European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Travel tips coping with motion sickness a it s not just in your head a by Mary Beth Faller the Stamford advocate when astronauts throw up it s cuffed Quot space adaptation syndrome Quot and millions of dollars Are spent studying it. When your 5-year-old throws up it s called car sickness and it s a Stinky mess in the Back seat. Quot it s not uncommon a said or. Harry Romanowitz chief of paediatrics at Stamford Hospital in Stamford Conn. Quot not just children get it. Adults get it too. Quot we usually Call it motion sickness because it does t just occur with an automobile Quot he said Quot but with boats and a planes As  or More exotic modes of transportation Quot i was tandem hang gliding Quot recalled or. Alison Cass. Quot we were towed up on the Back of the air plane and released. I was so excited. I was thoroughly enjoying it. A a a a. V a a a  All of a sudden i was sick. I was an adult and i could keep myself from throwing up on the poor Guy i was with Quot said Cass a paediatrician in private practice in old Greenwich Conn. Quot but getting sick was the last thing i was thinking of. So it s not All in your  actually it s in different parts of your body. Motion sickness occurs when there s a breakdown in the signal Between motion sensing parts of the body a the inner ear the eyes and the limbs a and the brain. Quot it s what happens to a child in the Back seat of car who can t see outside Quot Romanowitz said. Quot the ears and joints detect motion but the  t see it a same thing on a boat. You can be Fine until you go below the deck Cass said. Then you la feel sick. Another cause cited by both doctors is travelling backward such As in a bus or train when you see where you be been rather than where you re going. Motion sickness symptoms can include lightheadedness dizziness sweat Ness paleness restlessness nausea and possibly vomiting. Car sickness is one of the hazards of travel especially for children. And while a car sickness attack in the Back seat during vacation in 100-degree weather can be extremely unpleasant for everyone rest assured it is not the poor victim s fault. Quot a lot of people say it s All in your head and if you Tell yourself you re not going to be car sick you won t be car sick Quot said Cass. Quot that s Malarkey. It s a physical  1 and of no Little concern. Several space shuttle missions have studied motion sickness which afflicts up to half of All astronauts most of whom Are experienced pilots. A a a both doctors said that if you re expecting to become car sick it could. Happen. Quot it can be fostered and reinforced and become a pattern Quot Romanowitz said. Quot i be known families where they get into the car pull Over into a parking lot the kid health hazards of air by Jane e. Brody the new York times air travel while a Boon to Long distance vacationers and business travellers has also become an increasing source of pain discomfort and even illness among passengers and Crew members in. Recent years. A a a a a a while no systematic study has been done on the incidence of flight related health problems complaints from passengers have ranged from headache nausea and backaches to colds pneumonia and blood clots in the lungs. Airlines have also greatly reduced the influx of fresh air on planes to save Money worsening health problems. No less an authority than Alfred Kahn a chairman of the former civil aeronautics Board and father of deregulation reports that within a five year stretch six of eight Long distance flights he took resulted in attacks of bronchitis or in Euphonia one of which landed him in a Hospital for five Days. Selective questioning of frequent Lon distance fliers has suggested that such problems Are far More common than the airlines and aviation safety officials either know or Are willing to admit. Several frequent travellers who have been repeatedly Laid Low by flight related infections said they routinely tried Mega doses of Vitamin c before flying and for a Day or two afterwards. Difficulties in documenting the extent of flight related health problems Start with the fact that passengers quickly disperse to Many Distant Points. Also it is often hard to separate the effects of forced Contact with airborne infectious organisms from. The immune suppressing effects of travel related stress which leaves people More vulnerable to infection. Butin 1979, influenza struck 72 percent of passengers on a flight to Kodiak Alaska after the plane had been held at its Landing Gate for four hours. The common source of their infection hours of breathing contaminated air in the plane was nailed Down Only because nearly All the sick passengers visited the same doctor in Kodiak. And on a 1986 flight from san Francisco to Hawaii More than 100 of the 486 passengers and Crew members had headaches and nausea