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Nausea, along with vomiting, belching and heartburn, is the most common and characteristic symptom of indigestion or stomach lesions, although it can also be caused by diseases in other organs of the digestive system and other organs outside the digestive system.
What is nausea?
Nausea is an unpleasant feeling that occurs very often before vomiting. They are an expression of the stimulation of the emetic center in the brain, but to a lesser extent than in the actual act of vomiting. Nausea is often accompanied by pale skin, sweating and a rapid heartbeat. They can be caused by eating something stale or sick. While nausea is not a threat in itself, it can be a symptom of a more serious medical condition. For this reason, we should not take them lightly.
Causes of nausea in specific conditions
Digestive system ailments and nausea.
1. Gastrointestinal infection: nausea appears, often accompanied by diarrhea.
2. Food poisoning: there is severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, flatulence and diarrhea.
3. Inflammation of the appendix, pancreas or gallbladder: apart from nausea, the patient may experience severe abdominal pain, which means that he must lie down with his legs tucked up. Gas and stools are also retained.
4. Nausea also occurs in obstruction of the small and / or large intestine. In addition, there is pain in the abdomen.
5. Stomach and duodenal ulcers: in this case, nausea usually appears on an empty stomach and disappears after eating some food. Spicy spices or smoking cigarettes can provoke nausea.
6. Overeating: Nausea can also result from eating too much food, making us feel heavy and lethargic. It happens that overeating is additionally accompanied by: heartburn, gas and belching.
Nausea and diseases of the central nervous system
1. Intracranial haemorrhage: apart from nausea, there is also severe pain and disturbed consciousness.
2. Central nervous system infection: headache gradually worsens, the patient may have disturbed consciousness and meningeal symptoms.
3. Head injuries.
4. Motion sickness: very often people with motion sickness experience severe nausea during the journey, which in turn leads to vomiting.
5. Migraine: severe migraine headaches are often preceded by nausea, photophobia and coexisting aura.
6. Labyrinthitis: the diseases are accompanied by nausea, tinnitus, dizziness.
7. Psychogenic disorders: vomiting occurs during severe stressful situations or after eating a meal.
Nausea and diseases of the cardiovascular system
1. Infarction: nausea may suggest an infarction of the lower wall of the heart. The predominant symptom of this condition is abdominal pain (precisely in the upper abdomen). Nausea is caused by the irritation of the diaphragm during the heart attack.
2. Stroke: except nausea which, combined with dizziness, gives the impression that everything is spinning; there may be paresis or a hemiparesis, speech or vision disturbance.
3. Coronary heart disease: nausea (and sometimes even vomiting) is accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness.
Nausea and endocrine and metabolic diseases
1. Addison’s disease: in addition to nausea, there is general weakness, lack of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or an excessive appetite for salt.
2. Diseases of the thyroid and parathyroid glands.
3. Uremia: These are symptoms that occur in acute or chronic renal failure. There is nausea, convulsions, weakness, vomiting, and even coma (in the descent period).
4. Diabetic ketoacidosis: symptoms are nausea, excessive thirst, frequent urination, dehydration.
Other causes of nausea
- Taking medications: nausea may also appear as a result of medications (e.g. psychotropic drugs, NSAIDs, antibiotics or iron-containing medications). In addition, cancer treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy make patients feel more sick.
- Pregnancy: As is well known, nausea is a very common symptom in pregnant women. Women often complain of morning sickness that resolves spontaneously after weeks 12-14 of pregnancy. The cause of nausea in pregnant women are hormonal changes that take place in the body of a pregnant woman. For morning sickness, try Organic Tea for Pregnant Women available on Medonet Market.
- Surgery: nausea may also appear in patients who are in the postoperative period (especially within a day after the treatment). Post-operative nausea and vomiting are known as PONV, more common in children than in adults. Most often, nausea occurs after surgery under general anesthesia that lasted more than an hour.
How can I prevent nausea?
Counteracting nausea is by:
- limiting the amount of consumed foods (especially those difficult to digest),
- drinking a small amount of neutral liquid (e.g. lukewarm boiled water or bitter tea) when you feel them,
- drinking 1/2 cup of mint leaves or St. John’s wort 10-15 minutes before eating,
- limiting the consumption of: coffee, tea and alcohol in excessive amounts,
- limiting the consumption of heavy meals.
Home remedies for nausea
- Almonds – it is a source of protein, omega 6 monounsaturated fatty acids, calcium, magnesium and vitamin E. They perfectly alleviate the symptoms of nausea, especially in pregnant women (they are perfect for morning sickness).
- Wheat sprouts – consumption of wheat germ is especially recommended by pregnant women. They can be eaten with milk or ground and served with other dishes. Thanks to their valuable micronutrients, sprouts reduce nausea.
- Lemon juice – some people say that drinking and even smelling lemon juice minimizes nausea.
- Ginger – relieves nausea in a safe way. It can be taken in the form of tablets, ginger tea (safe for pregnant women) or beer. Ginger is also used to relieve menstrual pain, fever or respiratory infections. It is recommended for people with motion sickness! Try, for example, Pukka Three Ginger – ginger tea with galangal, licorice and turmeric. We also recommend Ginger + for motion sickness in the form of capsules.
- Herbal infusions – lemon balm, chamomile and peppermint not only support digestion, but also have a calming effect on our stomach. Drinking herbal teas is a very good option to fight persistent nausea. Some also recommend sucking on mint candies.
Organic mint syrup that helps with nausea can be bought at a favorable price on Medonet Market.
Complications of nausea
In the diagnosis of nausea, the duration and the time between meals and the onset of nausea and vomiting should be taken into account in each case. Nausea, the frequent consequence of which is vomiting, can cause dehydration manifested by:
- fainting
- weight loss
- headaches and dizziness,
- loss of skin elasticity,
- pale skin and conjunctiva,
- tachycardia,
- a strong feeling of thirst,
- dry and chapped lips,
- passing a small amount of urine
- dark circles under my eyes
- a small amount of saliva excreted.
People with severe dehydration may develop hypovolemic shock. For this reason, it is very important to prevent and treat dehydration.