recent animal
studies suggest that there may be some action on the central nervous system
also.
4. Health Care Applications Motion Sickness: Ginger has been
widely studied as a treatment for motion sickness. A 1982 study found that
ginger was superior to dimenhydrinate for reducing motion sickness (caused by
rotating a chair). The dose of ginger was 940 mg and it was consumed 20 to 25
minutes before the test
5. A handful of studies since have both agreed and disagreed
with these results. One study tested ginger against seasickness in eighty
Danish naval cadets unaccustomed to sailing in heavy seas. One gram of ginger
reduced vomiting and cold sweating. Fewer symptoms of nausea and vertigo were
also reported.
6. A study completed at Louisiana State University with a grant
from NASA is more skeptical. Because motion sickness is common in astronauts,
the researchers compared the anti-motion sickness activity of ginger and
scopolamine (commonly used as a topical patch to treat motion sickness). Using
the rotating chair test, they found that scopolomine was effective in reducing motion
sickness while one gram of either fresh or dried ginger was not.
7. However, during their discussion of the study, the authors
note that the ginger group did have a noticeable reduction in the incidence of
vomiting and sweating but not nausea and vertigo.
Honey
You might also like to try a spoonful or two of honey (take
creamed honey when travelling, as the runny stuff gets everywhere).
Wristbands
Or, buy or make seasickness bands. They are merely elastic
straps you wear around the wrists which press an acupressure point that is
supposedly marvelously effective in
preventing motion sickness.
Phenytoin (Dilantin)
Several divers have written about the effectiveness of Epanutin
(TM), a brand of phenytoin, (Dilantin in the US). This drug is used and
approved for the control of seizure activity.
Dosage has not been developed for the medication to be used for
seasickness - although reports from divers indicate that it be taken the night
before the dive. (South Africa).
There have been several studies where a single dose of phenytoin
[200 mg] was given to volunteers who where then spun around. It seems there was
a significant decrease in incidents of nausea in those subjects that were given
the phenytoin. It seems that it acts on the nervous system of the digestive
tract to decrease nervous activity associated with nausea. That was the good
news, here the is bad news:
1. Phenytoin is a prescription drug here in the United States,
you can't just drop by the local pharmacy and pick some up.
2. It has some side effects that would be adverse to scuba
diving should they occur at depth. These include ataxia, slurred speech, blurred
vision, nystagmus, mental confusion, hallucination, headache and dizziness.
Thus, it would be advisable for the diver to have 'tested' his/her reaction to
the medication before the dive. These side effects may not show with just a
single dose, but the actions of this drug combined with the effects of nitrogen
narcosis need to be considered.
3. There are many drug interactions with phenytoin. Taking this
drug while using other medications may produce the side effects that I
mentioned above.
In the U.S. its trade name is Dilantin. However, this drug is
approved for epilepsy and not for sea sickness.
Various Remedies
Stugeron (cinnarizine) is an antihistamine, as is dimenhydrinate
(Dramamine), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), meclizine (Bonine, and Dramamine II),
and promethazine
(Phenergan), (though this last is also a phenothiazine,
centrally acting antiemetic)
Stugeron - originally developed for use in the treatment of
Parkinson's disease . Is said to work very well for most people with fewer side
effects than scopolamine , et al .
Stugeron(Janssen) - cinnarizine is an antihistamine prescribed
for motion sickness - 30mg before travel then 15mg every 8 hrs.
Another highly touted treatment is Emmetrol, an inexpensive and
readily available remedy with few side effects.
Posted June 19, 2003