4 Tips for Naturally Easing Nausea After Your Chemotherapy Sessions
If you suffer from severe nausea and vomiting after your chemotherapy treatments, you may wonder if there is anything you can do at home to ease your symptoms. If so, try one or more of the following tips to naturally decrease your nausea after therapy.
Keep Yourself Cool
While you are experiencing nausea or are throwing up, your body temperature tends to increase, making you feel hot and sweaty. In turn, this autonomic response increases your symptoms. One way to combat this is to try to keep yourself cool.
Even in the winter, try to keep your room cool. You may find that you feel better with a fan blowing on you. Or, turn your room's air conditioner on low.
When the nausea increases or while you are vomiting, a cold, wet rag placed on either your forehead or the back of your neck can give you some comfort. If cold tap water is not enough to cool you down, have a few wet rags cooling in the refrigerator for when you start feeling symptoms.
If you are unable to wet the rage yourself, have a loved one do it for you if you are comfortable with having them in the room with you while you are throwing up.
Eat Small Amounts of Appetizing Foods
Even when you are nauseated, you still need some nutrition to help keep your energy up. However, eating may be the last thing you want to do during this time. Instead of trying to eat full meals, eat small amounts of whatever foods sound good to you, no matter what they are.
For example, if all you can stomach even thinking about is popsicles and bananas, try to eat a few bites of each every hour. Or, if cold watermelon is what you are craving, have someone cut up small pieces in a bowl and put them in the refrigerator for you to snack on.
Sip Iced or Lukewarm Peppermint Tea
Another tip for soothing your stomach and helping your nausea at bay is to try to sip peppermint tea. Peppermint has a long tradition of easing gastrointestinal discomfort, including nausea and indigestion.
After seeping your tea bags in hot water, let the tea cool down to room temperature. Or, if it sounds better to you, drink it over ice. You do not want to drink the tea hot since this would raise your core body temperature. This could lead to an increase in your symptoms, as discussed in the first section.
Take Cannabinoid Oil
Another natural way to ease nausea symptoms is to take cannabinoid oil. Some preclinical research suggests that this oil can reduce nausea and vomiting caused by cancer treatments, including chemotherapy.
This oil is derived from cannabis. However, it does not have the same euphoric effects as the drug it is commonly known as, which is marijuana. The oil is extracted from the leaves, leaving only the medicinal properties.
If you are unsure about its legality in your state, you may want to consult with a natural health care practitioner in your area. They can also answer any questions you may have about, including how to obtain the oil and the proper way to administer it to yourself to help combat the nausea and vomiting after your chemo treatments.
Trying one or more of the above tips could help bring your nausea down to at least a tolerable level. However, if you would like more information about home remedies or how to obtain cannabinoid oil, you may want to speak with a store or practitioner who runs a domain website for natural health care.