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New Choices in Natural Healing: Nausea and Vomiting

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Nausea and Vomiting

Every once in a while, what goes down must come up. Whether the cause is flu, food poisoning, motion sickness or morning sickness, vomiting and nausea (which is feeling as though you might vomit) are natural reactions to stomach irritation. Be aware, though, that nausea can signal a heart attack and can be a symptom of some types of cancer as well as of kidney and liver disorders. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—-may help relieve nausea or prevent vomiting, according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When...

You feel frequent nausea for more than two days.
You’re pregnant and you can’t eat or drink because your nausea is so severe.
You vomit periodically for more than 24 hours.
You have nausea and you’re suffering from sudden, severe pain in the chest or abdomen.
You vomit blood or a substance that looks like coffee grounds.
You’re elderly and your nausea is accompanied by fever.

Acupressure

Press points P 5 and P 6 on the insides of your forearms, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. For P 5, place your right thumb on the inside of your left forearm, three finger-widths from the center of your wrist crease. Breathing deeply, apply firm pressure with your thumb for one minute, suggests Dr. Gach. For P 6, move your thumb about half of a finger-width closer to the wrist crease. Dr. Gach says to apply pressure for one more minute, then repeat the procedure on your right forearm.

For help in locating these points, refer to the illustration on page 564.

Aromatherapy

Peppermint is a traditional cure for nausea and vomiting, according to San Francisco herbalist Jeanne Rose, chairperson of the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy and author of Aromatherapy: Applications and Inhalations. She suggests adding a single drop of the essential oil to a sugar cube and sucking slowly until the cube is completely melted. An eight-ounce glass of water spiked with two drops of the essential oil has a similar effect, she says.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Ayurveda

Relieve nausea with two pinches of cardamom and ½ teaspoon of honey mixed into ½ cup of plain yogurt, says Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Or, suggests Dr. Lad, you could try stirring a pinch each of nutmeg and cardamom into ½ cup of warm milk and slowly sipping this beverage. And he offers a third option: a tea made from 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and a pinch of ground nutmeg steeped in 1 cup of boiling water for ten minutes. Strain the tea to remove the seeds, then drink it.

Food Therapy

The best foods to eat when you feel nauseated are low-fat, plain foods, such as dry soda crackers, says Robert M. Stern, Ph.D., a researcher on motion sickness and nausea for NASA and professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. He explains that high-fat foods take hours to digest, but lighter foods can ease stomach pain and are digested easily. Be careful not to overdo it, he says; a few crackers may ease your pain, but too many will make it worse.

When you’re vomiting, Dr. Stern says, don’t eat anything for at least one hour, since it will take your stomach that long to settle. Then, he suggests, have small portions of bread, broth or other bland foods, or drink soda that has gone flat.

Herbal Therapy

For mild nausea, drink ginger tea, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. To make the tea, slice a piece of fresh ginger and put a few shavings or slivers of it in a tea ball. Pour a cup of boiling water over it, steep for ten minutes, then allow it to cool before drinking.

When nausea is more intense, Dr. Tyler suggests trying a stronger dose of ginger, available in gelatin capsules of 500 milligrams in most health food stores. Take one or two capsules every four hours, or follow label instructions for dosage, he says.

Homeopathy

If you feel nauseated and don’t know why, the first thing to try is a dose of Ipecacuanha 6X every 15 minutes until you begin to feel better—but take no more than four doses, says Maesimund Panos, M.D., a homeopathic physician in Tipp City, Ohio, and co-author with Jane Heimlich of Homeopathic Medicine at Home.

Ipecacuanha is available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedy by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

For anyone in gastric distress, Agatha Thrash, M.D., a medical pathologist and co-founder and co-director of Uchee Pines Institute, a natural healing center in Seale, Alabama, recommends this water-and-charcoal cocktail: Put two to three tablespoons of activated charcoal powder in the bottom of a large glass and add a small amount of water (bottled may be best if you’re traveling). Stir slowly with a long-handled spoon to keep the fine powder from flying everywhere, suggests Dr. Thrash. Fill the glass the rest of the way with water and drink with a straw. Available in most health food stores and some pharmacies, activated charcoal doesn’t taste very good, she says, but it’s cheap, effective and safe for everyone.

Imagery

Picture your nausea as having any size, shape or color. Then transform it into a liquid that flows down one of your legs, out the bottom of your foot, across the room and out your front door. Watch it as it continues down your street and disappears miles away, says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist and publisher of Atlantis, a bi-monthly imagery newsletter. If you do that, your nausea may vanish within minutes.

Juice Therapy

Ginger is a well-known traditional remedy for gastric problems, says naturopathic physician Michael Murray, N.D., in The Complete Book of Juicing. That’s because ginger is a carminative, a natural substance that helps eliminate gas and soothes the gastrointestinal tract, according to Dr. Murray. To ease nausea, he recommends a juice blend of a slice of fresh ginger (about ¼ inch thick), an apple and four carrots.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Reflexology

Pay special attention to the following reflex points on your hands or feet, says New York City reflexologist Laura Norman, author of Feet First: A Guide to Foot Reflexology: solar plexus, diaphragm, chest, lung, esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder and thyroid, pituitary and adrenal gland.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

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