Vomiting
is not anyone's favorite thing to do, but it's one of your body's most
important natural defense mechanisms.
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Vomiting: Your Body's First Line Of Defense
When you throw up, your body is getting rid of something it perceives as
being toxic. Most of the time you feel a lot better after your stomach has
emptied itself out. So it's usually best to just let go and let your body get
rid of it.
However, repeated vomiting can lead to dehydration, which is not good. Read
on to learn more! There are also tips at the end of this article on cleaning up
when your child doesn't quite make it to the bathroom...
Vomiting--Many Causes
Throwing up has any number of causes...
- Stomach flu. Rotavirus is
another cause in small children.
- Food poisoning.
- Overeating, or eating
rich foods.
- Strong odors like smoke,
perfume, gas or diesel fumes, especially if you're already feeling
nauseated.
- Stress and anxiety.
- Motion sickness.
- Pregnancy and its related
hormonal changes.
- Migraine headaches.
- Hangovers.
- Certain medications, including
chemotherapy.
Gallstones and stomach ulcers can also be a cause of vomiting, so if it
persists for no apparent reason, it's best to see your doctor.
Vomiting in Babies and Children
Babies spit up a lot. Usually it goes with the territory, and there's not a
lot to worry about. A lot of times babies throw up due to reflux, which is when
the valve at the top of the stomach opens up accidentally, allowing the stomach
contents to come back up. They usually outgrow this.
Projectile vomiting is more of a concern if it happens often. The baby
throws up, very forcefully. This can be due to a condition called pyloric
stenosis, which is a narrowing of the valve between the stomach and small
intestine.
If your baby is
- not gaining weight or is
even losing weight
- is listless
- is dehydrated (no wet
diapers in several hours, and the soft spot on his or her head is sunken
in)
- has blood or yellow or
green bile in the vomit
- seems sick or in pain
take
your baby to your doctor right away. Pyloric stenosis can be a serious
condition, but fortunately, an operation can take care of the problem.
Children seem to pass bugs around all the time. Usually they recover
quickly, in a day or two. But persistent vomiting can lead to dehydration. This
is serious. Take your child to the doctor right away if he or she...
- can't keep anything down,
- is listless,
- is not making wet diapers
or using the bathroom,
- has sunken eyes.
This
can happen pretty fast, so keep an eye on your child.
Can You Prevent Vomiting?
Not really. Once you have the urge to purge, there's not much you can do to
stop it. Actually it's best not to, because, as discussed above, vomiting is
how your body gets rid of toxins.
For some relief, you can try
- getting some fresh air.
Open a window if you can. If some odor like tobacco smoke or perfume or
exhaust fumes is making you sick, try to get away from it.
- eating some crackers or
olives or sucking on a lemon. This helps to calm your stomach by absorbing
acid and excess fluid.
- lying down with a cool
cloth on your forehead. Focus only on your breathing. This seems to help.
- sucking on ice cubes.
This gets a little bit of liquid into you while hopefully calming your
stomach.
Be sure to replace the fluids lost when you vomit to prevent dehydration.
Weak tea, clear juice, sports drinks, and soup broth are better than water
because they replenish the electrolytes you lose when you throw up. Take small
sips, slowly. Avoid pop and caffeinated drinks.
Don't try eating right away, or you're liable to lose it again. Let your
stomach settle down for a couple of hours. Once you can keep down clear
liquids, then try something like crackers or dry toast. Avoid the butter for a
while. Try a few bites at first; don't overdo it!
Herbs That Help With Vomiting
- Sometimes what helps me
most is just a plain old cup of Lipton tea with a little sugar in it. The tannin's in black tea are very good for settling an upset stomach. The
sugar helps to perk you up a little as it raises your blood sugar.
- Chamomile tea has many
uses. It's great for upset stomachs. It also has a calming effect, so it's
good for a sick, restless child. This herb works by relaxing stomach
spasms, and by soothing inflammation.
Note: If you or your child are allergic to ragweed, you
may also be allergic to chamomile, too.
