[Motion sickness]

Abstract

Motion sickness is a general term covering sea-sickness, car-sickness, air-sickness, and space-sickness. Symptoms can occur when a person is exposed to unfamiliar movement whether real or simulated. Despite progress in the technology and comfort of modern transportation (planes, boats, and overland vehicles), a great number of travelers still experience motion sickness. Bouts are characterized by an initial phase of mild discomfort followed by neurologic and gastro-intestinal manifestations. The delay in onset depends on specific circumstances and individual susceptibility. Attacks are precipitated by conflicting sensory, visual, and vestibular signals but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Most medications used for prevention and treatment (e.g. anticholinergics and antihistamines) induce unwanted sedation. Furthermore no one drug is completely effective or preventive under all conditions.