[nilmot (OP)]

<impression of hysterical laughter, pounding the floor with my fists.> You guys crack me up.

Tom

[Exodus]

quote:Originally posted by Donnah

Sure, if you need to get a grip.

Ronnie, allopathic medicine is what your doctor practices.

Pah, I never need to get a grip, pirelli is my middle name! [:p][]

Resident Tour Operator - The Naked Scientists

[chris]

Feel sorry for your girlfriend. Unless friction is her middle name...

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[Donnah]

Ha ha ha!!!!

[Quantumcat]

This conversation has taken an extremely unpleasant turn o_O

Am I dead? Am I alive? I'm both!

[nilmot (OP)]

Damn right, from talking seriously about car sickness, which I thought was quite sensible and  then got me confused about licorice. Somehow the topic was turned again to joke about tyre and tyre made from 365 condoms!!!

We never stay on topic do we?

Tom

[Ians Daddy]

It's inevitable. No matter how inteligent the topic or conversation, given enough time, we will always revert back to sex. It dominates thought and creeps it's way into all discussions in due time. Which, in my case, is all too often. Same reason fart jokes are still funny at any age or rank in life.
Just a thought.

[bezoar]

Could our car sick friend recently have experienced an inner ear infection that makes him more susceptible to motion sickness?  On any medicine?

I experienced severe motion sickness all my life, and then finally I saw an MD who practiced hypnosis.  Believe it or not, the hypnosis vastly improved the motion sickness, and as time goes on, it decreases more and more.

Just a curious quesion, because I used to do a lot of flying.  Do people who have severe motion sickness have less spatial disorientation when flying?  Would they be less likely to land the plane upside down in zero visibility?

Bezoar

[chris]

You're right bezoar about ear infections. The inner ear (which apart from hearing is also involved in balance) shares a very close relationship with the middle ear which can sometimes become infected (otitis media). The pressure and irritation caused by the infection can disturb the function of the inner ear causing it to send mixed up signals to the brain about your posture and movement. These can lead to dizziness and sickness which is why people with earache can be sick.

With respect to travel sickness there is almost certainly a huge psychological component. People literally think themselves into being sick. Our brains are programmed to learn and become better at what we do. If I say to you "don't think about kangaroos", what's the first thing that goes through your mind, despite the negative instruction ? Similarly people say "don't worry" or "don't panic" and are then surprised when the person they seek to reassure throws a fit. In the context of travel sickness people programme themselves into chucking up whenever they travel.

If you start to feel a bit sick, as we all do when reading for too long in the back of the car, but then spend the next half an hour saying to yourself "I must not be sick" hey presto you promptly hurl. There's a huge mind-over-matter aspect to this, you just have to work out what works for you. Anti-sickness remedies probably work chiefly via the placebo effect because you are in a stronger psychological position after taking them.

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[bezoar]

I used to use the mind over matter issue to keep myself from throwing up.  I would tell myself, "Swallow, swallow, swallow..."  Kept me from hurling, but not from feeling miserable.  So the next time someone panics, I shouldn't say, "Don't panic," but rather, "Remain calm."  A positive suggestion, huh?

Bezoar

[Donnah]

I believe Dianetics teaches that the brain doesn't hear the word "don't".  So rather than saying "don't forget", try saying "remember"...works for me.

It's like driving.  If the road is slick and you see a big rock you don't want to hit, you will hit it if that's what you're looking at.  Look for your opening instead.

[McGee]

I know why, you're going backwards now.  You know, driving on the wrong side of the road!!  Haha, just kidding, don't bash me for it.  

Anyway, I have had some inner ear infections and when the humidity changes, and air pressure changes, I get car sick.  Usually if I can see out the front I am okay.  If I am in the back seat and can't see the turns and hills, I feel like I'm in a barrel being tossed around.  When there is no alternative, I try to sleep.

McGee

Teachers don't make a lot of money, but they make a lot of difference.

[Donnah]

Sharon, in Canada we drive on the right side of the road...literally.

[Quantumcat]

We drive on the left side of the road in Australia too.

Am I dead? Am I alive? I'm both!

[chris]

One point I wanted to raise about the psychological component to being sick [xx(] is the anticipatory nausea and vomiting seen amongst people receiving courses of chemotherapy - anyone ever experienced this (first or second hand) ?

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[bezoar]

See it all the time with the oncology patients.  See it with my cats too.  They get motion sick from riding in the car to the vets office.  Now, they run whenever they see me take out the pet carrier.