Often accompanying pregnancy, nausea can leave you feeling miserable and unable to function throughout the day. It can also be caused by environmental factors such as smells, sights, or food and alcohol consumption. According to Dr. Kenneth Koch, there are at least 25 diseases which can cause nausea. Relieving nausea isn't always an easy task; however there are several home remedies that involve food, drinks and over-the-counter medicine which may help.
Check with your physician before attempting to self-treat any medical condition.
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness is an unmistakable feeling that many women experience during pregnancy. The Mayo Clinic gives several suggestions to make this common condition more tolerable. Some women find that their prenatal vitamins are the cause of their nausea. To help this, the Mayo Clinic recommends taking the vitamins at night, with a snack. Chewing gum or sucking on a peppermint candy after taking it may also help. Go outside or open up the windows to get plenty of fresh air, and avoid being around strong-smelling odors which can also trigger a nauseous reaction. Morning sickness may be curbed by eating a few crackers or other salty food before you get out of bed. The Mayo Clinic also suggests grazing throughout the day as an empty stomach can aggravate nausea.
General Nausea
Mother Nature.com offers many home remedies to cure nausea. One of the more well-known cures is ginger. If you don't like the taste of ginger as a tea, it is also available in capsule form. Ginger researcher Daniel B. Mowrey, PhD recommends taking several gingerroot capsules for nausea until "you can burp and taste ginger."
Clear liquids such as tea and juice may help, and drinking them at room temperature instead of ice cold may be less irritating to the stomach. Ginger ale and 7Up are common choices; however Dr. Stephen Bezruchka from the Providence Medical Center in Seattle suggests letting carbonated beverages sit until the fizz is gone before drinking them.
Dr. Robert Warren of Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno, California recommends an unlikely home remedy for nausea: motion sickness pills. He explains that bonine is an over-the-counter motion sickness drug that works on the stomach, as opposed to Dramamine which works on the inner ear. Bonine is generally considered safe for use during pregnancy, but check with your physician before using it to treat morning sickness.
Hangover-Related Nausea
Although self-created, the nausea that accompanies a hangover may also seem unbearable. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is one alternative medicine option which may be worth giving a try after checking with your doctor -- prickly pear cactus. This extract, which may also be called opuntia-ficus indica, may improve nausea from a hangover and also increase the appetite. Eating bland foods such as toast and crackers is also recommended. Avoid taking aspirin which can aggravate nausea further.
