Natural Treatments for Air and Motion Sickness

There are various homoeopathic treatments for motion sickness that you might consider using as an alternative to the medical drugs highlighted earlier. After all if they are good enough for the royal family they are good enough for me!
The most common of these homoeopathic treatments are as follows:
Cocculus Indicus: This is probably the most common homoeopathic remedy for motion sickness, especially for sufferers who experience nausea which gets worse when they see or smell food. It is common for Cocculus to be given to travelers who commonly feel weak and experience a hollow or empty feeling in their stomach as a result of suffering airsickness. This is a remedy that is also very well suited to people whose condition is made worse by feeling cold, from moving about or from a lack of sleep.
Rhus Toxicodendron: Is probably better known by the more common name poison ivy but fortunately, in very small doses, it is not going to kill you! However, what it can do for anyone whose airsickness usually exhibits itself through nausea and vomiting (whilst there is also a lack of appetite at the same time) is help calm their condition down.
Often people who suffer these kinds of symptoms will feel weak and lightheaded because there is a distinct lack of nutrition inside them, so they might feel dizzy when standing. Sometime this feeling will be accompanied by an intense headache and your child might feel like their 'hair hurts!'
Tabacum: This solution would be a suitable homoeopathic remedy for anyone whose airsickness is most commonly identified by them feeling nauseous and faint, with a green tinge or extremely pale color to their skin. Most commonly, these obvious symptoms would be accompanied by a sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach and possibly a severe headache that feels as if there is a very tight band wrapped around the head.
There are also a number of herbs that can help motion sickness and air sickness. Many studies have indicated that ginger appears to be more effective than a placebo in reducing the adverse effects of motion sickness. For example, in one study, a group who were given ginger extracts reported significant reduction in nausea, vomiting and cold sweating when compared with the control group who were taking a placebo.
Therefore dosing your kid or yourself up with ginger capsules before and during your flight might help to reduce the severity of the motion sickness problem if it does not get rid of it completely.
A combination of peppermint and black horehound has been used by some herbalists as an effective method of treating nausea, so whilst it is not specifically used as a treatment for motion sickness, it can certainly offset some of the worst effects of having your kid or yourself feel violently ill on a plane.

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Tips For Avoiding Motion Sickness

Probably the best way to avoid motion sickness or air sickness to practice some preventative measures before you get in a car, train or plane. These are simple things to do with lifestyle that you and your kid can do to ward off the possibility.
For example, for two or three days before the flight, avoid eating and drinking the wrong things, and try to avoid overindulging as well. Do feed your kids or yourself very spicy, heavy or overly-fatty foods or foods that you know from past experience can cause upset stomachs.
While on the flight, try to avoid dairy produce (because of the protein and fat content) as well as vegetables and fruits because they may make a stomach unnecessarily acidic.
Some studies have indicated that foods which contain too much salt may exacerbate airsickness as does food which is too rich in vitamin B1 such as pork, beef, eggs and fish. It also appears that if your levels of vitamins A and C plus iron are too low, this might make you more prone to airsickness as well (especially women and children).
Also, don't fall prey to drinking too much just because it does not cost you anything to do so. Whilst there might not be a cost in monetary terms, there could certainly be a cost in terms of sickness if you overindulge.
Even foods that you know are likely to have a strong smell should probably be avoided whilst in-flight because a strong smell is often enough to turn your stomach queasy. Do not wear strong cologne or perfume for the same reason and if you are travelling with a companion, ask them not to refrain as well if possible.
When you are booking your ticket or checking in, try to choose a seat where there is likely to be the least motion. Generally speaking, this will be the middle of the plane in the area of the wings, so if you can get a seat here, it is likely to offer the least disturbed ride.
Avoid letting your kids read on a flight because as anyone who has ever suffered motion sickness will tell you, having your eyes fixed on a book a few inches away will only make it worse. Its best to keep your eyes fixed on the horizon outside the plane.
On most planes, there will be an air vent above your head so make sure you use it. Having a flow of air on your child's face and head will help to keep you cool and refreshed to at least a certain degree.
Try to keep your child away from people travelling who are suffering airsickness if possible as hearing others chatting about how bad they feel just doesn't help.

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