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New Choices in Natural Healing: Motion Sickness

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Motion Sickness

It’s Detroit’s favorite image for selling sports cars: the slick red convertible on a scenic, winding mountain road. “Take them for a spin in the country in this baby,” the ads seem to say, “and your friends will be green with envy.”

But subject some people to this kind of souped-up Sunday drive, and they might turn green for a different reason: motion sickness.

Whether you travel by car or plane, elevator or roller coaster, motion sickness can make your journey unpleasant. Caused by a disturbance in the inner ear, motion sickness can be aggravated by hunger, anxiety or unpleasant odors such as tobacco smoke. Staying calm and keeping your vehicle well-ventilated can help stop the world (and your stomach) from spinning. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help prevent or relieve motion sickness, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When...

• You have severe symptoms of dizziness that interfere with walking or even sitting up.
You have severe nausea and/or vomiting.
You have a change in hearing and ringing or fullness in the ear.
You have ear pain, discharge or bleeding.

Acupressure

For motion sickness, firmly press points P 5 and P 6, which are near your wrists, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. To find P 5, place your right thumb on the inside of your left forearm, three finger-widths from the center of your wrist crease. Breathing deeply, apply firm pressure with your thumb for one minute, suggests Dr. Gach. Then move your thumb about half of a finger-width closer to the wrist crease to point P 6. Dr. Gach says to apply pressure for one more minute, then repeat the procedure on your right forearm.

For help in locating these points, refer to the illustration on page 564.

Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy

The flower remedy Scleranthus can help motion sickness, says Leslie J. Kaslof, herbalist and author of The Traditional Flower Remedies of Dr. Edward Bach. He suggests placing two to four drops under the tongue and holding them in your mouth for a moment before swallowing. He also says you can apply the remedy topically, putting it on the temples and inside the belly button.

Flower remedies are available in some health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). For information on preparing and administering flower remedies, see page 37.

Herbal Therapy

A scientific study from Britain says that ginger is more effective than Dramamine, an over-the-counter drug, in stopping motion sickness, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. You can buy candied ginger in Asian food markets and chew on it while traveling, according to Dr. Tyler. Or, he suggests, buy ginger supplements (they’re available in most health food stores), then take two 500-milligram capsules about an hour before embarking on your trip and one or two more capsules every four hours while you’re traveling.

Homeopathy

If you feel like your surroundings are spinning, feel nauseated from motion in a car or boat and feel better when you close your eyes, try a 6C or 12C dose of Cocculus, says Mitchell Fleisher, M.D., a family practice physician and homeopath in Colleen, Virginia. Taking Cocculus 30 to 60 minutes prior to your trip may also be a good preventive measure if it has relieved your motion sickness in the past, he says.

Another option for motion sickness is a 30C dose of Tabacum, says Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Edmonds, Washington, and co-author of The Patient’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine. She recommends using Tabacum if you feel better in the open air with your eyes closed.

If you don’t know which remedy—Cocculus or Tabacum—is best for you, Dr. Reichenberg-Ullman says to carry both with you on your trip and take them one at a time. “Try one, and if it works, great. If it doesn’t, then you have the option of trying the next one,” she says. “You’ll know within 30 minutes of taking it if one of these remedies is going to work.”

Cocculus and Tabacum are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Juice Therapy

Scientific studies have shown that ginger works better than commercial motion sickness products such as Dramamine, says naturopathic physician Michael Murray, N.D., in The Complete Book of Juicing. Those prone to motion sickness may be able to head off nausea by sipping Dr. Murray’s Ginger Hopper juice blend about an hour before a trip. To prepare, juice a slice of fresh ginger (about ¼ inch thick) with an apple and four carrots.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

To help prevent motion sickness, or to help control it once it has started, work the diaphragm, pituitary gland, ear, neck and spine reflexes on your hands or feet, says St. Petersburg, Florida, reflexologist Dwight Byers, author of Better Health with Foot Reflexology.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

See also Nausea and Vomiting

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