wristbands for air sickness, do they work ?

*this is based off of acupuncture, only there is NO puncture. *

Isn't that called acupressure?

-Paul

Hi Jack.

I wanted to add one more thing to your new arsenal of remedies that I
didn't see mentioned here. I too had this problem when I started. I
will never forget one of my first solo flights. My instructor was
watching from the ground as I entered pattern. By the time I turned
final, I was getting really nauseous and knew I was moments away from
woofing my cookies; cold sweats, dry mouth, etc.. I realized that
doing this on final could be very hazardous to my health, so I
clenched my stomach, focused madly on the touchdown spot, and somehow
willed myself not to throw up for the next 20 seconds. When I landed,
my instructor rushed over to congratulate me on a great landing. I
climbed out quickly and threw up on the tarmac right in front of him.
Not my proudest moment, but certainly memorable...

A fellow pilot suggested Peptid AC an hour before flight. It made no
sense to me but as there were no side affects, I gave it a try.
Happily it worked, and I haven't been sick since. Maybe one of the
doctors following this thread can comment, but my theory is that it
reduces the stomach acid which may be one of the factors that
contribute to the onset of air sickness. Stress was not mentioned as
a factor, and new pilots have lots of stress. Stress produces stomach
acid. That may be one of the reasons (certainly not the only one)
that air sickness is reduced as you get used to flying.

So as a rule, before I fly, I;
1) eat a bland lunch like a turkey sandwich, light on the mayo and
mustard.
2) take a Peptid AC about an hour before flight
3) keep hydrated!!!
4) keep air on the face during flight

Good luck!

On Nov 10, 9:59*pm, sisu1a wrote:
*this is based off of acupuncture, only there is NO puncture. *

Isn't that called acupressure?

-Paul

Thanks Paul, I couldn't remember acupressure (works on the same
concept as the wrist band thingy).
From what I understand, however, the back of the ear is the place for
the pressure to help motion sickness.
micki

On Nov 9, 2:10*am, "Jack" None wrote:
I am learning to fly gliders and I struggle with motion sickness.

Reply from Bob Wander:

Hi Jack,
Take a number - you are not the first nor the last. I wish you well as
you ... become one of the birds like the rest of us.

Here is an excerpt from my book "Everybody's First Gliding Book" - the
excerpt addresses the newbie airsickness problem. Note that the US Air
Force chooses to confront, rather than ignore, the problem! If it
works for them...

Safe soaring,
Bob Wander
+++++++++
Excerpt from Bob Wander's "Everybody's First Gliding Book"
Truth… Or Dare?
There have long been two schools of thought regarding motion sickness
and flight training. The first (and to my mind, discredited) school of
thought is, essentially, to ignore the problem. Here is a direct quote
from the promotional literature of an American flight school: “Nausea
is rare among pilots. Occasionally it may take a few lessons to get
used to the sensation of flight. After a few hours in the air, normal
flight often begins to feel as natural as driving a car.”

Any instructor who has logged more than ten hours teaching flying will
tell you that the preceding statement was written by the marketing
department, not the flight training department. Among new pilots at
least, nausea is a very common occurrence. It's as common as moths, or
rats, or pigeons.

The second school of thought is to recognize the motion sickness
problem and its common causes. Here are several condensed extracts
from the United States' Air Force Flight Surgeon's Guide:
Motion sickness is a well-known phenomenon in humans in unusual
environments. Motion and acceleration effects in aviation are for the
most part highly respected, if not feared, among aviators. Motion
sickness is defined as a response to real or apparent motion to which
a person is not adapted; it is not a disorder, and the symptoms are
normal responses to an "abnormal" stimulus... Airsickness can be a
significant issue in flight training... The most complete models
include interactions or mismatches between perception, cognition,
affect, and physiology... The acceleration of normal gastric motility
(about 3 waves/min) to tachygastria (4-9 waves/min) accompanies the
subjective signs (pallor, apathy) and symptoms (salivation, sweating,
nausea, vomiting) of motion sickness. Motion sickness results from a
maladaptive physiological reaction. It is estimated that one hour of
simple classroom awareness training on the basics of motion sickness
(normalization and identification of symptoms, basic vestibular
physiology), along with rudimentary methods of prevention (foods,
dietary schedule, stress management, etc.) can reduce airsickness
incidence by as much as 30%.

The Air Force has chosen to recognize and manage the motion sickness
problem. We who fly gliders, or seek to fly gliders, should do the
same. It is nonsensical to deny that the problem exists.

So, you ask, what's a mother to do?
1. First thing is to recognize that most pilot trainees have some
degree of trouble with nausea/airsickness. This probably includes
you! Ask your instructor for advice on how to manage the problem.
2. Next, on those days when motion sickness affects you, recognize the
symptoms early and promptly terminate your flight.
3. Schedule some training flights when the air is stable and the ride
is smooth.
4. Track your resistance to nausea/airsickness. The vast majority of
pilots discover that incidents of nausea decrease in number and
intensity as their flight training program progresses. In other words,
the more time that you have in the air, the less bothersome that
airsickness is likely to be.

Eventually your body learns that the sensations of flight, while
novel, do not present an immediate hazard to your safety or well-
being, and you adapt to your new environment: The Sky.
-submitted by Bob Wander
-end

Relief bands worked for me. Medically think along the well accepted
practices of acupressure and acupuncture. You can find "relief bands"
at most pharmacies for around 15 bucks or so. Flying power under the
hood with an instructor also helped quite a bit. I also find the more
flying I do the less I feel sick. The beginning of the soaring
season always involves a slight queasiness curve I have to work
through. Good luck, have faith, you will overcome. Topher.

At 00:15 14 November 2008, newbie wrote:
Relief bands worked for me. Medically think along the well accepted
practices of acupressure and acupuncture.

"Well accepted?" I don't think either one has ever worked in
a real double-blind test (such a test being difficult to do, but
not impossible). Way too far OT to discuss here, however.

You can find "relief bands"
at most pharmacies for around 15 bucks or so.

Which is sort of ridiculous, isn't it? I mean, it must cost
about 15 cents to make one. You could make one yourself.
But would it work? I suspect it has more to do with the
15 dollars than anything else.

Jim Beckman