- Peppermint tea is also
good for settling your stomach. It can be very effective in morning
sickness, but can sometimes cause heartburn. Try it and see if it helps. Peppermint and
chamomile together makes a very effective herbal stomach remedy.
- Ginger tea is very good
for tummy upsets too, but it can be a little strong for little ones. Mix
it with apple juice to make it go down better.
To make ginger tea, slice a two-inch piece ginger root
thinly, add about two cups of water, and bring it to a boil. Turn it off, cover
the pot, and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain and add stevia, lemon, apple
juice, or drink it plain.
You can also try eating a piece of crystallized ginger.
This really works for me. But it's hot, so start with a small piece!
- Strong green tea can help
if you're sick due to food poisoning.
- Golden seal is a
well-known herbal antibiotic that is quite effective in your digestive
tract. If you have food poisoning or infectious diarrhea, golden seal may be
what you need to clear it up. It's available at health food stores as a
tincture you can mix with water.
Note: If you have an ulcer, check with your doctor before
using golden seal.
- Lemon balm tea helps to
relieve stomach spasms. The lemony flavor is soothing, too.
- Thyme tea is said to be
good for upset stomachs
- You child may want to
suck on a sugar cube containing one drop of essential oil of peppermint if
he or she has a stomachache.
- Or try taking a spoonful
of honey containing one drop of essential oil of tarragon, marjoram, OR
rosemary to reduce digestive tract spasms.
Ayurvedic Remedies for Vomiting
- Yogurt mixed with
cardamon and honey
- Warm milk with cardamon
and nutmeg
- Tea made from cumin seeds
and nutmeg
- Drink one cup of fresh
pineapple juice with a pinch of ginger and black pepper and and one-half
teaspoon of sugar three times a day. This is very effective if you're
fasting.
- Try a cup of water
containing 10 drops of lime juice, one-half teaspoon of sugar, and
one-quarter teaspoon of baking soda
- Chew a spoonful of
cardamon seeds
- Mix one teaspoon each of
ginger juice and onion juice. I would guess you can either take it right
down or mix it with a cup of water and drink it.
- Try drinking a cup of
water with one-half teaspoon rose petal powder, one-quarter teaspoon
sandalwood power, one-half teaspoon rock candy powder, and 10 drops of
lime juice.
Oops! When Your Child Doesn't Make It To The Bathroom...
This isn't exactly the funniest part of being a mom or grandma, but vomit
happens. When it does, clean up right away to avoid staining carpets and
furniture. Be sure to test any cleaning agent on an inconspicuous place to be
sure it doesn't remove the color or otherwise stain it. Lots of paper towels
come in handy!
- Blot up as much vomit as
you can without rubbing it into the carpet or upholstery.
- Get a bucket of water
with some mild liquid detergent mixed in. Go easy on dish detergent as
that stuff really suds up and can be hard to rinse out completely.
- Using a clean rag, dip it
in the detergent mixture and sop this into the vomit spot. Don't rub. Blot
with paper towels to remove.
- Repeat this step until
the area looks clean. You usually have to do it four or five times to get
it out completely.
- Blot up as much moisture
as possible with paper towels. (I usually lay down three or four in one
layer and step on it to remove the excess moisture.)
- Let the carpet dry. Then
I work in a little baking soda to remove any residual smell. Leave it for
a day or two and vacuum it up.
Shaving cream is supposed to work well too, for clean-ups. I haven't tried
it, but you clean up the worst of the vomit mess, spray on the shaving cream,
and let it sit for five minutes. Work it into the rug, and then rinse and blot
it up.
There are also several spray-on carpet cleaners that would probably work
too. Woolite makes one for pet stains, which I would think would work great on
vomit. Just be sure to get the mess cleaned up first.
So there you have several remedies and tips for dealing with vomiting.
Take the time to find the help and the natural treatment you need, and you’ll be able to get on with your life and enjoy it to the fullest. You deserve to be happy and healthy.
Also be sure to share any natural remedies you may know of by leaving us a comment. Thank you for sharing.
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