Overview
Nausea and vomiting are very common conditions that can be caused by a whole variety of things: seasickness, motion sickness, pregnancy, a heavy meal, migraines, side effects of certain treatments, anxiety, gastroenteritis and more. The majority of people have had this unpleasant experience at least once in their lives. Most of the time it is quickly relieved and does not require any special medical attention. There are certain measures that can be taken at home to ease this condition. We will take a look at them in this article. But before – here is some useful information you have to know first.
What is Vomiting?
Vomiting is the expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth. It is a mechanical defense reflex of the body: the stomach, diaphragm and abdominal muscles contract and the stomach contents are expelled. It is the body’s way of getting rid of harmful substances from the stomach, or it may be a natural reaction to something that has irritated the gut. Either way, vomiting is the quickest way for the body to clear out whatever may be damaging or hurtful. What comes out is usually food, bile or, much more rarely, blood.
Nausea and vomiting are sometimes accompanied by:
- An unhealthy pale appearance (pallor);
- Hypersalivation (excess saliva in the mouth);
- Abdominal pain;
- Accelerated heart rate;
- Diarrhea;
- Cold sweats;
- A general feeling of unease;
- Signs of dehydration (feeling thirsty, dry mouth, infrequent or absent urination, decrease in blood pressure, and feeling weak and tired).
Causes of Vomiting
There are a number of things that can cause nausea and vomiting. The most common causes are:
- Gastroenteritis (an infection of the digestive system);
- Medication (it’s a very common side-effect);
- Toxins.
But there can be a number of reasons why nausea and vomiting appear. For example:
- Bad smells, disgust;
- Excessive alcohol intake;
- Digestive tract disease (e.g. appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, pancreatitis, gallstones, etc.);
- Motion sickness;
- Severe pain;
- Carbon monoxide poisoning;
- Meningitis;
- A migraine attack;
- Hepatitis;
- A myocardial infarction;
- Dizziness in case of inner ear problems.
There is also such a thing as chronic vomiting, which tends to last for more than 7 days. It’s main cause is pregnancy (morning sickness), but other most frequent causes of chronic or recurrent vomiting are:
- Food intolerance (especially intolerance to lactose);
- Psychological causes (nervousness, stress and stage fright before a presentation or an exam);
- Psychiatric causes (anorexia nervosa, bulimia);
- Narrowing (stenosis) of the digestive tract.
So what are the best home remedies? Click Next.
