Front-Shop Magazine

Nausea

Candice Lee De Carvalho (MSc Med Human Genetics)

Introduction

As a common ailment, nausea is one of the most disturbing states of being.  It is an overall uncomfortable and sick feeling. Often the only way to treat nausea is to identify and treat the cause; however clients can find relief from the symptom of nausea even without tackling the cause

Nausea is usually accompanied by pallor and chills or sweating.  It may or may not progress to vomiting and if so, most people will actually feel better afterwards as it gives the body a chance to get rid of the toxin that caused the nausea in the first place.

There are several common causes of nausea and vomiting. Most causes of nausea either involve the gastrointestinal tract or are triggered by feelings of dizziness and vertigo; however, motion sickness, migranes, anxiety and chemotherapy are also common causes.

Pregnancy

One of the most common causes of nausea is pregnancy! ‘Morning sickness’ can strike at any time of the day and over 50% of pregnant woman will suffer from this phenomenon.  For pregnant women this is may be dangerous as they need to maintain a healthy balanced diet.  Robin Weiss from the site About Pregnancy and Morning Sickness offers the following tips:

• Clients should eat something high in protein before going to bed.  This stabilizes blood sugar
• ‘Two crackers before your head leaves the pillow’ is old but wise advice
• Clients should have sips of ice water as the urge to purge strikes. Many women say that this helps them keep meals down as well
• Women should avoid foods and smells that seem to trigger nausea. Sometimes this will be nearly every food or every smell
• Ginger, teas, cookies, even the spice can be helpful in preventing nausea
• Acupressure bands can be worn like bracelets and can curb nausea while one wears them
• Smaller frequent meals can also help keep an ailing belly at bay
• Peppermint, either smelling it in aromatherapy form or sipping the tea can help curb nausea. It’s also known to help with sagging energy levels
• Peanut butter or other protein snack before rising from bed
• A teaspoon of cider vinegar in a cup of warm water has been said to be effective
• Advise clients to take a deep breath. It might be mind over matter sometimes
• When possible avoid hunger, it can also trigger nausea.

Pregnant women should be very careful about taking any type of medication or dietary supplement to control nausea and vomiting. It’s very hard to test medications during pregnancy, since the effects could be permanent and devastating. Because of that, little evidence exists to show how safe certain medications are for pregnancy.

Infections

If the client is infected with a micro-organism that affects the gastrointestinal system (such as the ‘stomach flu’) they will often feel nauseas.  On the other hand, if a client is infected with an illness that affects the brain, by depriving it of oxygen, this will also lead to nausea; however, vertigo, anxiety, stress, and fatigue all cause nausea by affecting the brain.

Food poisoning causes vomiting for a reason. It is the body’s way of emptying the stomach of the offending bacteria. For the first 24 hours at least, vomiting is normal. If vomiting doesn’t stop after 24 hours, victims of food poisoning may need to refer the client to a doctor to treat the cause as well as to monitor the client for dehydration.

Motion Sickness

People who are prone to motion sickness usually find that they are better off if they do not consume a heavy meal before embarking on a trip.  Reading in the care is also a no-no.  Since the organ of balance is in the inner ear, it may become unbalanced and it is recommended that clients attempt to sit with their heads tilted slightly back, which is the position in which the inner ear is least disturbed.  Some people recommend fresh air for the feeling of nausea, which they say helps one to regain a sense of well-being.

Treatment

Clients can help themselves find relief from the symptoms of nausea by practicing deep breathing exercises.  The best way for a client to do this is to take a long, deep breath through the nose to fill up the lungs and then a long, slow breath out, through the mouth, and repeat as often as necessary.  This should be done at the onset of the feeling of nausea and repeated until relief is found.

Clients, such as pregnant women, who are weary of anti-nausea medication can take ginger to help them with their feelings of nausea, however this must be done in moderate quantities.  Ginger as well as vitamin B6 have been found to offer some relief.  For ginger, at least 1000 milligrams will do the trick and with vitamin B6 10 milligrams is the recommended amount.

Natura’s Magen is recommended for indigestion, abdominal cramps, digestive upsets, colic, nausea, morning sickness and travel or motion sickness.  Be-Tabs Nauzine tablets and syryp may be taken one hour before a journey to prevent motion sickness, and must be avoided by pregnant women.  Valoid (also available in suppository and paediatric syrup) as well as Vomidon may also be recommended for the treatment of nausea.

Referral

A client must be referred to a doctor if:

• Fever, pain and light-headedness accompany the symptoms
• There are signs of dehydration
• The vomited substances contain blood
• The vomiting does not respond to treatment

Conclusion

Although nausea is one of the most common ailments, especially as it is commonplace in pregnancy, the treatments mentioned above are highly effective in providing relief from the symptoms.