Have you a cure for Sea sickness

I was recently writing about Marina s in the Algarve.  Lagos marina was the main focus of this article.  Listing out facts about the 462 berths and security entrance to the pontoons.  Talk about the holiday rentals and the stunning Lagos villas with pools.
Then it suddenly dawned on me I cant sail if I walk on a pontoon i could end up getting dizzy.

So I decided I do a little research and see if there is a remedy or solution to this common problem
I was in luck I came across a great blog called  OneMedical

It outlined the various scenarios where motion sickness can come about.  They start off by offering good news immediately so of course, I got interested.   They went on to say if traveling by car, train, plane, or boat makes you queasy, there’s good news: Not only can you take steps to stop motion sickness before it starts, you may actually be able to conquer it for good.

Research hasn't actually discovered why motion sickness occurs.  This was a surprise to me as I actually thought it had to do with the inner ear and the ability to hold your balance.
The blog further stated, researchers believe it’s caused by incongruence in our body’s sensory systems.  It was now making sense to me.
For instance, on a slow-moving cruise ship, your eyes may tell the brain you’re not moving at all, but the systems in your brain and inner ear that control balance and posture (vestibular and somatosensory systems) say, “Yes we are!” This mismatch confuses the brain and causes a variety of symptoms, including:

Dizziness
Headache
Nausea
Salivation
Sweating
Belching
Acute awareness of the stomach
Vomiting
Hyperventilation (in extreme cases)
You certainly can take medications to help relieve these symptoms. But if you’d like to try overcoming motion sickness for good, here are some techniques.

1. Take control of the situation.

Not being in the driver’s seat can contribute to motion sickness when you’re travelling by car. The driver of a car is less prone to one-medical-travel-shots-one-demand motion sickness than a passenger, presumably because the driver’s brain is using its motor commands to control the car and can predict the motion. Putting yourself behind the wheel will keep the queasiness at bay. If you must ride as a passenger, try sitting in the front seat and looking at the horizon, which confers a sense of greater control than riding in the back. If you get stuck in the back seat, try conversation and distraction to alleviate the anxiety of not being in control of the situation. Open a vent or source of fresh air if possible and avoid reading.

2. Curb your consumption.

Watch your consumption of foods, drinks, and alcohol before and during travel. Avoid excessive alcohol, smoking, and foods or liquids that “don’t agree with you” or make you feel unusually full. Foods with strong odors, or ones that are heavy, spicy, or fat-rich may worsen symptoms of nausea or motion sickness in some people.

3. Get into position.

Try to choose a seat where you will experience the least motion. The middle of an aeroplane over the wing is the calmest area of an aeroplane. On a ship, those in lower level cabins near the centre of a ship generally experience less motion than passengers in higher or outer cabins. Isolate yourself from others who may be suffering from motion sickness. Hearing others talk about motion sickness or seeing others becoming ill can sometimes make you feel ill yourself.

4. Equalize your sensory cues.

If you’re getting seasick, lie down to help your sensory systems become congruent. On a train, sit in a front-facing seat so your eyes relay the same movement cues as the vestibules of your inner ear. Also, when travelling by car or boat, it can sometimes help to keep your gaze fixed on the horizon or on a fixed point. The more you enhance sensory congruence, the less likely you are to get queasy.

5. Talk yourself down.

You actually can talk yourself out of motion sickness. A study found that “verbal placebos” — simply telling sailors they won’t get seasick — have been effective in preventing seasickness. Set your own expectations before travelling by saying aloud, “I’m not going to get carsick this time,” or using other affirmative self-talk. Learning breathing techniques by using biofeedback can help in this endeavor.

Don’t miss 8 Ways to Treat Morning Sickness Naturally.

6. Get desensitized.

Desensitization therapy works for minimizing or even curing motion sickness. Expose yourself to short bursts of activities that cause symptoms, and then work up to longer periods. If reading a book in a moving vehicle makes you feel nauseated, try reading for five minutes and then putting the book down. Repeat the five-minute interval over several sessions, then increase to 10 minutes. Over time, you’ll find your body gets used to the activity.

7. Pre-treat with ginger.

Some studies support using ginger as an effective preventive measure for motion sickness. At the very least, it can’t hurt. Take one to two grams of ginger half an hour before traveling for best results. If you’re on prescription blood thinners, consult your doctor before supplementing with ginger.

8. Get in touch with your pressure points.

There’s conflicting evidence regarding the effectiveness of acupressure for motion sickness, but it’s worth a try — even if it’s just for the placebo effect. As mentioned above, simply convincing yourself you can get through a trip without motion sickness can help you avoid it. If wearing pressure point devices—such as wristbands with plastic bumps on them — helps convince your brain you’re not going to get sick, it’s worth a shot. On the other hand, don’t waste your money on magnets. There’s no evidence magnetic devices marketed for motion sickness relief do any good.

9. Ride it out.

Seasickness clears up on its own after about three days. Why? The human body possesses an enormous ability to accommodate situations like incongruence between the sensory systems. Again, in the “think it away” category, you may rid yourself of symptoms if you understand and believe they’re going to clear up sooner rather than later.

If your children experience motion sickness, be sure to let them know the condition usually starts going away after age 12. Sharing this medical fact may help your kids avoid feeling doomed to motion sickness for the rest of their lives.

10. When all else fails, medicate.

If you experience severe motion sickness, go ahead and take over-the-counter medications such as Dramamine or Meclizine for it. These are most effective 30 to 60 minutes prior to when you think you’ll be sick, and can be sedating. If you’re a healthy adult with severe symptoms, you can talk to your healthcare provider about a scopolamine patch to cope with prolonged episodes of motion sickness, such as during the first few days of a cruise. Be forewarned that it can cause drowsiness, dry mouth, and other side effects.

If motion sickness continues to be a problem, make an appointment with your provider to talk about your options.

Have a safe POOL experience

All the talk nowadays is climate change.  Warmer summers wetter colder winters.
Well with the warmer summers will come the need to coll down.  When this happens its natural to head for the water be it pool or sea.  The danger is f we are not acustom to water we can change it for granted not realise water can be trecherious if you do not acknowledge the dangers.

Pool Safety
Recent studies by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have confirmed that young children are most vulnerable to critical and deadly accidents when near residential, in-ground swimming pools. As a result, many states have legislated and promoted the use of pool fencing as a security measure.

In the US they have started to install a number of safety features to protect children in pool areas that are interesting.

1. Frameless glass pool fencing ensure an unobstructed view to monitor children.
2. Toughened safety glass provides durable wind protection.
3. Tempered glass panels are produced with rounded and polished edges.
 4. Four and five feet high fences are climb resistant.

The glass gate has self-closing hinges to ensure the gate cannot accidentally be left open.

Unfortunately children still are drowned in pools each summer.  We are involved with self-catering apartment rentals which include villias in Albufeira, villas in Lagos.   Most of which have their own pools. So if bringing your children on a self-catering holiday ensure they are safe without spoiling the fun.

Nowadays an essentail skill is being able to swim. We need to understand that swimming is a life skill that can prevent a catastrophic outcome. The ability for a child to know how to swim can save their life.  How many things a young child learns can be regarded as lfie saving.  It’s like teaching them to put on their seat belt, or strapping them in the car seat. Something any adult never ignores; yet preventable drowning still remains a problem with young children having the highest drowning rates.

The pressure is on for the modern family to find the time and place to make swimming skills a priority.

Here are the top threeThe top three factors, from the CDC website, that influence drowning are:

Lack of swimming ability
Lack of proper barriers
Lack of close supervision

The lack of swimming ability and the lack of close supervision are the factors that can be changed with a change in mindset or attitude of the parents. It is this change that can prevent a drowning.

Dont be ditracted when supervising kids at poolside.  One time distractions were magazines books or amybe a transistor radio.  Nowadays its iPads iPhones and Kindles internet in your hand.
If your child has not yet become a proficient swimmer, you must be in the water within arm’s reach at all times.

If this short simple article will get you aware of the dangers without spoiling the fun we will be pleased
Book that self-catering apartment in Portugal and enjoy the holiday safely.

Search Tip: When searching for a self-catering apartment in places like Patio de Convento in Lagos or Praia Village in Vilamoura question how you access the pool.  We would like to access pool area secured by gates and fences.  Your booking a villa in Portugal in any area ensure the pool has safety equipment nearby.
Happy Holiday