Lisa
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Anything which causes physical stress will cause MC degranulation. This is well understood. We never consider vibrations as causing "stress" since we think of that as something minor, but it too is a degranulator. I've been put into syncope due to being in the car when I've been very sick either from contrast or surgery. It deminishes as I've gotten stronger.
Now, is this the same as getting car sick? I somehow don't think so. There could be an indirect connection, but I don't think that getting car sick - or nausea from being in a car is exactly the same. Although, if you think about it, Dramamine is used to combat that car sickness and dramamine is an antihistamine, this is why there could be an indirect connection. Car sickness has been traditionally connected to the inner ear and balance and this is why I don't think that vibration is the issue here. I think car sickness has been more attributed to the inability of a person to handle being off balance and the eye is a key to the body's feeling balance as well as the inner ear. Yet, the indirect connection would be that once you are off balance and the sensorial input has been triggered, this stress to the body would then trigger the mast cells since the stress system is also a means of directly degranulating mast cells. So, in triggering the stress system, then you are going to trigger the mast cells and add more fun to the car sickness with the masto triggering.
Now, I have read that there are studies looking at the mast cell's involvement in tinnitis and inner ear problems and so here is yet another indirect or even direct involvement in car sickness. And in this sense, if you get some heafty vibration of the air, as with a helicopter beating the air around you, yes, this too would be a trigger. You may not sense the air vibrating as with a breeze, but it is there and the very tiny bones of your inner ear could most definitely perceive them and then start off the triggering, why not?!
But the real issue here is WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT IT?
MEDICATE!
I have pre-medicated for flying and for long trips and it does help!! And when I am on a trip and I find I begin triggering, I up my doses to compensate for the higher triggering!
This is how we have to get around it. I would even consider, if you find that noises are a major issue, walking around with a pack of ear plugs in order to help protect your inner ear from some of those vibrations. It's like wearing dark glasses to help keep the eyes from being so sensitive to the strong sun and colors - these too can be too much at times and they help to dampen some of the impact.
I hope this helps!
Lisa
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