My Top Tips To Beat Nausea

My least favorite symptom has always been nausea. It can be unrelenting and has driven me absolutely insane at times in my life. It is the symptom that my body happens to lean into if I’m “off” in any way and unfortunately when it’s bad, it prevents me from wanting to do anything at all. Not long after I was first diagnosed with Lupus, my rheumatologist suggested that I sit down and talk with a psychologist because it’s what he recommends for every patient dealing with a life changing diagnosis.

I remember telling my mom at the time that unless this person could make me less nauseous, I wasn’t going to feel better about anything. I know Zofran works for a lot of people in lessening the symptom, but personally,  I never felt great relief from it. So over the years (through necessity), I have found some tactics that work for me.

(a particularly nauseous day for me – trying to make it out of the car)

Doterra Peppermint Essential Oil and Peppermint Oil Beads:

I’ve posted on our instagram about this product before but this is hands down the first thing I reach for if I’m feeling queasy. For the essential oil, I will drop it straight onto my tongue, rub it on my stomach with a carrier (oil like coconut oil), or apply it to the bottom of my feet (that’s where the oil enters your body the quickest). Don’t bother diffusing it, if you’re nauseous, get it on your skin.  At this point, my good friends know that if I smell like peppermint, I’m not feeling my best.

I received a lot of questions about how to take the beadlets and I typically just put one or two beads in my mouth and pop them with my tongue. They’re super handy when you’re surrounded by people and want to be a little inconspicuous and not deal with loose oil.

Ginger Chews (from Trader Joe’s):

Ginger chews are not something I’ll typically keep in my purse unless I’m going through a particularly rough patch, but I try to keep them as a staple at my house in cause nausea strikes. The sharp bite of ginger always helps settle my stomach.

Acupuncture Points:

I was on the phone with Kate, a few weeks ago and she was incredibly nauseous at a friend’s place, and called to ask if I had any tips to get it to go down a bit. A while ago, my sweet acupuncturist friend Suzie showed me a pressure point to do on myself when I’m feeling really nauseous and I tried to relay it to Kate over the phone. Basically take your middle finger and place the knuckle into the wrist crease. From there extend the finger on your forearm and the point where the finger ends is going to be the pressure point you push for an anti nausea effect (think anti-sea sick bands).

Sparkling Water, Peppermint Tea, Ginger Tea:

I rotate drinking these three beverages on bad days. It goes without saying but even if you’re the most loyal coffee drinker, skip it on bad nausea days.

Altoids /Gum:

This goes with the peppermint oil, but if I’m queasy, the more mint the better. Sometimes if the nausea is just starting, chewing on a piece of gum will keep it at bay. It’s such a simple thing, but I went years before i knew about this little trick!

CBD:

CBD has many amazing benefits and so I’m happy it’s become so widely known and used. I use this tincture daily and double up on it when I’m feeling extra queasy and it really helps take the edge off. It’s no mystery that cannabis is a major fighter against nausea and vomiting, but CBD allows you to get the relief without the psychoactive effect of the THC. I hold a dropper full of the CBD under my tongue for about a minute to maximize absorption.

I Hope these tips and tricks help take the edge off if nausea strikes. If you have found something that works for you and it’s not mentioned above, send it our way!