Sea sickness could change your best day to your worst night

This was the best day of Paul's life. He married Maria in a wonderful ceremony at the Catholic church in Coconut Grove, Florida. They had been in love for a year and he had proposed two months ago. A white Rolls Royce took them from the church to the family gathering. Two hundred family and friends assembled under a tent on Paul's parents' property. They were all very nice people who smiled, danced and laughed all evening. The food and champagne were plentiful. The married couple escaped to board a cruise ship in Miami Beach. They had the best cabin and the newly wed Maria lay on the bed surrounded by flowers and presents. Maria's shoes and stockings were removed by Paul and he started to undress her as the ship left the shores to the sea. A few minutes later, Paul was no longer with Maria. He was on the lower deck, his bow tie hanging on the side, his white shirt half-undone. Paul's suntanned face had turned to green. He was hanging on the riggings having the worst case of sea-sickness you can imagine. He was dizzy, his mind was foggy and he was vomiting the three course meal from the reputed French chef his parents had hired for the wedding. It was Paul and Maria's worst night. Many people experience sea-sickness or motion sickness and it is a normal response to conditions similar to those found on high seas during stormy weather. Individuals can get nausea, malaise and other unpleasant symptoms while on a boat, in a car, on a plane, in space or even in an elevator. Space motion sickness is a well-recognized problem for space flight and affects 73% of crew members within the first 2 or 3 days of their initial flight. Illness severity is variable, but over half of the cases are categorized as moderate to severe. Some people actually get "seasick" after returning to land after being out on a boat for an extended period of time. To experience motion sickness, one must have a normally functioning vestibular, or balance, system. Most people adapt fairly rapidly to motion, and after a few days at sea, for example, no longer experience the symptoms. Most medications used for prevention and treatment (e.g., anticholinergics and antihistamines) induce unwanted sedation. Furthermore, no one drug is completely effective or preventive. Some of the medications used for sea and motion sickness are: Antihistamines Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine