Vomiting is unpleasant, and there is no denying it. Just thought of someone vomiting can make you gag. It may be frustrating when you feel nauseous and vomiting. There could be many reasons for this, including food poisoning, stomach flu, infections, fever, or alcohol hangover. Most of the times, vomiting is not under your control and can arise in a variety of situations, including pregnancy and travel. Vomiting or emesis is not only uncomfortable but can also lade to dehydration and interfere with the electrolyte balance in the body. Medications are commonly used for the treatment of emesis. Unfortunately, such antiemetic drugs can have negative side effects of their own; the most commonly reported is drowsiness. Before start treating vomiting, make sure you know the cause behind it. Treatment of emesis very much depends on the cause.
Causes of Vomiting
Vomiting can be a symptom of a range of health issues. Examples of these causes include food poisoning, overeating, blocked intestine, motion sickness, a stomach infection, and pregnancy, side effects of medicines, alcohol consumption or brain injury. Each of these causes a chemical change that irritates the brain. A stomach virus is one of the common causes of emesis, and if you are looking for ways to get it under control, you have turned on to the right page. In case of infection or food poisoning, vomiting is the body’s ways to get rid of harmful toxins. However, some remedies help you get rid of stomach discomfort and vomiting without using medications. These include:
- Drinking water, or herbal tea after the last episode of vomiting occurred. This is because vomiting leaves you dehydrated; a significant loss of water takes place when you vomit. Drinking 1 to 2 ounces of such clear fluids will help compensate the water loss.
- Avid drinking carbonated beverages or alcohol when vomiting as these drinks can worsen the feeling of nausea and lead to dehydration.
- Sicking lemon drops, pickles, or mints can help eliminate the unpleasant taste from your mouth.
- Ginger is a great remedy for treating the common causes of emesis, i.e. stomach discomfort. Drinking ginger tea can help you get rid of that nausea feeling and help you feel better.
- Aromatherapy is also helpful when it comes to reducing the incidence of nausea. Smelling certain scents such as lavender, chamomile, rose, lemon oil, clove, and peppermint can help you get rid of the nausea feeling.
- Acupressure is another option for those who don’t want to use antiemetic drugs. Applying pressure on the inner wrist, below the index finger can help to relieve nausea.
Apart from all these, plenty of rest is all you need to heal after a vomiting episode.
However, when it comes to treating vomiting in children, preventing dehydration is the goal. Your kid may not always want to drink fluids so that you can be little creative for your little munchkin:
- Make ice cubes of oral rehydration solution or electrolyte beverages.
- Dilute fruit juice with water, and this reduces the amount of sugar, which can worsen diarrhoea.
- Make sure you give a small amount of rehydration fluids to your baby to reduce the likelihood the child will immediately throw up again.
- Provide foods such as crackers, bland soups, bananas, toast, mashed potatoes once your kid has not vomited for about eight hours and kept fluids down. Treating vomiting is difficult in children when you don’t want to give antiemetic drugs. Especially when your child is too small to express his/her feelings. But providing a small amount of ORS at a time can help.
Ways to get rid of alcohol-related vomiting
Alcohol leaves a dehydrating effect on the body. Drinking alcohol can irritate your stomach lining, increase the amount of acid in the stomach and slow down digestion. This can lead to stomach irritation, which in turn may give rise to nausea feeling accompanied by vomiting. Following these tips, one can reduce the symptom of alcohol-related vomiting:
- Taking small sips of fluids such as water and electrolyte drinks can prevent dehydration caused by vomiting.
- Taking vitamin B6 can help you get rid of hangover symptoms. But be sure to consult a physician before taking such OTC products.
- Eating small bites of toast with little sips of tea, coffee, or juice can help a drunk man regain some energy and keep nausea feeling at bay. Beware of caffeinated drinks because these can further contribute to dehydration. Make sure you wait for at least half an hour after the last vomiting episode before eating to reduce the likelihood of vomiting again.
Unfortunately, we all experience nausea and vomiting more than once in our lifetime, and It can be difficult to understand when we should get medical attention. Be sure to consult a physician if you vomit more than once a week, if you are pregnant, or if home remedies do not relieve the symptoms.
