We’ve all experienced motion sickness to some degree or another, but some people are more sensitive to it than others. Whether it’s in a car, a boat or an airplane, motion sickness can make your trip very uncomfortable and even cause a great deal of distress.

Motion sickness occurs when the part of the inner ear responsible for balance is disturbed by chaotic motion.  The eyes contribute to motion sickness by giving feedback to the brain that is constantly moving.  Symptoms of motion sickness are nausea, excess salivation, vomiting, headaches, sweating and pallor of the skin.  Factors that make motion sickness worse are poor air quality, lack of oxygen, overindulgence in food or alcohol, anxiety, stress, dehydration and jet lag.

Anti-nausea medication is usually used for motion sickness.  The main side effect is drowsiness.  They cannot be taken with other sleep aids, tranquilizers or alcohol.

You can reduce motion sickness naturally with a number of different safe and effective nutritional supplements, including:

Ginger.  This spice commonly used in cooking has an incredible nausea reducing power that equals many of the conventional over the counter drug medications (such as Dramamine) for reducing motion sickness. It is safe and has none of the potential side effects that can occur with conventional medications.  Its active ingredient is gingerol and is best taken in a standardized (concentrated) supplement form rather than the raw powder. 

The best time to take ginger for motion sickness is about an hour before you begin travelling.  It can be taken at the onset of symptoms, but will be the most effective when taken in advance.  Ginger can help relieve, nausea, upset stomach, acid reflux, and hearburn.

Other supplements effective for relieving motion sickness include:  vitamin B6 (helps relieve dizziness), magnesium (helps relieve stomach acidity), activated charcoal (helps absorb toxins and relieves nausea), and peppermint (relieves muscular contractions involved in nausea). 

To reduce motion sickness focus your eyes on a steady object that is a good distance away from where you are located.  Sit in the front seat or in the middle of the vehicle.  Lay your head back onto the headrest.  Do not travel on an empty stomach.  Do not drink alcohol while travelling because it causes dehydration.

Before and during travel drink lots of water and juice to settle the stomach.  Apricot and carrot juice are good choices.   Eat whole grains, wheat germ, millet or nutritional yeast as a source of the anti-nausea vitamin, B6.  During the trip if you begin to get queasy eat wholegrain crackers, suck on a lemon or lime, or chew a piece of ginger root, parsley or raw pumpkin seeds.         

The following supplements can be used for motion sickness.  Adult doses are given.  (CLICK SUPPLEMENT NAME FOR PRODUCTS).