Sea Sickness - Motion Sickness
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The efficacy of Ginger rhizome (ginger root) for the prevention of nausea, dizziness, vertigo and vomiting associated with sea and motion sickness has been well documented and proven beyond a doubt in numerous non-reproachable clinical studies. Our recipe of vitamins, botanical extracts and other nutrients further enhance ginger’s intrinsic benefits.
What it Seasickness:
Seasickness happens when the body, inner ear, and eyes all send different signals to the brain, resulting in confusion and queasiness. The problem generally is attributed to the inner ear (vestibular) balance system. The motion of the boat swaying and pitching sets off the conflicting alarm signals to the brain causing nausea, headache, dizziness, and sometimes vomiting. Medical research indicates that motion sickness affects up to 90% of the population to some degree. For many the problem is recurrent and severe. While the degree of susceptibility varies widely, almost no one is immune, given the right stimulus of duration.
Symptoms:
The first signs are usually pallor, yawning, restlessness, and a cold sweat that forms on the upper lip and forehead. As the symptoms increase, upset stomach, dizziness, fatigue, and drowsiness may occur. In the final stage, if the stimulus from the movement is uninterrupted, nausea and vomiting are likely to result.
Treatment:
There are a variety of anti-motion drugs and pills, prescription and over the counter, on the market. The list of side-effects reads not unlike many of the symptoms of motion sickness, the affliction the drugs are supposed to fix.
Recommended Usage:
For best results drink one can prior to departure.
If you know for sure from experience that you definitely will be sick in this situation, drink a can 30 minutes or so before your trip. Otherwise, take some along with you and when/if nausea occurs, simply drink one can, and then as needed. It will significantly help and reduce your seasickness.
Smooth Sailing eases the discomfort associated with travel and stimulates digestion to promote gastrointestinal comfort*.
Caution
Consult your doctor or healthcare professional before use if you are pregnant or have gallstones.
Use
Ginger is registered as an OTC drug for use in nausea and travel sickness in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland.
Mayo Clinic Study
April 19, 2001 Complementary & alternative medicine center.
Studies show ginger may be effective for preventing nausea associated with seasickness, motion sickness and anesthesia. Take 30 minutes prior to any activity that may cause these types of nausea. However one study found ginger to be helpful in treating people who were already seasick.
Clinical studies references
From PubMed- National Library of Medicine
British Journal Anaesthesia, 2000 Mar;84(3):367-71
Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.
Ernst E, Pittler MH.
Department of Complementary Medicine, School of postgraduate Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, UK.
One study was found for each of the following conditions: seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy- induced nausea. These studies collectively favored ginger over placebo.
Journal Travel Medicine 1994 Dec 1;1(4): 203-206
Comparison of seven commonly used agents for prevention of sea sickness.
Schmid R, Schick T, Steffen R, Tschoop A, Wilk T.
Object of the study was to compare efficacy and tolerability of the seven drugs frequently used for the prevention of seasickness were cinnarizine, cinnarizine with domperidone, cyclizine, dimenhydrinate with caffeine, ginger root, meclozine with caffeine and scopolamine. Subjects were 1741 tourist volunteers who were to join a whale safari.
Results showed Ginger root was as effective as the other medications for seasickness.
Journal Acta Otolaryngol 1988 Jan-Feb;10591-9
Ginger root against seasickness. A controlled trial on the open sea.
Grontved A, Brask T, Kambskard J, Hentzer E.
Department of Oto-Rhino- Laryngology, Swendborg Hospital, Denmark.
Ginger root reduced the tendency to vomiting and cold sweating significantly better than placebo did. Remarkably fewer symtoms of nausea and vertigo were reported after ginger root ingestion. Test was on 80 naval cadets, unaccustomed to sailing in heavy seas reported during voyages on the high seas.
Lancet (England’s prestigious Medical Journal) 1982 20:655-667
Mowrey, D.B., Clayson D.E.
Motion Sickness, Ginger and Pyschophysics.
Ginger was found superior to dimenhydrinate (found in Dramamine) for reducing motion sickness.
More about Sea Sickness
Nausea comes from the ancient Greek word "naus" meaning "ship".
Sea sickness is caused by a mismatch of the information from your eyes and ears. Forward motion combined with up and down motion, or side to side motion causes this illness. Your inner ear regulates balance, and when you get contradictory signals, your brain get disoriented, causing nausea. According to some federal heath authorities, sea sickness (motion sickness) is greatest between the ages of 3 and 12. It affects 58% of children. Women are more susceptible than men, and the problem declines with age. Boats cause the worst problems, followed by planes, cars, and trains.
Symptoms and Time Course:
The development of symptoms follows an orderly sequence that varies with the intensity of the stimulus and the susceptibility of the individual. The initial symptom is usually discomfort around the upper abdomen ("stomach awareness"), which is followed by nausea and increasing malaise. Concurrently, the face or area around the mouth becomes pale, and the individual starts to sweat. With rapid worsening of symptoms ("avalanche syndrome") there can be increased salivation, feelings of body warmth, a lightness of the head, and often depression and apathy. Vomiting typically follows.
Additional symptoms are frequent but more variable. These include belching and flatulence, hyperventilation, sighing and yawning, headache, tightness around the forehead or a "buzzing" sensation, drowsiness, lethargy and somnolence, and panic or confusion. The lethargy, fatigue, and drowsiness can persist after the stimulus stops and nausea lessens.
Incidence and Risk Factors
The incidence of motion sickness varies, depending on the magnitude of the stimulus and the susceptibility of the individual. It ranges from < 1% on a large aircraft to almost 100% on a rough sea voyage under evacuation conditions. Boat travel is most likely to cause motion sickness, followed by travel by air, car, and train.
Motion sickness is rare in those < 2 years of age. It is said to peak between the ages of 3 and 12, with a gradual decrease thereafter. Supporting data for this appear to be mainly anecdotal, and where data exist it is impossible to rule out self-selection as the reason for the observation. Rates are higher among females than males (1.7:1) and increase during menstruation and pregnancy.
At a given level of stimulus, there are marked differences in natural susceptibility, which can be exacerbated by emotions like fear or anxiety, or by other illnesses, poor health, or some medications. Personal susceptibility tends to be a stable and enduring characteristic, and does not diminish with recurrent exposure.
Important physical characteristics of the stimulus include the frequency, intensity, and duration of directional changes. The risk of motion sickness is increased by visual stimuli, such as a moving horizon, or by zero gravity.
Rates can be increased by other environmental factors, such as poor ventilation, odours, fumes, smoke, and carbon monoxide.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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