Ease Nausea with Natural Remedies

When you get pregnant, you may have morning sickness. This is feelings of nausea or vomiting. These symptoms often happen during your first trimester or first 12 weeks pregnancy. Then they go away. However, in some cases, these symptoms can last through your pregnancy. The exact cause for morning sickness isn’t known.

While uncomfortable, morning sickness is rarely serious. In fact, morning sickness affects about 90 percent of all pregnant women. Most of the time, natural approaches can help you feel better.

Tap into the power of ginger

Ginger is safe and effective in relieving nausea caused by morning sickness. But it doesn’t seem to work for vomiting. 

Ginger comes in many forms.  Moms- to-be can take ginger supplements three or four times a day, with a total daily dose of about 1 gram. Foods that contain ginger may also help ease nausea. These include ginger ale, ginger lollipops, and ginger tea. 

Self-care techniques

You can also try some self-care care techniques. These can help prevent and relieve morning sickness:

• Eat several small meals a day. Try eating every 1 to 2 hours. This can keep your stomach from getting empty.

• Choose foods high in complex carbohydrates. These include whole wheat bread, pasta, bananas, and green, leafy vegetables.

• Don’t eat greasy and spicy foods. 

• Sip on liquids that are cold, clear, and carbonated in between meals.

• Keep crackers near your bed. Munch on them before getting up in the morning.

• Don’t shift positions too quickly.

• Suck on a peppermint or sniff sliced lemon if an odor bothers you.

• Try motion sickness or acupressure wristbands.

Seek medical treatment for serious symptoms

Sometimes, nausea and vomiting can be severe, or last into the second trimester. Talk with your healthcare provider about other treatments. In some cases, hyperemesis gravidarum can happen. Women with this serious condition need treatment with medicine and intravenous (IV) fluids.  

Online Medical Reviewer: Bowers, Nancy, RN, BSN, MPHFoley, Maryann, RN, BSN

Date Last Reviewed: 4/12/2016

© 2000-2019 The StayWell Company, LLC. 800 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional’s instructions.

© 2000-2019 The StayWell Company, LLC. 800 Township Line Road, Yardley, PA 19067. All rights reserved. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional’s instructions.

Natural Remedies for Treating Nausea

Nausea can be caused by several things from overindulging in your favorite foods to a queasy stomach brought on by car sickness.

Try these natural remedies to settle your stomach.

1. Drink Peppermint tea

One of the only essential oils that has scientifically been proven to do what it claims to do is peppermint oil. Taking peppermint in capsule form or drinking it in tea can soothe an upset stomach.

2. Anything Ginger

Ginger is a natural remedy for nausea. It has anti-inflammatory properties that may help improve your digestion. 

3. Stay hydrated

Clear, cold liquids are best. Avoid drinks like colas because the carbonation can increase your bloating. You can also try, lemonade, ginger ale or even salty sports drinks can help you get enough liquid.

4. Avoid fatty or spicy foods

Nausea can be made worse by fatty and spicy foods. Instead, choose simple options like rice, bananas, applesauce, broth, soda crackers, or chicken.

Related: Natural Remedies to Get Rid of a Headache

5. Eat slowly and eat small

During a bout of nausea, you want to be careful not to over consume, even when you start to feel better. Start with small meals and eat slowly. Wait to see how the food settles before adding more food to your diet.

6. Kick back and relax

Take it easy when you’re nauseous. Your body is working hard to fix whatever is happening in your digestive tract, so lay back and binge-watch your favorite show.

7. Breathe in…breathe out

Take long, deep breaths. Some studies indicate that deep breathing can help calm nausea.

8. Avoid triggers

Strong smells like cooking food or perfume can make nausea worse. There are also other triggers, which include humidity, flickering lights, hot temperatures, or driving.

9. Know when to get help

Schedule a doctor visit if you have unexplained weight loss along with vomiting or if your vomiting continues longer than two days (longer than 24 hours for children younger than age 2 or 12 hours for infants).

You should seek immediate medical attention if you have a severe headache with vomiting, vomiting blood, or if the vomit is green or looks like coffee grounds. Also watch for signs of dehydration, which also requires medical attention.

Related: 7 Health Benefits of Sunlight

But for the majority of time, what your body needs most is rest. So take a break, sip on something refreshing, and let your body do its work.

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The content presented here is for your information only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, and it should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns.

How to get rid of nausea: 6 folk ways

Nausea: how to manage the symptoms

We have all experienced this strange feeling in the stomach at least once in our lives, which gradually rises to the throat, makes us feel hot and general discomfort. Nausea is an unpleasant sensation that can be caused by a wide variety of reasons, both physical and psychological. Therefore, it is necessary to know how to alleviate this feeling. There are natural methods that will help you safely get rid of an attack of nausea.

Did you know that nausea is actually a complex defense mechanism? Symptoms appear when the brain receives signals of a perceived threat, such as intestinal obstruction, severe intoxication, or stress.

Nausea indicates the likelihood of vomiting, emergency disposal of the contents of the stomach through the mouth. With the appearance of discomfort, there is a pallor of the face, the appearance of cold sweat, increased salivation and a rapid heartbeat. In some cases, vomiting can help get rid of the feeling of nausea, as the body gets rid of the substances that cause this unpleasant condition.

As part of standard treatment, your doctor may suggest taking antihistamines and other medications. However, there are more natural remedies for nausea, some of which you may have in your kitchen. Ginger, vitamin B6, chamomile tea, lemon, peppermint and hemp essential oils will help you cope with this unpleasant sensation.

How to get rid of nausea: 6 natural remedies

1. Ginger

Plant rhizome Zingiber officinale , also known as ginger, has been used as an anti-nausea remedy in various traditional medicine systems for over 2,000 years. A number of preclinical and clinical studies have proven that ginger combats the effects of stimuli by preventing feelings of nausea.

In 2000, scientists from the UK School of Graduate Medical Education presented a systematic review of data from randomized controlled trials of the effectiveness of ginger in combating nausea and vomiting. One study presented data on the effect of the spice on motion sickness, morning sickness in pregnant women, and chemotherapy-induced nausea. Ginger was more effective than placebo.

To get rid of nausea and get the most benefit from your ginger treatment, drink ginger tea throughout the day. To prepare the drink, cut the ginger root into slices and place them in the teapot. Pour boiling water over and let steep for 10 minutes. Then strain the tea. Ready-made ginger tea is available in pharmacies and large grocery supermarkets.

In addition, ginger essential oil can be no less effective.

2. Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 plays an important role in a number of physical and psychological functions of our body, including the absorption of food and the prevention of nausea during pregnancy.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA, included 31 patients, each of whom received 25 mg of vitamin B6 tablets every 8 hours for three days, and 28 women in the placebo group. Twelve volunteers in the first group experienced severe bouts of nausea before starting therapy.

Three days later, only 8 of 31 patients who took vitamin B6 reported vomiting. After treatment, there was a significant difference in the severity of feelings of nausea between volunteers in the placebo group and the group receiving B6.

To get rid of nausea, take 25 mg of vitamin B6 three times a day until the symptoms disappear.

3. Peppermint essential oil

Peppermint oil has antiemetic and antispasmodic effects on the mucous membrane of the stomach and colon. One of the possible mechanisms of action of peppermint oil on the gastrointestinal tract is the blocking of muscle contractions caused by serotonin and substance P, which acts as a neurotransmitter. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of peppermint oil in reducing feelings of nausea and vomiting after surgery.

In 2012, scientists at Molloy College in New York, USA, evaluated the effectiveness of aromatherapy in combating nausea in women after surgery in the anesthesiology department. Patients who complained of nausea received traditional antiemetics, peppermint oil inhalations, or saline. Aromatherapy resulted in a reduction in nausea, but the results were not statistically significant due to the small sample of patients.

A 2013 study aimed to determine the effectiveness of peppermint oil in preventing nausea and vomiting as a result of chemotherapy. The scientists found a significant reduction in intensity and seizures during the first 24 hours of treatment compared to the control group. No side effects were noted with this. The cost of therapy has also decreased with the use of peppermint oil.

Peppermint oil can be used in a variety of ways to combat nausea. Try rubbing 1-2 drops of oil on your feet and the back of your neck. You can also add 5-10 drops to a warm bath or 2-3 drops to a cold compress and apply it to your head.

4. Chamomile tea

Chamomile tea is one of the most popular herbal teas in the world. About a million cups of this drink are drunk every day in the world. Chamomile tea bags are available at pharmacies and grocery stores. They can contain both chamomile flowers alone and combine various popular medicinal herbs.

Traditionally, chamomile has been considered a sedative to improve digestion and has been used to treat a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, including nausea, vomiting, indigestion, motion sickness, and diarrhea. It helps relieve nausea, gas, indigestion, and relaxes the muscles that move food through the intestines.

5. Lemon

Lemon is best known for its ability to detoxify any part of the body. However, it also serves as a natural remedy for nausea.

A 2014 double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial examined the effects of inhaled lemon aromatherapy on nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. One hundred pregnant women with nausea and vomiting were divided into experimental and control groups. Patients were asked to inhale lemon essential oil or a placebo for nausea. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The intensity of nausea and vomiting on the second and fourth days of treatment in the experimental group was significantly lower than in the control group. This suggests that the smell of lemon may be effective in reducing nausea in pregnant women.

To get rid of nausea with lemon, just cut a fresh lemon and inhale it every time you feel discomfort.

You can also chew a slice of lemon, use oil, or drink water with lemon when nausea symptoms occur.

6. Hemp oil

The controversial hemp (or cannabis) oil is a natural product that has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments. In the US, the use of cannabis is controlled by the government. The plant is Schedule 1, which means it is a addictive drug. However, cannabis helps fight a number of health problems. Scientists argue that the therapeutic value of cannabinoids is too high to be discarded.

The ability of cannabinoids to reduce the feeling of nausea has been proven in a large number of animals, which, like humans, react with vomiting to intoxication. Evidence from animal studies suggests that cannabinoids may be particularly useful in combating poorly controlled chemotherapy-induced nausea.

Researchers at Temple University School of Medicine, USA, have found that cannabinoid receptors play an important role in regulating food intake, nausea and vomiting, gastric secretions, protecting the gut from inflammation, and proliferation of healthy cells in the gut.

People (particularly in the US) who take cannabis oil as a drug start with a very small amount and increase treatment doses as needed over an extended period of time. The oil can bring relief to those suffering from chronic nausea.

Hemp oil is not recommended for use during pregnancy or planning to conceive. There is information that cannabis use during pregnancy increases the risk of having a very low birth weight baby or birth defects.

Tips to combat nausea

In addition to the methods presented above, we can give a few more tips that will help get rid of unpleasant symptoms.

• Open a window, let some fresh air in, or take a walk outside.
• Apply a cool compress to the forehead or back of the head.
• Refrain from excessive activity for one hour after eating to avoid stomach discomfort.
• Try alternative therapies such as meditation or acupuncture.
• Eat small meals.
• Add sprouted cereals to your breakfast to normalize bowel function.
• Limit your intake of fatty foods that are difficult to digest.
• Limit carbonated drinks; they promote gas formation.
• To get rid of anxiety, do some breathing exercises.
• Drink more water.

Causes of nausea

The feeling of nausea occurs when the “vomit center” of the brain reacts to a signal received from another part of the body. The vomiting center includes an area called the chemoreceptor trigger zone, which is part of the medulla oblongata. She receives messages that cause vomiting.

