Spend your summer vacation free from motion sickness
Q: My wife and I have been talking about taking a cross-country drive for years, but I’m afraid I’ll spend most of the trip doubled over with nausea. What can I take for motion sickness?
Dr. Wright: I’m going to provide you with a three-pronged attack that I hope will allow you to spend time enjoying the scenery, instead of worrying about keeping your lunch down.
First, bring some ginger capsules along for the drive. Women have been using ginger for years to beat the nausea of morning sickness, and it’s also been proven effective for motion sickness. Aside from capsules, you can find fresh ginger and ginger tea in just about any grocery or health food store.
Second, be careful about what you eat before and during your trip. A study from the University of Pennsylvania found that people who ate a high-protein diet were slower to develop motion sickness, and their symptoms were less severe. So load up on those healthy proteins, like fish and poultry, and keep that bag of pretzels out of sight.
Third, you may want to try an acupressure band, which can help with your nausea. These bands work by stimulating the P6 acupressure point on your wrist, and I’ve known many patients who swear by them. Try these three tips, and you may feel powerful relief from your motion sickness.