Seasickness is related to the whole question of equilibrium and dizziness. Our organs of balance contain certain stiff hairs which are surrounded by liquid. When we move in any direction, the liquid moves the hairs. These hairs send a message to the brain, which gives us the sensation of moving in that direction.

In our normal activities this liquid, called lymph, are such that our bodies can adjust to changes easily and we manage to keep our balance. But what happens on a ship? As the position of the deck changes under our feet, the lymph is shaken back and forth. It actually rocks to and fro, and from side to side.

This makes the sensory hairs whip back and forth, too. So the messages they send to the brain are switched on and off. As soon as one “order” arrives at the brain, another “order” follows it with completely different instructions. The position of the ship changes so quickly that the brain receives messages which contradict each other!

The result is a state of confusion in that part of the nervous system. What we soon begin to feel, therefore, is dizziness, headache, spots in front of our eyes, flushes, cold sweats, gagging, and vomiting – all of which add up to what we know as seasickness.

Unfortunately, the only possible remedies for this can be to find some way of bringing the lymph in our organs of balance to a standstill, or to prevent the messages from influencing us. All the known remedies for seasickness act in the second way. There is no possible way yet known to make the lymph and the hairs in them stop their motion.

What a seasick remedy does, therefore, is one of the following: it paralyzes the part of the brain through which the messages travel; or it paralyzes the vomiting center in the brain, or it cuts down on the sensitivity of certain nerves.

Actually, one of the best remedies is to go to the steadiest part of the ship, the center, and to remain there as quietly as possible. Another important thing is to try not to be afraid, because fear and imagination always make seasickness worse!