The misery of motion sickness could be a thing of the past within the next five to 10 years thanks to a new treatment being developed by British researchers.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A theory among scientists is that motion sickness is caused by confusing messages received from the eyes and ears when we are moving.
Research from Imperial College London has shown that mild electrical currents applied to the scalp can dampen responses in an area of the brain that is responsible for processing motion signals, reducing the impact of confusing inputs and preventing the problem that causes motion sickness.
Dr Qadeer Arshad from the college's Department of Medicine who led the research said: "We are confident that within five to 10 years people will be able to walk into the chemist and buy an anti-seasickness device. It may be something like a tens machine that is used to treat back pain.
"We hope it might even integrate with a mobile phone which would be able to deliver the small amount of electricity required via the headphone jack."
Around three in 10 people experience hard-to-bear motion sickness symptoms including dizziness, severe nausea and cold sweats.
Dr Arshad said there was evidence from other studies that stimulating the brain in this way could enhance attention and concentration.
"The currents are very small and there is no reason to expect any adverse effects from short term use," he said.
