Natural Solutions for Motion Sickness, Dizziness, and Nausea

I think it all started with the Tilt-A-Whirl.

That was my first experience with motion sickness.  I threw up my cotton candy, and I haven't been able to stomach it since.  The cotton candy nor the Tilt-a-Whirl.  

Of course, with most things, if they are essentially untreated (and just avoided) they will get worse with age. 

Eventually I became motion sick in the car unless I sat in the front seat and looked out the front window the whole time. 

So I knew I had to do something, especially with a destination wedding cruise on the books.   I did my research and found some things that not only worked, but seem to have permanently changed my motion sickness.  

In Chinese medicine, the 2 main causes of nausea and dizziness are either Spleen Qi Deficiency, which can lead to Dampness, or Liver Wind.  

“Sea-Bands” (available at most drug stores)

One particularly rocky night on the boat, I went to the over-priced on-board shop and picked up some “sea bands”.  They actually did help.  The problem was that I couldn’t take them off.  As soon as they came off, I was sick again. 

The next cruise, I went prepared.  I took some ginger chews, my trusty sea bands (still had them), and Gui Pi Tang (“tonify the Spleen pills”) a Chinese herbal preparation.  Much better!  I only had to wear the bands on really rough seas.  

Herbs

Peppermint and ginger help with an occasional upset stomach and nausea.  It's usually one or the other that helps the most, depending on if you're hot-natured (use mint) or cold-natured (use ginger). 

Other Chinese herbs help with "sedating the Liver," which is related to dizziness.  For this, I use herbs like Schisandra or Rehmannia.

For nausea, you can use Tangerine Peels to make a tea, or eat some citrus fruit.  Other herbs I would add in for nausea would be Ginseng (provided you don't have anxiety or insomnia or are pregnant) or Astragalus, which tonify Qi.  

Another helpful "herb" (not an herb but homeopathic formula), is Hyland’s motion sickness homeopathic remedy (either it works or it doesn’t, depending on your body’s constitution).

Food Cures

If you're sensitive enough, you may notice that certain foods make you feel worse.  For me, it was consumption of caffeine and alcohol that triggered motion-sickness episodes.  

Carbonated water with lime, or just hydrating in general, can be helpful.  

Foods high in nutritional value, especially trace minerals, are grounding.  Think - seaweed, fish, whole grains, and root vegetables.  

Other Methods

Use your eyes to focus on one spot (a “drishti” in yoga); sit and breathe for a few minutes.  

And always, acupuncture helps!  The Sea-Bands work by pressing on acupuncture points that help with dizziness and nausea.  The real thing – real needles going into the acupoints – is even better with longer relief.