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The Kenai Peninsula Marine Advisory Program
OtherLinks:
http://www.diverlink.com/seasickness.htm
http://xp5.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?recnum=7151105&server=db97p2x&CONTEXT=864236061.12412&hitnum=27
I found this number on the travel channel .1-800-247-9767 Panarama Co. the medicine is Scopelamine Gel this is the same as the patches years back, it is now in a gel form. you call this number and they will send you information you can take to your doctor or drug store. i called them and they are very efficient. my cousin has used this and it works great with no side effects. its a gel and you put it on your wrist works real fast.
CIBA Consumer Pharmaceuticals, exclusive makers of the Transderm Scop patch apparently will not be making the patch available again here in the United States until some time in 1997. I saw some notes on the web about Stugeron and found out that remedy and its active ingredient are not available here in the USA. But there is some good news. Scopolamine gel can be made and applied topically and produce the benefits of the patch. Panorama Pharmacy, one of the largest and most successful compounding pharmacies in the country, is located here in Los Angeles. Their address and telephone numbers are: Panorama Pharmacy 8215 Van Nuys Blvd. Panorama City, CA 91402 Don Bender, Pharm. D. Telephone: 800-247-9767 or 818-787-7979 Fax: 818-787-7256 Like the patch, this gel is available only by prescription but at least we can now get the same material as the active ingredient in the patch. I asked Dr. Bender if putting the gel on a round bandage like a Band Aid Spot would work like the patch. He said yes and in fact they supply a patch with the gel. He did say that one application of the gel will last about eight to twelve hours (Transderm Scop patch lasts considerably longer). He offers the gel in a ten dose package for around $35.00.
An item in the Los Angeles Times indicates that the gel is available from Panorama Pharmacy in Panorama City (San Fernando Valley, LA) by calling 800 247-9767. Your doctor will have to send or phone in a prescription. THE GEL IS NOT INJECTABLE. They suggest putting a bit of it on the inside of the wrist. When I said that it would wash off while fishing, they indicated you could put it behind the ear, just like the patches. They will also supply a patch to go over the dab of gel. It's expensive this way. A filled syringe has about 6 applications and I believe costs around $35. Each dab is good only for a day, unlike the 3 days with the original patch.
Nature's Way has a preparation called 'Motion Mate' that contains ginger, meadow sweet, peppermint, red raspberry leaves, and hyssop. These herbs are powdered, in a capsule. Other companies have a standardized ginger extract that is in gel-caps. Research has shown that ginger is as or more effective than the antihistamine antinausea drugs like dramamine, without the side effects. Cosmonauts are issued a ginger preparation for motion sickness.
Actually ginger is good. I recommend Emmetrol, this is a levorotary sugar solution that physiologically does settle the stomach. More important, avoid boat fumes, and direct your head so that the boat motion feels like an automobile stop and go motion, which you are accustomed to. Details at http://www.ent-consult.com Murray Grossan, M.D.
Ginger is a good natural seasickness preventative. See http://www.diverlink.com/seasickness.htm for more on ginger and other methods.
The essential oil would need to be diluted either with a carrier oil for external use or in water for internal use.The root can be nibbled or a tincture can be used in water [hot or cold] or to add more zing to ginger ale.Candied ginger is easy to carry and to nibble on. You can make your own by slicing ginger root into thin slices, cover with honey and let stand for a couple of weeks. Drain the ginger and dry [if you don't eat it all first-mine rarly gets dry before being eaten] It is good for minor indigestion as well as air/sea sickness or other types of nasuea.
I use candied ginger - the stuff you buy in Chineese grocery or health food stores. Peppermints can help too, in a pinch.
This may sound silly, but it did work for me when I was going through a form of chemo-theraphy... I bought a bag of ginger snaps and kept a few with me all of the times, since I couldn't bring things to make tea with me...Plus, with the cookies the person who is seasick can carry the cookies along with them, and eat a few at a time when they are starting to feel sick.
Ginger works for me! I was very skeptical when my wife first mentioned it to me. However, when a friend who operates a charter boat on Lake Erie backed her up I tried it. We took two tablets every four hours for the first few days. I did not need to take anymore. My wife had to take a few more on one occasion when the sea got rough about mid week.
Ginger in any form will soothe your stomach. A tea made with powdered ginger will do wonders. (Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger to 1 cup water, and let steep for a few minutes. Add honey to taste, if desired.
My daughter is highly suseptible to seasickness. We've tried the patch, the triptone, and dramamine with no success. She was never able to make a second dive from the boat. A friend of mine read and article once about Polynesian fishermen that use ginger to reduce seasickness.