a problem attributed to the poor Quality of Cabin air gets out and throws up and they go on. Their  / motion sickness happens to anyone but children Are More Likely to suffer because their developing brains Are More susceptible to the signal glitches. And children with chronic ear problems can be even More Likely to have it. Quot the inner ear is often involved Quot Romanowitz said. Quot when there s inflammation in the inner ear the motion sensing portions of the inner ear Are affected and they re More susceptible to having . Air plane travel with the pressurized Cabin can create problems for Little kids who already have extra fluid in their ears he said. A both doctors stress that children who vomit or show other symptoms Long after the ride is Over should see a doctor. Romanowitz added that Many children outgrow motion sickness. Here Are some tips to help prevent or at least ease motion sickness provided by or. Romanowitz and or. Cass. A sit in the front seat. Of course children must be in a car seat but if they re older the car seat should be facing Forward and High enough so that they can see out the windows. A keep fresh air flowing. Quot it can take the Edge off enough to make the trip. Bearable Quot Cass  make frequent stops so passengers can get out and walk around. A avoid Reading inside the car. Quot have kids focus on things outside the car a traffic signs whatever a rather than things inside like books or games Quot Romanowitz said. A have a Little something to eat before the trip. A take a dramamine. Although Romanowitz cautions that  children the drug can have the opposite effect and make the child agitated. Check with your paediatrician. A for adults try a skin Patch. The prescription patches Are worn behind the ear and slowly release Medicine Over a longer period of time which can be useful on cruises. Both doctors stress that the patches Are not for use on children. A eat some Gingerbread. Ground Ginger is a Home remedy that s been said to help alleviate motion sickness. Quot i d be. Willing to try it Quot Cass said. Quot i Don t see a Down Side to  and should someone experience motion sickness or actually vomit you should a pull Over and Stop. Or remove your child if he or she s on an amusement Park ride. Quot immediately Stop the activity that s causing the problem a Romanowitz  let the person lie Down and rest for awhile. Sometimes a Cool cloth on the. Forehead helps. A Don t become angry or upset with the person. He or she can t help it. Heip the person be Calm and reassured. Quot. Distributed by los angelas times a. Washington Post news service. A getting More attention recirculated through dirty filters. Although correction of such problems ties in the hands of the airlines there Are Many Steps passengers can take to minimize their chances of arriving ill or achy at their destinations first get comfortable and move around occasionally second avoid dehydration by consuming eight ounces of water or other Plain beverage for each hour of the flight third protect your ears by using a. Decongestant and yes that old standby chewing gum and finally choose Good food to limit the stress of travel. The combination of cramped seats that forbid much movement and the pressure of seat cushions on the Back of the thighs impairs circulation in the legs often resulting in swollen Ankles and feet and sometimes in dangerous blood clots in the lower leg that can Days later break Loose and Lodge in the lungs. In 1988, doctors in new York and Britain described three cases of flight related pulmonary. Embolism in otherwise healthy Middle aged adults. To reduce such risk they suggested that passengers on Long flights sit in aisle seats a or if necessary climb Over seat mates a and take hourly walks in flight. Other helpful measures include not smoking smoking still permitted on Many International flights thickens the blood wearing no constricting clothing not crossing your legs wearing elastic or support Hose taking off your shoes and elevating your feet by resting them on Luggage or a stack of magazines or blankets. Dehydration which also thickens the blood can result in general discomfort digestive problems undue fatigue and worsened Jet lag. With the humidity level typically about 10 percent the atmosphere on planes is drier than the Sahara. Eyes become sore and red and upper respiratory passages dry out increasing their susceptibility to infection. Many beverages commonly consumed in flight actually add to dehydration. These include drinks with caffeine including soft drink alcoholic beverages and Salty drinks like Tomato juice. The effects Are often compounded by Salty peanuts and pretzels. Use Saline Eye drops before during and after the flight. This is especially important for people with Contact lenses who May be better off wearing glasses in flight. Juty 28, 1994 stripes Magazine 25