We have all suffered from nausea at some point in our lives and found it to be annoying, distressing, and very uncomfortable.
There are many causes for nausea– viruses such as the flu, gastrointestinal disorders, pregnancy, or a meal which has upset the stomach. Depending on how the nausea came about and how long we’ve been afflicted with it could alter the course of how we go about controlling this bothersome symptom. Many will rush to the local pharmacy to pick up an over-the-counter medication, some will pick up the phone and promptly make a call to their physician, and yet others will simply lie around at home curled up in a ball on the couch in an attempt to wait it out.
What many whom suffer from nausea do not realize, however, is that there are many natural ways to control nausea right in the comfort of the home– no doctor, no potentially toxic and expensive medications, and best of all, little to no discomfort.
The first of these home remedies for nausea is a popular and extremely effective method for controlling queasy symptoms: ginger! Certainly you have heard of sipping on ginger ale for an icky stomach, but few are aware that some so-called “ginger” ales provide the ill person with a very minimal amount of actual ginger and most actually are made with only drops of a ginger extract. A sprig of fresh ginger root kept around for those vexacious days will almost certainly wind up coming in handy. All that needs to be done for preparation is to take a carrot peeler to the brown skin of the root and grate a teaspoon or two of the white, juicy pulp into a boiling glass of water then left to steep for five to ten minutes. Honey or sugar can always be added for taste, and slowly sipping on the ginger tea (consuming liquids of any kind on a bad stomach always causes the risk of aggravating the nausea) should provide a substantial amount of relief from queasiness.
Ginger root has proven very effective for the control of most types of nausea, but not everyone happens to keep fresh root of ginger on hand at any given time, and getting in the car to drive to the grocery store on a sick stomach may not be the best idea, considering your condition. The next best natural method of nausea control requires no driving, no money, no carrot peeler, and can be done sitting or lying down in your favorite position. This happens to be applying a bit of stress to an acupressure point.
The most common acupressure point adequate for nausea control lies on the inside of either of your wrists, two to three fingers in width down from the hand and in between the wrist and the elbow. (See Image One.) A thumb can be placed in this location, then pressure applied for two to three minutes or until the queasiness begins to subside. The downside to this method is that nausea tends to return to some extent upon cessation of this practice of acupressure, so it may be helpful to purchase a “sea band” if nausea is a recurring issue.
A third method of natural nausea control which can be practiced at home is diet. A clear liquid diet is recommended by naturalists and physicians alike for nausea already accompanied by vomiting. Clear liquids could include chicken or vegetable broth, jello, and sports drinks (cold water is contraindicated for a vomiting patient as it may aggravate nausea). For someone who has serious nausea but hasn’t vomited yet, simple foods such as rice, bananas, crackers, and mashed potatoes with little to no butter may help reduce acid and any strain being put on the already sensitive stomach.
This is only the beginning of a number of natural remedies for the treatment of nausea at home, so as you can see, medications and expensive trips to the doctor aren’t always a necessity! However, if nausea persists or doesn’t respond to any of above remedies, a more serious underlying condition may be present, requiring the help of a medical professional.