Nausea: causes and treatment

Causes of nausea

Nausea may indicate the presence of diseases, but in some cases it occurs in apparently healthy people. This unpleasant sensation is more common in women, but men have their own risk factors.

Causes of nausea that are not associated with diseases include the following situations.

• Overeating and eating fatty foods. This is due to the inability of the body to process a large amount of “heavy” food.
• Psychogenic reactions: stress, neurosis, anxiety. With psychogenic nausea, it is enough to feel an unpleasant smell or see something unpleasant, to remember the emotions experienced.
• Motion sickness or motion sickness. This type of nausea is associated with irritation of the receptors of the vestibular apparatus during movement.
• Pregnancy. Nausea during pregnancy is one of the first manifestations of toxicosis. Morning sickness most often appears at 6-7 weeks and most often stops at 12-13 weeks.
• Exposure to toxic fumes from chemicals, smoke, etc.
• Side effects of drugs. Nausea can manifest itself as an undesirable reaction of the body to the intake of certain drugs, for example, antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, etc.
• Sun or heat stroke.
• Increased body temperature.

Nausea can be a symptom of many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. These include:

• diseases requiring urgent surgical intervention: acute pancreatitis, appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, peritonitis;
• chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, enteritis, colitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, nonspecific ulcerative colitis, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic cholecystitis;
• intestinal infections – salmonellosis, dysentery, enterovirus, rotavirus infections, helminthiases, food poisoning, etc.;
• liver diseases – hepatitis, cirrhosis;
• foreign body of the esophagus, stomach;
• food allergy.

Nausea can develop with some diseases of other organs and systems.

• Traumatic brain injuries, brain tumors, encephalitis, meningitis, stroke, etc.
• Diseases of the inner ear: labyrinthitis, Meniere’s disease.
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system: myocardial infarction, hypertension.
• Diseases of the endocrine system: phenylketonuria (disturbance of amino acid metabolism), diabetic ketoacidosis (disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism, in which acetone accumulates in the blood), thyrotoxicosis (excess of thyroid hormones).
• Renal failure.
• Migraine.
• When receiving chemotherapy.

Treatment for nausea

Since nausea is most often a symptom of a disease, it is important to identify and eliminate the cause that caused it. If the cause is not associated with the disease, it is necessary to eliminate the harmful factors.

Pills

Different medications may be used depending on the underlying cause.

• For motion sickness or motion sickness, the antihistamine Dramina.
• With nausea associated with the work of the gastrointestinal tract – Motilium, Cerucal. These drugs improve the motility of the stomach and intestines and contribute to the rapid evacuation of food.
• With neurogenic nausea – sedatives (tincture of valerian, motherwort), tranquilizers.

With nausea and vomiting, it is important to drink plenty of fluids in order to restore fluid loss and normalize the balance of water and electrolytes in the body.

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Folk remedies

Mineral water helps to eliminate the feeling of nausea, for example, Borjomi, Narzan, Essentuki, Jermuk, you can also try tea with lemon. Also eliminates discomfort 1 teaspoon of soda dissolved in a glass of water.

Among the folk remedies for nausea, you can decoction of dill seeds, potato juice, and an infusion of basil leaves.

Prevention

The basis for the prevention of nausea is the elimination of its causes. It is necessary to follow certain rules of prevention.

• During pregnancy, spend more time outdoors.
• Eat less and more frequently.
• Avoid fatty and fried foods.
• Drink more liquid.

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