About 1 gram of powdered ginger has been shown effective against motion sickness in double-blind studies. In Germany, up to 4 grams per day is recommended.
Ginger ale has helped me battle seasickness. They even sell it by the 6pack in boating catalogues.
We bought the ginger tablets from a local health food store and had her begin dosing the night before the dive. These worked so well she was able to make both dives and enjoy them with only a mild amount of discomfort. Although they didn't completely alleviate the seasickness, they dropped to a very low level.
The beauty of the ginger is it's easy to obtain and had no side effects that we could tell.
I've had the same problem and ginger works very well for me too; but, insted of tablets I bring a box of gingersnap cookies.
I heard somewhere about ginger root and suggested she try it. She did, and found that it worked every bit as well as the prescription drug, and it had no side effects. I have no idea if it would work as well for anyone else, but it surely did for her.
I've been a fan of ginger (ginger ale and ginger snaps work too) since I was on a Blackbeards trip. The captain's wife and I were eating gingersnaps because we liked them. One morning it was a little rough. The only other person eating breakfast (passengers OR crew) was the captain. Everyone else just looked at the plates they'd half heartedly fixed for themselves then dumped them over the side to eliminate the middle man, so to speak.
I have children and we go on long trips and the ginger works super. Try it, no side effects whatsoever. Your not going to beleive it till you try it. It works. A couple tablets before you leave and then one or so every couple hours. You'll find the right dosage for you. After awhile they won't need any till you set sail again.
Don't go for ginger capsules. Do the real thing. Slice some ginger into a weak alcohol, like wine, or saline solution, or just use some distilled water with a 1/2 t or less of vitamin C powder. Eat the slices when desired. Try different varieties to see which you like best. Japanese food marts carry pickled ginger slices which keep well, too.
The following is reprinted from the Townsend Letter for Doctors, by permission. Those with questions, or interest on the subject may call 360-385-6021 for more information. If those reading this newsgroup find the information interesting, the editor, Dr. Collin, has agreed to let me post a number of articles each month from his magazine. Let me know what you think, flame me if you don't like the stuff. PHYTOTHERAPY REVIEW & COMMENTARY by Donald J. Brown, N.D. The text of the following overviews on Ginger and St. Johnıs Wort is taken from a continuing professional education program for pharmacists co-produced by Bastyr University and Natural Product Research Consultants (NPRC, Inc.) entitled Herbal Medicine: An Introduction for Pharmacists. The program was co-authored by Steven Foster and myself. This is the second C.E. program for pharmacists developed by Bastyr University and NPRC (authored by yours truly). The first is entitled Phytotherapy: Herbal Medicine Meets Clinical Science. For more information on these continuing professional education programs and Bastyr Universityıs Department of Continuing Education, contact Laurie Hoffman at 206-517-3569 or fax 206-527-4763. Ginger: Non-toxic Anti-Emetic Botanical Name: Zingiber officinale Plant Part Used: The rhizome Active Constituents: The dried rhizome contains approximately 1 to 4% volatile oils. The aromatic principles include the sesquiterpene hydrocarbons zingiberene and bisabolene. The pungent principles include the gingerols and shogaols. Actions on the Digestive System Classified as an ³aromatic bitter,² ginger stimulates digestion. It is also noted for improving gastrointestinal motility.1 Ginger also improves the production and secretion of bile from the liver and gallbladder.2 Ginger also qualifies as a carminative herb. Animal studies in Saudi Arabia show that ginger protects the stomach from the damaging effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen is an example) and alcohol.3 Ginger is a noted anti-emetic. While most research has suggested that this action is centered in the GI tract in humans, recent animal studies suggest that there may be some action on the central nervous system also.4 Health Care Applications Motion Sickness: Ginger has been widely studied as a treatment for motion sickness. A 1982 study found that ginger was superior to dimenhydrinate for reducing motion sickness (caused by rotating a chair). The dose of ginger was 940 mg and it was consumed 20 to 25 minutes before the test.5 A handful of studies since have both agreed and disagreed with these results. One study tested ginger against seasickness in eighty Danish naval cadets unaccustomed to sailing in heavy seas. One gram of ginger reduced vomiting and cold sweating. Fewer symptoms of nausea and vertigo were also reported.6 A study completed at Louisiana State University with a grant from NASA is more skeptical. Because motion sickness is common in astronauts, the researchers compared the anti-motion sickness activity of ginger and scopolamine (commonly used as a topical patch to treat motion sickness). Using the rotating chair test, they found that scopolomine was effective in reducing motion sickness while one gram of either fresh or dried ginger was not.7 However, during their discussion of the study, the authors note that the ginger group did have a noticeable reduction in the incidence of vomiting and sweating but not nausea and vertigo.
