Top Tips for Nausea Related to Chronic Illness

Chronic illness-related nausea can be an unrelenting challenge for some of our patients. Some resources exist for women who experience nausea during pregnancy, and even for chemo-related nausea, but the nausea some of our chronic illness patients experience can last long past 9 months. We’re sharing our top tips for nausea.

Our Top Three Tips for Nausea Include

1. Peppermint – check out this video on applying peppermint essential oil to the vagal nerve stimulation
2. Ginger – Asian dishes with lots of ginger or a chunk of ginger with hot water for ginger tea
3. Zofran/ondansetron – we sometimes prescribe this for patients who are losing weight and experience nausea that is disruptive to their lifestyle

Dietitians Share These Tips With Pregnant Women, That Also Apply to Chronic Illness Nausea

• Don’t try to drink plain water – add lemon, a little organic juice or drink other beverages besides straight water
• Try drinking beverages cold instead of room temperature – sometimes cold beverages are more tolerated than room temperature
• Add a protein supplement – if you’re struggling to eat meat, be sure to add a good protein powder in to make sure you’re getting enough protein. We offer several protein powder options in our office and at our online shop. Hide flavor-neutral collagen peptides and fat in your smoothie, coffee or tea, if that’s palatable.
• Eat lots of small snacks – if a big meal sounds unappealing, become an appetizer and snack grazer.
• If food cooking smells increase nausea, be sure to use ventilation. Diffuse essential oils like peppermint or ginger to help disguise the smell.

Some of Our Patient-Favorite Food and Beverage Options for When Nausea Strikes On-the-Go

• Refrigerated organic apple
• Frozen mango chunks
• Ultima
• Spindrift Sparkling Water, especially the grapefruit flavor
• Simple Mills Crackers
• Gluten Free Matzo-Style Squares
• Peppermint Spry Mints
• Organic Rice Cakes

You’ll notice that some of these snacks are not as nutrient-dense as we’d like for daily consumption, but sometimes eating less-than-ideal food that is higher carb or higher sugar is better than eating nothing at all.

At The Center for Fully Functional® Health, our health coaches specialize in supporting our patients on their journey to becoming Fully Functional® for life. In patients with chronic nausea, they offer personalized support by developing plans with and for our patients facing this specific challenge.

All of these tips and tricks are for managing nausea but don’t address the root cause. If you’re experiencing chronic illness-related nausea, make an appointment to become Fully Functional®.

You can book an appointment by clicking here. We are also happy to speak with you at (317) 989-8463, Monday-Thursday, from 8AM – 5PM Eastern time.