These chemical messages transmitted to the brain can come from a number of sources:

• Intestine and stomach that respond to obstruction, pressure, irritation, infection, or constipation.
• An organism as a whole experiencing an imbalance or disturbance in blood flow.
• Other parts of the brain where there is increased pressure as a result of tumor growth.
• Emotions such as anxiety, exhaustion, tension or fear.
• Sense perception, including too strong light, unpleasant taste, smell or pain.
• Inner ear, which sends messages of motion sickness, vertigo or vertigo to the brain when messages from the eyes do not match those of the inner ear or center of balance.

The most common causes of nausea include:

• Morning sickness during pregnancy
• Food poisoning
• Seasickness
• Influenza symptoms
• Internal pain, e.g. with kidney stones
• Inflammation of the gallbladder
• Migraine
• Emotional stress
• Head injury or brain tumor
• Heart attack
• Overeating
• Alcohol intoxication
• Exposure to toxins
• Treatment, such as radiation or chemotherapy

Nausea and vomiting affect 70% to 80% of women during pregnancy. Although the symptoms of morning sickness usually go away after the first trimester of pregnancy, some women still experience discomfort until childbirth. The goal of treatment in this case is to get rid of the symptoms without risk to the mother and baby.

According to research from the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, USA, most cases of vomiting that last less than 48 hours could be avoided by eliminating provoking triggers. These include infections, food poisoning, viruses, intoxication, emotional stress, or drug therapy.

On the other hand, chronic and unexplained bouts of nausea can cause serious problems. To find out their causes, a doctor’s examination and tests are required. Functional gastroduodenal disorders such as cyclic vomiting syndrome, functional vomiting, and chronic idiopathic nausea should be considered if investigations are inconclusive.

Symptoms of nausea

The symptoms of nausea are not painful, but they do cause discomfort that is often difficult to describe. It occurs in the chest, upper abdomen, or back of the throat.

Nausea is associated with dizziness, headache, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

Nausea often leads to vomiting, which in turn leads to dehydration. It causes skin deterioration, dry lips and mouth, watery eyes, increased thirst and shortness of breath. Children are more prone to dehydration because they cannot recognize the symptoms. Therefore, adults need to monitor their appearance and give children more fluids.

Standard treatment for vomiting

Over-the-counter antihistamines such as dimenhydrinate are commonly used to treat nausea, motion sickness, vomiting, and dizziness. Dimenhydrinate is available as a tablet to take by mouth, usually to prevent motion sickness. During pregnancy or if you are about to have surgery, you should discuss the use of this medicine with your doctor. Side effects of the drug include drowsiness, headache, blurred vision, dry mouth, and problems with coordination.

A 2007 study examined the effectiveness of dimenhydrinate and ginger in treating nausea and vomiting in 170 pregnant women. The participants took a ginger capsule or 50 mg dimenhydrinate in the same capsules twice a day. According to the data obtained, ginger was no less effective than the drug and at the same time practically did not cause adverse reactions.

Scopolamine transdermal patch is a patch used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness or to recover from anesthesia and surgery. It normalizes the balance of natural substances that occurs during motion sickness and blocks signals to the brain that lead to nausea. The patch may cause blurred vision, dry mouth, dizziness, decreased sweating, constipation, and mild itching at the site of application. If you are pregnant, be sure to discuss the use of the transdermal patch with your doctor.

Conclusions

• Nausea occurs as a result of a signal entering the vomiting center of the brain. The signals may come from the stomach, intestines, other areas of the brain, sensory organs, the inner ear, or the bloodstream.
• Nausea is associated with dizziness, headache, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
• There are natural remedies for nausea, such as ginger or chamomile tea, lemon, peppermint oil, vitamin B6 supplements, and, in extreme cases, using hemp oil in small doses.
• Fresh air, plenty of fluids, a cool compress, and small meals will also help with nausea.

