Stomach pain and nausea make life unpleasant when they introduce themselves into our lives. It’s hard to focus on anything else when your stomach hurts and you feel like you’re about to vomit.

Even though nausea and stomach pain are extremely uncomfortable to experience, they can be treated at home, and usually with natural remedies! Our AFC Urgent Care Ooltewah team further explains below, so keep reading.

• Here’s what to do: Drink water. Before you do or take anything to relieve your nausea, make sure to drink water first. The body needs water to digest and absorb nutrients from foods and beverages efficiently.
• What to do next: If you don’t want to go the natural-remedy route, take some OTC antiemetic medications. Medications like Pepto-Bismol and Dramamine are effective at relieving nausea—especially when nausea is severe.
• What to do after: Try ginger. Ginger is a common natural remedy for an upset stomach, and is actually a little easier on your system than OTC medications. Ginger contains chemicals called gingerols and shogaols that can help speed up stomach contractions, which can move foods that are causing indigestion and nausea through the stomach more quickly.
• Another thing to try: Peppermint tea. Because peppermint tea contains a range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, it is used for a variety of ailments. One of its most well-known traditional uses is to reduce nausea by soothing your stomach.
• Another home remedy: Try acupressure. Acupressure is an alternative medicine therapy that applies pressure to specific areas on the body to ease symptoms. The pressure point for nausea is on your inner wrist, about two and a half inches down, in between two large tendons. To ease nausea, press on this pressure point in a circular motion for a few minutes.
• A tried-and-true way to help: Sit up and avoid crunching the stomach. If your mom ever told you not to lie down after eating, she was on to something. When you lie flat, gastric juices may rise and increase feelings of nausea. Also, crunching your stomach may also worsen nausea since it compresses the area and makes you less comfortable in general.
• Action steps to take: Monitor how long your feelings of nausea last. If nausea has left you unable to eat or drink for more than 12 hours, visit our AFC center.
• Doctor recommendations: Nausea is quite preventable! Stay hydrated, consider eating small, frequent meals, avoid intense physical activity after meals and avoid spicy, high-fat or greasy foods. All of these things can lower your risk of dealing with nausea and potential vomiting.

We’re here for you now and always! Don’t hesitate to visit our AFC Urgent Care Ooltewah today if you need non-emergency medical care.