Prevention of vomiting

Introduction

Nausea is a certain type of medical condition which can becharacterized as an uneasiness of the stomach. In most cases, nausea precedesvomiting. Vomiting in medically characterized as involuntary or voluntary emptyingof the stomach through the mouth. These two conditions cannot be considered asdiseases, they are more of a symptom of some other medical conditions.

Nauseaand vomiting are usually what accompanies medical conditions such asgastroparesis, psychological illnesses, bulimia, several types of cancer,ulcers, brain tumor, brain injuries, concussions, heart attack, reactions toodors and smells, overeating, various different types of infections, foodpoisoning, gallbladder disease, fear, emotional stress, intense painfulsensations, medication induced vomiting, early stages of pregnancy, seasicknessand motion sickness, among others.

The causes of vomiting are pretty muchdifferent among different age groups. Children usually vomit when they sufferfrom high fever, blocked intestines, coughing, overeating, motion sickness,milk allergy, food poisoning and viral infections. When nausea and vomitingoccur shortly after a meal they may be a good indication that the personsuffers from bulimia, ulcers, inflammation of the stomach lining, gastritis orfood poisoning. On the other hand, there are bacterial infections, such assalmonella induced one, which do not trigger any symptoms until a few hoursafter the meal. Vomiting in itself is in most cases pretty much harmless, butit can be an indication of some serious underlying medical condition such asbrain tumors, appendicitis, intestinal blockage, meningitis or concussions.

The biggest concern with vomiting is that it may lead todehydration, especially when it is accompanied by diarrhea. The visiblesymptoms of dehydration include sunken fontanelle, decreased urination, rapidpulse, rapid breathing, sunken eyes, dry mouth and dry lips. Rare cases ofvomiting in pregnancy may lead to a very serious medical condition known ashypermesis gravidarum. Frequent vomiting, accompanied by blood in the vomit orother symptoms such as rapid pulse, rapid breathing, diarrhea, high fever, severeabdominal pain, decreased alertness, confusion, lethargy, stiff neck andheadaches requires immediate medical attention.

Treatment

In order to treat vomiting with certain types of medications,avoiding all solid types of food until the condition improves and drinkinggradually larger amounts of clear liquids.

Prevention

In order to prevent nausea one must slowly, have smallermeals, avoid all types of food which are hard to digest and rest properly afterhaving a meal. Prevention of vomiting involves drinking small amounts of clear liquidsand resting in a lying or sitting position.