Vomiting - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Diet And Home Remedies

When food is thrown out of the stomach involuntarily or voluntarily through the mouth, is called vomiting. It happens for a wide variety of reasons like – motion sickness/ seasickness, the first trimester of pregnancy, emotional stress, gall bladder disease, infections, heart attack, overeating, brain tumour, cancer, ulcers, bulimia, and ingestion of toxins or excess alcohol.

Signs of vomiting:

• Food poisoning: Consuming food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, usually causes of food poisoning. Its symptoms are not very severe but if the conditions persist then a person needs to go to the doctor.
• Indigestion: This is a very common condition which happens to everyone these days because of contaminated food or some of the chronic digestion problems.
• Stomach flu: Also known as viral gastroenteritis, causes when there is inflammation in the stomach and intestine.
• Gastritis: Weaken stomach lines allow digestive juices to damage and inflame it. This causes the feeling of vomiting and nausea.

Symptoms of vomiting:

Abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fever, vertigo, excessive sweating, dry mouth, decreased urination, fainting, anxiety, depression, confusion, excessive sleeplessness, blood vomit are some of the common symptoms of vomiting.

The causes of vomiting change according to age and condition where everyone has to face a different problem related to it. In children, it is common that they can have a feeling of vomiting due to fever, food poisoning, milk allergy, overeating, etc. Normally it appears shortly after meals and most of the time it happens either due to food poisoning, overeating, indigestion, gastritis, or ulcers.

The causes of vomiting can vary depending on the underlying condition.

The condition of vomiting is diagnosed on some basis which includes family and medical history of the individual, physical examination, and pattern or cycle of symptoms in adults as well as children. In addition to these, some medical tests were performed in the lab such as blood and urine tests, imaging tests, and upper GI endoscopy are also the ways for the diagnosis.

The condition of nausea and vomiting in mild or moderate cases is usually overcome by the application of some home remedies and over-the-counter medicines. But in some cases, when the symptoms are severe, there may be a need for urgent medical attention and consultation.

Those signs and symptoms that evoke such need include vomiting occurring for a comparatively longer duration and followed by diarrhoea, high fever, abdominal pain, blood in the vomiting, and severe dehydration.

Some of the post-treatment guidelines which are preferred to be followed for the prevention and better management of vomiting are as follows:

• Smaller meals should be taken at bigger intervals of time.
• Bland foods need to be preferred in place of a normal diet and spicy or oily foods.
• Easily digestible food items should be consumed such as low fiber, low fat, and low sugar foods.
• BRAT diet i.e bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast or soda crackers should be preferred to be followed.
• Fluid intake must be increased to cope up with dehydration.
• Alcohol, caffeine, milk, cheese, citrus fruits, and juices should be avoided.

Vomiting is not very serious but if the symptoms start getting worse then it becomes necessary to see the doctor. If vomiting is accompanied by blurred vision, severe pain in the abdomen, the feeling of dizziness, high fever then you are unable to keeping liquid in the body for 12 hours.

• Drinking liquids in the larger amount
• Eating solid foods must be avoided
• If the feeling of nausea or vomiting lasts for up to 24 hours then there are chances of dehydration hence Pedialyte must be taken to avoid it
• Discontinue taking oral medicines which irritate the stomach and gives the feeling of vomiting

The condition of vomiting is usually preceded by nausea. Though various self-care methods are applicable including home remedies and over-the-counter medications, they are followed by some of the symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever, diarrhea, vertigo, lightheadedness, dry mouth, high pulse rate, and excessive sweating.

The time duration which is generally required to recover from vomiting depends upon the cause and severity of the symptoms. In most cases, the recovery period is up to three days when symptoms are mild or moderate, while it may extend up to days in severe conditions when serious symptoms such as dehydration occur and it evokes a medical emergency.

Vomiting, being the sign or symptom of any systemic or physiological disorder in the body, can be treated by several methods including home remedies as well as medications. But the results of the treatment are not permanent as the condition may reoccur due to triggering factors like food poisoning, nausea, overeating, alcohol intake, pregnancy, some medications, and certain procedures such as chemotherapy.

Vomiting can be described as the voluntary or involuntary discharge of stomach contents via the mouth in a forceful manner. Vomiting is often induced to get relief from nausea or to get rid of excess food (the latter is a symptom of an eating disorder). Many people induce vomiting when they ingest something deemed harmful or poisonous.

Doctors and medical experts usually warn against inducing vomiting. This is because vomiting is associated with certain risks. The risks are specifically high for people who try to induce vomiting to get rid of the ingested poisonous substance.

Inducing vomiting does not help in removing the poison from the stomach completely. In fact, trying to vomit certain poisons such as acids or chemicals can cause burns or injury to the oesophagus, throat or oral cavity.

According to studies, inducing vomiting is associated with reduced effectiveness of the treatment. In fact, throwing up after ingesting poison can significantly raise the risk of severe complications.

Inducing vomiting is also known to cause:

• dehydration
• injury to throat and mouth tissues
• inhalation of stomach contents into the lungs (aspiration)

Therefore, you should try to avoid inducing vomiting. However, you can induce vomiting under the supervision of a physician. In such a case, carefully follow the instructions of the physician to safely induce vomiting.

Vomiting is the way through which the body purges out waste material. The brain and stomach give the body permission to throw contaminated food out of the body. Though vomiting at times is required by the body it needs to be stopped and here are the ways of doing it:

• Deep breathing: If a person is having a feel to vomit then he/she must try deep breathing through lungs and nose and there should be an expansion in your lungs while breathing. This helps at the time of vomiting. It has been seen in the researches that deep breaths also help in calming down anxiety which is another cause for vomiting.
• Eating bland crackers: Eating dry crackers that are bland or saltine in taste helps in morning sickness as they absorb acids of the stomach. Bland crackers give relief during the morning sickness and eating them 15 mins before going down to sleep helps your stomach to relax.
• Drinking more fluids: Due to much vomiting, the body tends to become dehydrated and to prevent the body from being dehydrated you should drink lots of liquid. Fluids that keep the body hydrated are ginger ale, mint tea, lemonade, water.
• Medications to stop vomiting: Medicines which help to stop medicines are Pepto-Bismol and Kaopectate contain bismuth subsalicylate which work to protect the stomach lining thus reducing the impact caused by food poisoning.

Some of the foods that you can think of after a bout of vomiting are:

Vomiting is not harmful to the body as it helps the body to take the harmful substances out of the body but if it becomes unstoppable then it can lead to dehydration in the body. Loss of too much water from the body can be a dangerous situation and needs a doctor. There can be some more examples of the seriousness of vomiting like intestinal blockage, brain tumor, meningitis.

These are several ways in which vomiting can be prevented:

• Eating small meals throughout the day
• Avoiding food which is hard to digest
• Foods that are cold or at room temperature must be eaten as the smell of hot food can make you feel nauseated
• Liquids should not be taken in between foods

The common treatment for vomiting usually involves diet change i.e switching over to a bland diet in place of the normal diet. But there exist some alternative methods which may be preferred for the treatment. Those methods include medicinal therapy, herbal therapy, and relaxation along with dexamethasone, massage therapy, and ginger.

Summary: Vomiting is usually an involuntary action or reflex, followed by an expulsion of stomach contents through the oral passage. It may be the sign or symptom of any systemic or physiological disorder in the body. The condition is usually overcome by the application of home remedies and over-the-counter medicines. But in severe cases such as prolonged vomiting followed by diarrhoea, high fever, abdominal pain, blood in the vomiting, and dehydration, there is a need for urgent medical attention and consultation.