photo credit: shutterstockNatural home remedies for nausea
While nausea can be caused by motion sickness, morning sickness and the stomach flu, sometimes it’s no more than a natural reaction to something you’ve eaten-something bad the body wants to get rid of. A concussion, heart attack, some types of cancer and chemotherapy can also trigger nausea. Try these home remedies to calm the waves.
What you can do for nausea
- Drinks containing sugar are likely to calm a shaky stomach. Flat soft-drinks at room temperature are good examples.
- When you’re nauseated, lie still. Moving around disturbs the balance mechanism in your middle ear, which can worsen nausea and lead to vomiting. While you’re lying down, place a cool washcloth on your forehead and focus on your breathing so you don’t think as much about your stomach.
- If you think you can handle it, nibble on some toast or a few crackers-dry foods that are high in carbohydrates. Avoid foods that contain fat until you’re feeling better.
- Try an acupressure trick: Place your right thumb on the inside of your left forearm, about two thumb-widths from the crease of your wrist. Press firmly for about a minute, then move your thumb a little closer to your wrist and press for another minute. Repeat on the other forearm.
A natural boost
- One of the oldest and perhaps the best remedy for nausea is ginger. Try a warm cup of ginger tea. Peel away the root bark, then chop or grate the whitish part of the roots until you have one full teaspoon. Put the gratings in a mug, add a cup of boiling water, cover with a saucer and let it steep for 10 minutes. You can drink the tea when it’s still warm or after it has cooled down a bit. If you don’t have any fresh gingerroot, try eating a few gingersnaps or a piece of crystallized ginger.
- Second to ginger is peppermint, which has a calming effect on the lining of the stomach. There are many brands of peppermint tea, sold in bags or as loose tea leaves, and you can drink a cup any time you feel nauseated.
- Create your own anti-nausea syrup with a half-cup of white sugar and a quarter-cup of water. Pour both into a saucepan, turn the heat to medium and stir steadily until you have a clear syrup. After the syrup cools to room temperature, take 1 to 2 teaspoons as needed.
