Blogfinger

Paul Goldfinger MD, FACC

Eileen and I were on a road trip to Virginia in her fully loaded 2013 vehicle. (I mean the car is loaded, not the wife). I was driving, and we were following a “scenic route” through the countryside near Charlottesville. It was a lovely curvy road that passed farms, trees and hills, and we were confident in our route thanks to the little Garmin on the dash. There is a woman named Mabel who lives in our GPS and tells me where to go (as have many women in my past).

Anyhow, our destination was Montpelier, the home of James Madison, who has not been home for many years. As we pulled into Montpelier’s parking lot, I shut off the engine and noticed that I was nauseated, dizzy and altogether feeling lousy. After mentally rummaging through my medical school files for a diagnosis, I concluded that I was suffering from motion sickness, due to those damn scenic winding country roads.

Motion sickness occurs when the brain receives conflicting information from the inner ear (the vestibular apparatus) and from the eyes. It is when the usual smooth equilibrium between these two systems becomes uncoupled. The body is moving one way (as sensed by the inner ear canals and cochlea), while the eyes are seeing contradictory motion (like when you look around at everything while in a moving vehicle). There are some genetic differences, and Chinese people are more prone than other races.

People on ships get it (The French call it “mal de mer”: a lovely name for something that makes you vomit). Seventy five percent of astronauts suffer with it on their first flight, and some may barf into the weightless environment. (a delightful image for the gang at Mission Control). Even kids can get it from video games, while others can get sick while watching certain movies or when reading in a car.

I have always been prone to motion sickness. But, as I thought about it, I realized that I don’t get sick when I drive a car, even when driving on country roads, and we used to live in a rural area.

As I sat there, trying to recover, I still was convinced that I had car sickness, but why did it happen? The driver of a car usually avoids motion sickness by fixing his gaze ahead and by visually anticipating every turn and bump in the road, keeping the eyes and the brain in synch.

Staring at the controls of our car, I noticed that the dashboard has three sections with multiple gauges to read, the radio has many controls for satellite, CD, AM, FM, etc., the GPS has a map and shows speeds and speed limits, direction of travel, traffic warnings, and time of arrival;  wands control complex functions like the intermittent wipers, cruise control, and light settings;  and I can even monitor my gas mileage, miles till empty, tire pressure, seat heaters, phone responses, outside temperatures, blue tooth settings,and media options, among many other things including blind spot displays on the outside mirrors.

That’s when I understood that driving a high tech car involves frequent eye motion in multiple directions other than the road. Looking around at those buttons and dials is a sure recipe for motion sickness. Unlike the traditional car sickness that you got in your father’s old smelly Buick, this version of the disorder can be traced to the glut of information and settings available and essential to the driver of a high tech vehicle.

Eureka!   I had discovered a new disease for the 21^st century, and in the truest tradition of the great explorers and doctors in history, I will name it for myself “The Goldfinger Syndrome.”

My Internet review of the subject of motion sickness resulted in discovering a curious item at a health advice site, written by a nurse.  She stated that slow movement up and down, while accelerating forward, causes motion sickness more often than the fast up and down variation. I can’t imagine anyone getting motion sick during sex, but then I read on and found out that she was actually comparing the ride on a camel to that of a horse. Therefore, one must conclude that the best thing to do when riding a camel is to close your eyes.

Regarding therapy, the best bet is prevention. Take Dramamine or Bonine one hour before travel, but not if you are driving, because those drugs can make you sleepy and can be a driving safety issue, or take two ginger capsules (read the directions on the package). There is much more to say, but my time is up. If you want more info, page Dr. Oz.

Also, if your dog gets car sick, just let him drive and he will be fine. As for me, I keep my snoopy eyes on the road ahead and let my wife read the dials for me. This is not only an anti-motion sickness strategy, but a safety precaution as well.

PAUL EVANS: