Electric Zaps To Cure Motion Sickness – Qadeer Arshad, PhD

A study by Qadeer Arshad, PhD and his colleagues published in the September, 2015 edition of the Neurology journal appears to have found the cause of motion sickness and a remedy for it.

When people are on unstable ground or footing, the brain receives confusing inputs from the ears and eyes which cause motion sickness. 3 out of 10 people experience motion sickness in their daily lives while taking bus rides, ferry rides, and trips in small airplanes.

Arshad found inhibiting the left hemisphere with electrical stimulus was highly effective in controlling motion sickness. Electrocortical Therapy or electric zaps sent to the left hemisphere, controlled motion sickness.

The test group that received the electric stimulation, as compared to the control group which did not, took longer to develop motion sickness and recovered from motion sickness much faster.

Arshad said commercially available devices similar to what was used, like the TENS unit, are the already available for back pain. He envisions that a device made specifically for motion sickness may be available in the near future.

The device would attach small electrodes to the scalp and deliver very small currents to the left hemisphere that shouldn’t result in any adverse effects from short term use. He envisions the device might even integrate with a mobile phone.