Take care of your health, contact the Onco.Rehab clinic for help!

How to overcome toxicosis?

In the first months of pregnancy, appetite disturbances, nausea and vomiting give the expectant mother a lot of trouble. The heroine of Agatha Christie’s novel “An Unfinished Portrait” was sick from the first day to the end of pregnancy, and equally strongly at any time of the day. Otherwise, the expectant mother was absolutely healthy and gave birth to a very weighty child in due time.

From a medical point of view, the story is completely implausible. After all, toxicosis cannot last 9 months in a row! However, its symptoms may well be reproduced by the nervous system of a pregnant woman if something bothers her and the situation gets out of control.

Vitamins, aromas, tea and massage

In the first month after conception, the hormonal background does not change, so you do not feel the slightest discomfort. Endocrine restructuring in the next 8 weeks leads to early toxicosis (usually it causes anxiety in the morning), and then the hormonal background stabilizes and nausea disappears. Protracted toxicosis indicates a violation of the functioning of the kidneys and other internal organs, creates a threat of premature birth, endangers the life of the mother and fetus.

And yet the writer did not sin against the truth – after all, she told the story of her own pregnancy! As a child, Agatha was terribly worried about her unmarried aunt, who had all the signs of severe poisoning. When it turned out that she was expecting a baby, the subconscious mind firmly connected future motherhood with nausea. “Psychological” toxicosis helped Mrs. Christie to keep the attention of her first husband for some time – he read that pregnant women look ugly and did not want to have children, but sympathy for the suffering of his wife overcame selfish considerations.

Slight nausea in the 2nd and 3rd months of pregnancy is a common occurrence associated with the so-called early toxicosis. If it is accompanied by vomiting or occurs at a later date, consult a doctor immediately!

Your actions

0.5 g of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), rosehip infusion or cranberry juice will help cleanse the body of the end products of the metabolism of hormonal and other biologically active substances, whose metabolism increases during pregnancy, leading to toxicosis. Pour 1 tablespoon of rose hips with 2 cups of boiling water, heat for 15-20 minutes in an enamel saucepan under a lid in a water bath, thaw for an hour in a thermos. Drink 1/2 cup of warm infusion with a teaspoon of honey 2-3 times a day after meals.

Prepare cranberry juice. Rinse 150 g of cranberries, mash, squeeze the juice through cheesecloth. Pour the remaining pulp with hot water and boil for 10-20 minutes. Strain the broth, stir in 100 g of sugar and refrigerate. Pour berry juice into the drink and squeeze the lemon. Drink slowly in small sips when you feel nauseous. Take as medicine 300-400 ml of tomato, orange or grapefruit juice. Due to the large amount of minerals, fructose, vitamin C, juices flush the body and increase the efficiency of enzymatic systems that free it from toxic products. In the heat, you can add a few ice cubes to a glass of juice.

Breathe in aromas that soothe nausea – essential oils of jasmine, rose, anise, lemon, neroli. The first aroma session is 20 minutes, daily increase the inhalation time by 20-30 minutes, bringing it up to 3 hours.

Peppermint tea and acupressure performed according to the canons of Chinese medicine will help to cope with discomfort. Several times a day for a minute, knead each of the paired points with pressure movements.

• You will find the first pair of points where a line drawn horizontally through the nipples crosses the inner edges of the mammary glands.
• The second pair is located on both hands in the dimples between the index and thumb on the back of the hand.
• To find the third pair, place your spread hand on your bent knee: on the side of it, your ring finger will find a depression that you need to press several times in a row on both legs at once.
• Look for the fourth pair like this: put your left hand on the table with your palm up, and on top of it – with your right palm down, so that the bases of the four fingers of your right hand fall on the fold of your left hand. Massage the point where the ring finger rests, and then repeat on the other hand.

Ice cubes for nerves

Nervous, very frightened, close to fainting? At such moments, the manifestations of toxicosis intensify, since the autonomic nervous system, which controls the internal organs, and in particular the stomach, comes into an excited state.

