Mal de Mar

woodster · Mar 30, 2015

Windborne said:
Took the admiral, her college grad daughter and daughter’s boyfriend for a sail yesterday. Early afternoon the wind died to nothing and the leftover swell of a front that passed over the area the last couple of days left us bobbing like a cork. Soon, nausea set in with the women.

It was the first opportunity I had to try a seasickness remedy I had heard about. I had each place an ear plug in one ear. Balance and motion sickness are controlled by the inner ear. By blocking air pressure to one ear the brain no longer senses an imbalance.

Daughter asked me which ear before inserting the plug. I said something ridiculous. If you’re right-handed you’re left-brained, put it in your left ear. If your left-handed you’re right brained put it in your right ear. Perhaps that resulted in a placebo effect.

Within minutes both ladies were feeling better.

well now thats funny ...glad it worked for ya...at least you didn't have to cure chapped lips...

Capt jgw · Mar 30, 2015

That's s new one to me. I was surprised that the wrist bands worked too. The psychological component to seas sickness is huge. No matter what cure you're using, if you believe it works, it probably will.

Tim R. · Mar 30, 2015

Capt jgw said:
That's s new one to me. I was surprised that the wrist bands worked too. The psychological component to seas sickness is huge. No matter what cure you're using, if you believe it works, it probably will.

Yup. And the opposite is also true. If you worry about getting sick you will.

What kind of earplug? I do not know of any that actually prevent air pressure from reaching the inner ear.

jimmcgee · Mar 30, 2015

I'll have to try that one !

I've had good luck with both Coke and Ginger Beer. Barritt's Ginger Beer really seems to help my wife.

Chris Patterson · Mar 30, 2015

This happened to me last year....my compadre was at the helm and I was reclining in the cockpit. I had for about twenty minutes been feeling queasy, and my mate at the helm asked me to take the wheel, he was feeling it as well. I thought, fabulous, I was concerned at both of us then. Funny thing, I took the helm and got over it in one minute. Go figure..

John T1594 · Mar 30, 2015

Distraction

I was told that when one of our guests becomes sea sick, either make them steer the boat or start an argument with them. It gets them thinking abut something other than their stomach and clears their head.

dparilla · Mar 30, 2015

When someone on my boat gets sick, I find a shot of rum works well for me....
I don't know if it would help, them but I feel a lot better after having one.

uncledom · Mar 30, 2015

dparilla said:
When someone on my boat gets sick, I find a shot of rum works well for me.... I don't know if it would help, them but I feel a lot better after having one.

Now that's funny!

Benny17441 · Mar 30, 2015

The imbalance is supposedly due to conflicting signals sent to the brain from the eyes and the inner ear. I have seen true cases of "Mal de Mer" in experienced sailors but many cases just due to anxiety in non-boaters that just do not know what to expect in certain situations. The mind can only focus on one thing at a time and it is the placebo effect of getting this last group distracted by a remedy or an assigned task that may ease the symptoms. It is the wife of a friend that has sailed extensively and it is always on the first 24 hours of open sea sailing that she will get sick but yet she can go down into the cabin and get into the stern berth and sleep well. After the first 24 hours she will be fully functional. She has tried the electric wrist watches, pills, and you name it to no avail. She does not worry and knows how the malady will affect her and just puts up with it. I have heard sailors describe the malady as a fog in the brain which suggests to me a chemical imbalance which could be cause by motion, allergies, emotions, light conditions and a combination of these or other factors. Perhaps the different causes are the reason no one has found a sure fire cure. The proponent of a sure cure if there was one would be soon a very wealthy person.

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · Mar 30, 2015

My ex had the problem, and anti seasick meds made her so sleepy she couldn't function

We began carrying raw ginger root, available in grocery stores produce section. A very thin slice between cheek and gum stopped her problems cold.

Roadking Larry · Mar 31, 2015

I was on nuke subs and most of the time it just wasn't an issue. On the occasions when for whatever reason we were stuck on the surface in rough weather it could get gnarly below decks. Guys running around with trash bags tied to their belts and such. The docs pills and patches tended to put me in a serious fog so I had to tough it out but the worst I ever got was a bit queasy. Worst rough surface op was a February night spent off Point Reyes Ca. My time the bridge as a lookout was fine. First the horizon was way up there, then it was way down there, then we'd take green water over the bridge. Felt great till I had to go back below. And if I was getting queasy if I could get horizontal I'd be fine .

Gunni · Mar 31, 2015

Bonine and a beer...the night before shoving off. You need to get the meds in the system 12 hours early, and if they make you drowsy, all the better. Until I know how a new crew member will fare, they need to take meds. The Scopolamine patch works great, few side effects, but you need a script to get them.