Yeah, Ginger capsules help for me. You can buy them very cheaply in many stores which stock health foods and vitamins. They are often sold as travel motion remedies. The advantage is they don't make you sleepy, and they work pretty quickly. If I suspect a rough day, I'll take one before I launch, otherwise, I'll just have a couple in my pocket. The theory, I believe, is that there is a nerve running from the ear canal to the stomach, which tends to shut down the stomach acid flow when the balance is disturbed. Hence the vile alkali taste of vomit!!! Keeping the stomach slightly acid helps, which is what the ginger pills do. I'm sure ginger ale and lemon drops also help.
My wife uses them every time we fly. She says that they DO work! She discovered "Sea Bands" when she worked at "The Airport Shoppe," which caters to General Aviation pilots.
There's a study published in a fairly recent issue of "Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine" (I think) that finds a positive result from the accupressure bands. A live medline search should bring up the abstract. Previous studies have shown no significant effectiveness.
I have been working as a divemaster off the New Jersey coast for several years. The water tends to get a bit rough and sea sickness is a common problem. I have recommended the wrist bands to several people and it works very well for them. I carry a set in my dive kit and they have even helped AFTER the person was sea sick. I don't like the drugs as they tend to make you drowsy and a bit dehydrated, but I also know of many divers who use them sucessfully. You may also look into eating non-greasy & non-acidic foods for breakfast (bagels are good) and skip the moring coffee if you can. I also recommend that you get a good rest the night before (I dive with one instructor, who if he doe not get at least 8 hours of sleep gets sea sick, otherwise he's OK).
If I remember correctly the bands worked in something like 10% of the cases, but a trained accupressurist was able to do much better. But I'm probably remembering the details wrong - if I can find that abstract I'll post it here. --------- I have been using Sea Bands, which I have found to work very well.
I've never had to use the bands on a cruise. I only used them during my second pregnancy and I would put them on WHEN I STARTED FEELING ILL and had good success with them. Eventually, out of habit I began to put them on in the morning when I awoke and left them on for as long as possible. Good Luck!
I laughed at the wrist bands and tried them as a joke for the rest of the trip. I spent the entire trip, both directions from Grays Harbor to Vancouver Island and back to the Columbia in gale conditions. The wrist bands worked so well I can't believe it. I have no explanation. It sounds like hokus pokus to me, but it is hard to argue with success.
My wife has used these bands with very good success and if it looks at all like it's piping up, she immediately puts them on. As a local well known doc said to me: "Never argue with the placebo effect." Meaning, if it works for you, use it. I think they cost less than six bucks, cheap! If they are effective for you.
I bought some Travel Aides (wristbands) and found they worked fine.
: Ask your doctour to prescribe Ephenutin (it more than likely has a different : name in your country) which is a drug used in the treatment of epileptics. Now : I have spelt this Phonetically as I do not have the correct spelling. Dr Allan : Kayle in his book Safe Diving A Medical Handbook For Divers recommends this : and it works without a doubt. In our country it is a scheduled drug and needs : to be prescribed by a doctor. The generic name of this drug is phenytoin, and in the U.S. its trade name is Dilantin. However, this drug is prescribed for epilepsy and not for sea sickness. I take it daily for prevention of seizures, so I have some experience with it. There are at least two big problems with it. First, when one first starts to take it, the main problem is sleepiness. This goes away after about a month of continuous use. Second, the blood level must be maintained between 10 and 20 micrograms per milliliter. Lower than this there is no effect on seizures. Greater than this may cause severe neurological damage, especially to the cerebellum. I don't know what the dosage is for sea sickness prevention. In summary, if you are not trying to control seizures, the drug has too many complications to make it worthwhile and safe.
Sturgeron (cinnarizine) is an antihistamine, as is dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), meclizine (Bonine, and Dramamine II), and promethazine (Phenergan), (though this last is also a phenothiazine, centrally acting antiemetic)
Stugeron - originally developed for use in the treatment of Parkinson's disease . Works very well for most people with fewer side effects than scopolamine , et al .
Sturgeron(Janssen) - cinnarizine is an antihistamine prescribed for motion sickness - 30mg before travel then 15mg every 8 hrs.
An article in Cruising World several years ago touted bitters as a cure for seasickness. I have used Angostura bitters (Tblspoon or two in a half-glass of water with awfully good effect; works immediately), but they did a test on various ones and recommended the Italian bitters Fernet Branca as the best. You can find it in some liquor stores.
Just remember one thing, it is physiological, which if you continually go out and subject yourself to such conditions, your mind should eventually learn to accept it. In theory anywaze.