Ease an Upset Stomach and Vomiting: At-Home Care Dos and Don'ts

The Dos and Don't of Home Care Treatment

Why am I still vomiting? I have been drinking orange juice since I woke up feeling nauseated and for the last hour I have been sipping peppermint tea between vomit sessions! I thought orange juice and peppermint were supposed to be easy on my upset stomach, but I'm still throwing up!

Does this sound familiar? While it's true that juice and tea are great for an upset stomach, orange juice is not, contrary to what most people believe. In fact, drinking orange juice while your stomach is upset may be the cause of your sudden attack of vomiting. 

If you're vomiting, make sure to drink plenty of liquids to replenish all the fluids your body has lost. This will prevent dehydration but make sure to only start drinking fluids after your vomiting has stopped. When you vomit your stomach contracts, attempting to drink fluids while still vomiting is likely to cause further vomiting due to those contractions. Clear non-caffeinated soda like 7-up can help settle the stomach when upset. The sugar in the soda will help your body absorb the fluid better, reducing the possibly of dehydration. Fruit Juice will replenish potassium and other nutrients lost from the body when vomiting however, avoid citrus fruit juices, as the acid will likely aggravate you stomach further.

Peppermint tea really is a great way to calm your stomach. The menthol, flavonoids, azulene, and tannins found in peppermint have been shown to soothe the digestive tract helping to reduce flatulence, cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. Menthol is antispasmodic which can help prevent vomiting. The tannins and flavonoids can help increase circulation and provide pain relief while azulene may help heal ulcers. Drink peppermint tea when you first start to feel nauseous but not while your vomiting.