We had an amazing day snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef earlier this week. As you know, I always like to keep it real. I was not very happy on the 2.5 hour boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef. It was supposedly calm, but it felt very rough to me (look at the horizon behind the boat!)
I’ve always suffered from various degrees of motion sickness and this day was no exception. However, I was able to keep it together and not throw up by using pressure point wrist bands, ginger tea and ginger tablets, sitting where I could feel the sea air blowing on me and by looking at the horizon pretty much the entire time. As someone with pyroluria, my vitamin B6 status is good too and this always helps with nausea prevention.
Next for me is vestibular neuro-rehab with a functional neurologist to hopefully sort out this motion sickness thing once and for all!
The good news is that it was so much calmer once we got to the reef and I felt 100% when snorkeling. I’m in awe of the beauty of this place: the amazing blues, the colorful coral and fish, together with spending hours in the ocean!
I think we need a new term similar to forest bathing called “reef bathing” as I’m sure the physiological benefits are similar – a combination of calming, lowered blood pressure and heart rate, lowered cortisol and even boosting serotonin (we could not stop smiling!) and endorphins (the feeling of pure joy is still with us).
Since I’m on holiday, I’ll share more with the supporting research about vitamin B6, ginger and pressure point wrist-bands in an updated version of this blog.
Until then feel free to share what works for you if you’re prone to motion sickness.
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https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/could-these-glasses-cure-your-motion-sickness-180969722/
KN – thanks for sharing this very interesting article! Have you personally used this approach with success?
Dr Ben Lynch explained that high histamine levels can a cause of motion sickness. Trudy would love to hear your thoughts on histamine.
Susie
The histamine connection makes since since the conventional motion sickness meds (Dimenhydrinate/Dramamine) are antihistamines. I believe Dr. Lynch calls it histamine intolerance rather than high histamine – here is his blog on the topic http://mthfr.net/histamine-intolerance-mthfr-and-methylation/2015/06/11/
Per his blog: “Common signs and symptoms of histamine intolerance:
flushing
rapid heart beat
profuse sweating
headache
migraine
food allergies
seasonal allergies
urticaria
prickly heat
large swollen mosquito bites
runny nose
bloody nose
car sick
seasickness
motion sickness in general
itchy
irritable
nausea
vomiting
higher sex drive (not really a problem typically but good to know)
asthma
exercise-induced asthma
stomach ache
menstrual cramps
chest tightness
loose stools
skin issues (eczema, psoriasis)
insomnia”
Hi Trudy… Loved seeing you and Bradley out having fun at the great barrier reef. Wish Kenny and I were there to share in the experience. Miss you guys!
Linda Norris Wilmot
Linda
So lovely to hear from you here! Come and visit and we can all go there for a trip!