Dr Zac Turner on the vitamin that can help sea sickness

There’s one common health complaint that people have on holiday, but Dr Zac Turner says there is an easy remedy to help stop it.

Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner gives advice to a woman who suffers from seasickness.

Question: Hi Dr Zac, my hubby and I can finally go on our honeymoon at the end of this year. After two years we scored an awesome cruise deal in Europe and to say the least, I am excited!

I am nervous, however, because I can tend to get quite seasick. I have been told to take motion sickness tablets throughout the holiday, but I am not sure if I want that responsibility when I’m having mimosas for breakfast!

Are there other ways to handle motion sickness?

Amanda, 32, Queensland

Answer: Congratulations Amanda! Before we spin around the world of motion sickness, I’ll just remind you to ensure you stay hydrated. Mimosas for breakfast are fun but remember too much alcohol will make you feel sicker on the cruise... and it will impede on you and your partner performing in bed.

Seasickness is part of the motion sickness family, and it is all to do with your ears. It’s a result of stress in the part of your ear where the human balance mechanism lives. Think of your balance mechanism as a tiny scale in your ear. When you tip to the right, your tiny scale will recognise this and send a message in your brain to ensure your body balances.

The tiny scale is highly evolved, but unfortunately our ancestors didn’t spend too much time on large cruise ships with casinos, swimming pools and all-you-can-eat buffets – obviously! When we are on a rocking boat, the tiny scale can’t cope and stresses out the body, causing the nasty feeling of seasickness. The stress is caused by our eyes recognising a stable environment, but the scale recognising an unstable one. This causes symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

In motion sickness the brain becomes confused. Picture: iStock

Essentially, your brain becomes confused. It feels the bumps and wobbles but can’t see them.

Now that we have the cause of seasickness clarified, let’s go through some habits you can adopt to ensure your honeymoon is smooth sailing.

To prevent nausea without taking motion sickness tablets, I recommend you begin taking Vitamin B6 a few months prior to the cruise, and during. This is often used to treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. The maximum daily dosage is 100mg, so don’t think you can swallow a whole bottle the day before and expect to feel better.

You can also incorporate ginger and peppermint into your diet, either through tea, snacks or even supplements. Research has shown these two natural ingredients help prevent and soothe nausea.

If you have had bad experiences with motion sickness, you can also speak to your doctor. They can prescribe medication to stop nausea.

If the seas become rough, you should seek out the centre of the boat and somewhere where there is fresh air. Fresh air helps the nausea, and staying in the middle reduces motion. If it gets worse, you should close your eyes and breath slowly. Turn all your attention to your breathing. It won’t hurt to also nibble on a ginger biscuit or sip ginger tea.

It’s always great to remind yourself that motion sickness is not forever. It only lasts as long as there is uneven motion. Cruise ships are fully equipped at helping their guests with motion sickness, so don’t be afraid to ask staff for help!

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Dr Zac Turner has a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Sydney. He is both a medical practitioner and a co-owner of telehealth service, Concierge Doctors. He was also a registered nurse and is also a qualified and experienced biomedical scientist along with being a PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering