Motion sickness is when one part of your balance-sensing system (inner ear, eyes, and sensory nerves) senses that your body is moving, but the other parts don't. For example, if you are in the cabin of a moving ship, your inner ear may sense the motion of waves, but your eyes don't see any movement. This conflict between the senses causes motion sickness.

You may feel sick from the motion of cars, airplanes, trains, amusement park rides, or boats or ships. You could also get sick from video games, flight simulators, or looking through a microscope. In these cases, your eyes see motion, but your body doesn't sense it.

 

You can take medicine to prevent or reduce nausea and vomiting. These include:

• Scopolamine, which comes as a patch you put behind your ear.
• Medicines called antiemetics, which reduce nausea. Examples are ondansetron (Zofran) and prochlorperazine (Compazine).
• Certain antihistamines, such as dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and meclizine (Antivert, Bonine). These may make you drowsy.

Most work best if you take them before you travel.

These tips may help you feel better when you have motion sickness:

• Eat a few dry soda crackers.
• Sip on clear, fizzy drinks such as ginger ale.
• Get some fresh air.
• Lie down, or at least keep your head still.

How can you avoid motion sickness?

It's best to try to prevent motion sickness, because symptoms are hard to stop after they start. After symptoms start, you may feel better only after the motion stops.

These general tips may help you avoid motion sickness:

• Move your head as little as possible.
• Don't drink alcohol or eat a heavy meal before you travel.
• Don't eat or drink during short trips.
• Try to avoid strong odors and spicy foods.

 

Most people with pyelonephritis do not have complications if appropriately treated with bacteria-fighting medications called antibiotics.

In rare cases, pyelonephritis may cause permanent kidney scars, which can lead to chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure, and kidney failure. These problems usually occur in people with a structural problem in the urinary tract, kidney disease from other causes, or repeated episodes of pyelonephritis.

Infection in the kidneys may spread to the bloodstream—a serious condition called sepsis—though this is also uncommon.