motion sickness

I am taking whitewater lessons at the whitewater center am am having problems with nausea, is there help for this?

Ginger
I asked the same question here some years back and the advice I got really works. Go to the higher dollar grocery store (Harris Teeter carries it); hit the Asian section of the International aisle and pick up a box of the candied ginger slices. Start snacking on it the day before you get on the water. Keep munching occasionally on it the day of. It prevents motion sickness. They proved it on “Mythbusters” as well.

Bonine
has worked pretty well for me over the years, but I have only modest issues with queasiness on the water. The ginger approach also seems to work for others, but I’ve never tried it.



Rick

look at something else
Looking at something immobile to create visual anchor might help you. Pick some object on the shore, river bank. Watching your bow, deck, other kayaks or persons is not a good idea.



And, there are also scopolamine patches, but make sure you try them out before getting on the river, some folks experience judgement impairing side effects


Peppermint
Try taking some peppermint candy or gum to chew on when you feel sick, I used to do that while sailing and it helped.

tips
Ginger is excellent. For best results start taking it the night before your sessions. Candies by a company called The Ginger People come as hard candies or chews.



I go to my local co-op and buy candied ginger by the ounce. Tasty, comparatively low cost and easy to re-supply. I just keep a small plastic jar of it in the car.



I assume you’re already wearing nose plugs for your rolling sessions. Add a pair of silicone earplugs (Mack’s are great). Many ppl get disoriented by prolonged exposure to cold water in the inner ear, can lead to nausea and vomiting too.



Dramamine taken one hour or less before has helped ppl, too.


BPV?
There is a remote possibility you could have benign positional vertigo (BPV). I have problems with it myself, due to having fractured one side of my skull with related inner ear damage in a bicycle crash in my mid-twenties. I had to give up swoopy carnival rides and Aikido practice due to the waves of nausea rapid positional changes caused, nasty queasiness that would endure for hours or even days.



I understand BPV can occur in people even without underlying head or ear damage. It’s caused by the tiny calcifications that float in the balance centers inside your ear getting out of place – a doctor can teach you an exercise technique for repositioning them. I think I am doing that procedure right but it only helps me partially. I agree with the ginger lozenges and have also had some luck with a wrist pressure bracelet (it worked on a rough Lake Michigan ferry crossing) and some yoga deep breathing techniques.

I’m surprised you’re havin’ this problem
because all of my issues with motion sickness have been in other environments- like sailing, cruise ships, bobbing around in fishing boats, snorkeling in chop, or spinning amusement rides. I always figured what got me sick was the repetitive motion of those environments. The unpredictable jostling and bouncy in ww has never affected me that way. Are you feeling “anxious” or apprehensive as well? I wonder if your nausea is fear rather than motion based? I’m not saying its not real, I’m just wondering if there is something else going on to make you feel sick other than the river’s movement.

Motioneaze
Recommended by my eye doctor who swears by it.



http://www.motioneaze.com/

Ginger root
Get some raw ginger root, peel it, slice into thin strips and put a slice between your cheek and gum. Repeat as needed.



Works for me.

Besides ginger and other substances,
make sure you have gotten enough sleep beforehand and are well-hydrated and not hungry (but not stuffed with food). If you have allergies, consider whether fluid in ears or sinuses may be causing dizziness also.



Unusual fatigue and dog-days dehydration have sometimes led to queasiness for me. On those days, I call it quits early. I find it interesting that both of these factors also made me more susceptible to altitude sickness on mountain climbs. Normally, I do not get either seasick or altitude sick.