Nausea is one of the symptoms of panic attacks (specialists call them autonomic crises). Such attacks occur mainly in expectant mothers with a fine mental organization during emotional shock, as well as in a protracted psycho-traumatic situation. Speaking of an unpleasant person: “He makes me sick,” you are not voicing a metaphor, but a physiological fact. On a subconscious level, the body translates negative emotions into a feeling of nausea, positive ones into a feeling of lightness in the body and physical health.

What to do

Put a tablet of validol under the tongue, moisten a piece of cotton wool or a handkerchief with a few drops of ammonia, bring it to your nose and take a deep breath. Pour a little valerian tincture onto a cloth and inhale the soothing aroma through each nostril alternately, pinching the other. You can drop essential oils of mint, lemon balm, basil, cajuput, rosemary, chamomile, anise, fennel, hyssop, or lavender onto a handkerchief. Open a window or balcony door, sit in a chair with your head back, or lie down in bed. Calm down, relax and take a series of deep breaths. While exhaling, with the index, middle and ring fingers of both hands, press intensively for 10-20 seconds on the point under the sternum, anatomically corresponding to the solar plexus.

Dissolve an ice cube in your mouth (it can be from plain boiled water, but it is better to freeze strained mint infusion for this purpose).

Transport problem

Sickness in transport? This is common during pregnancy. Travel only in the front seat of a car or bus, looking at the road through the windshield. Don’t look back and don’t look back and don’t look out the side windows or the nausea will get worse. Your actions. 30-60 minutes before the trip, dissolve in your mouth 3-5 grains of the homeopathic preparation “Avia-Sea”, which protects against motion sickness.

Healing infusions

Nausea occurs in the morning on an empty stomach and is accompanied by a headache? On the basis of early toxicosis, intracranial pressure increased. Consultation of the neuropathologist and US of a brain – an echoencephalography is necessary. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the specialist will prescribe mild diuretics. And traditional medicine recommends in such cases to drink 1/2 cup of low-fat kefir at night and eat an apple: these products help to remove excess fluid from the body.

Your actions

Do not force yourself to eat: the stomach will immediately return everything back. For breakfast, have a cup of chicken broth with croutons. It will provide the body with the necessary nutrients and a sufficient amount of fluid without overloading the liver and intestines, which are busy cleaning up the internal environment. Calcium and magnesium will help improve well-being. Their deficiency is the cause of nausea and other symptoms of toxicosis in expectant mothers.

To make up for the lack of two minerals at once and prevent morning sickness, drink a glass of warm milk (it contains calcium) with a teaspoon of honey (it is rich in magnesium) before going to bed. Reception for 2-3 weeks of infusions of diuretic herbs will bring relief.

• Brew 2 tablespoons of horsetail herb with a glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes in a thermos and strain. Drink 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day.
• Mix cornflower flowers, licorice root and bearberry leaves (1:1:3). Brew 1 tablespoon of the collection with a glass of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes, cool and strain. Take 1 tablespoon 3-4 times daily before meals.
• Take licorice root, juniper berries and bearberry leaves (1:1:2), brew and take in the same way as the previous collection.
• Mix #1 with bearberry leaves, horsetail herb and juniper berries or #2 with horsetail herb, bud tea and knotweed (1:1:1). Pour 1 tablespoon of any mixture with a glass of boiling water in a thermos, leave for 5-6 hours. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day before meals.

For a sensitive stomach

Crane exercise. With its help, Chinese women who are expecting a baby have long relieved attacks of nausea, stopped vomiting and struggled with digestive disorders. Measured movements of the diaphragm and the anterior wall of the abdomen activate blood circulation and gently massage the abdominal organs. According to biological rhythms, the most suitable time for exercise is 7-9hours of the morning, when the stomach and intestines are charged with energy for uninterrupted work during the day.