A Family Doctor's Tale - MOTION SICKNESS

DOC I HAVE MOTION SICKNESS

Motion sickness is very common in people who are are very sensitive to traveling.

Somehow the body , the eye and the organ of balance in the inner ear  send conflicting signals to the vomiting center in the brain.

As a result nausea and vomiting occurs during the travel in a car, ship or airplane.

Many patients often get medicines such as stemetil, cyclizine or dimenhydrinate from the family doctor or scolopamine transdermal patch from the pharmacy before traveling.


Motion Sickness is nausea and vomiting occurring when traveling on land, sea, air or in space or precipitated by any movement of the body.

The movement of the body send an impulse in the vestibular body (organ of balance in the inner ear) which travel through a nerve to the vomiting center in the medulary reticulum.

The risk of getting Motion Sickness is:


1.One third of population has great susceptibility
One third react only to rough condition
One third had little or no difficulty

2.Younger children and infants are more susceptible becoming more tolerant with increasing age.

3.Overindulgence in food and alcohol may increase susceptibility

4.Position in a vehicle may increase the Motion Sickness:
back of cars
below deck in a boat
tail end of airplane

5. Reading and looking out the side of a moving vehicle may precipitate attack.

6.Heightened level of fear and anxiety

7.Poor ventilation in vehicle

8.Psychological factors and stress can cause motion sickness



Common symptoms of Motion Sickness are:

1.Pallor, cold sweats

2.stomach upset with malaise

3.Nausea and excessive salivation

4.Vomiting follows rapidly

5.Dizziness and headache

6.symptoms may wax and wane before vomiting



Complications may develop with progression of the Motion Sickness.

1.dehydration


2.fatique


3.confusion


Treatment of Motion Sickness is by:


In all cases of Motion Sickness,  assessment of the patient's condition needed.
1. avoid excessive food and drinks before a trip

2. Use the favorable position in the vehicle:
sit in front of car looking straight ahead
stay on deck of boat
sit near the wing of airplane

3.take medicine half an hour before trip:
stemetil
buscopan
librax
promethazine
dimenhydrinate
cyclizine
maxolon

4.Apply transdermal patch of scopolamine

Prognosis for Motion Sickness is as follows:


1.Motion sickness decreases with increasing age


2.Motion Sickness response well to treatment


3.May be recurrent

Prevention for Motion Sickness is through:


1. taking medicine before traveling


2. avoiding excess food and drink before a trip

3.certain spicy food and greasy food can make motion sickness worse -advisable not to take them


4.be mentally prepared for the motion


5.Breathing exercises may help to relax and calm the person before the trip