Vomiting is a natural reflection of the body to eliminate damaged food or toxic substances that may be in the stomach. Therefore, when it is really necessary, the body automatically causes vomiting.
Vomiting should only be induced when there is an indication of the doctor or when something that is causing a very intense malaise, which has not improved otherwise.
In situations where someone ingested a poisonous substance or some kind of annoying liquid, such as cleaning products, the ideal is not to cause vomiting, as this liquid will have to pass the throat again and may cause more damage. The ideal is that in these situations you immediately go to the hospital to start the most appropriate treatment. See what to do when someone drank poison or cleaning products.
5 steps to vomit safely
To cause the vomiting correctly and avoid too much discomfort or serious complications, one should:
1. Wash your hands well
Washing hands is always very important as it avoids the transmission of bacteria and other microorganisms to the throat, preventing the emergence of infections such as tonsillitis, for example.
2. Kneel in front of the vase
Kneeing on the vessel is one of the most comfortable and safe positions to vomit, however, you should avoid making a lot of pressure on the belly as it can cause even more discomfort.
3. Put your finger in your throat
At the beginning of the throat there is a point that can be tightened to produce the desire to vomit. To do this, you should put your finger inside your mouth and then make a slight pressure on the back of the tongue, in the region where the throat begins.
The desire to vomit is almost immediate, but some people may have to do this maneuver 2 or 3 times before they can vomit successfully, as the body can try to block the signal first times.
4. Drink 1 glass of water
After vomiting it is very important to drink a glass of water to remove excess gastric acid that is stuck to the walls of the throat and can cause small burns and inflammation.
5. Wait 30 minutes before brushing your teeth
Although after vomiting there is a great need to eliminate the taste that is in the mouth, it is best just to ripple with water, because the teeth coating is sensitive when it comes into contact with the content of the stomach. Thus, you should wait at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth.
How to induce vomiting safely
It is important to know why the vomiting will be induced, as some methods are not indicated in case of suspected poisoning or poisoning by chemicals. However, in the case of symptoms of gastritis that appear shortly after a meal, for example, vomiting induction can help relieve symptoms.
Some ways to safely induce vomiting are:
1. Use a finger
The gag reflection is an automatic contraction of the back of the throat that serves to protect against foreign bodies or food that did not enter the stomach.
This reflex can be stimulated by touching the bottom of the throat, on the back of the tongue or tonsil area with the finger, toothbrush or tongue scraper. The contraction causes the content of the stomach to rise through the mouth.
2. Gargate intensely
Gargling can also help stimulate vomiting, however it should be intense enough to stimulate the gag reflection and vomiting craving and thus make the stomach content come back.
3. Make continuous and fast movements
Making continuous and fast movements can make some people have a feeling of malaise, which happens when the brain is overwhelmed by sensory information.
That is, when the eyes see an image, the muscles understand that the eyes are going to the opposite direction and the ear perceives a change in balance, however the brain is not able to understand all these movements at the same time, which results in nausea and vomiting.
Thus, in this case, it is possible to induce vomiting by running in circles or running a chair, for example.
4. Sensory stimuli
Some people may have greater sensitivity to some stimuli that may cause vomiting. The stimuli can be:
- Hearinghow to hear someone vomiting;
- Olfactoryhow to imagine the smell of vomiting or other strong smell, such as bleach, for example;
- Imaginativehow to think about the taste of food you don’t like.
Thus, from these stimuli it is possible to cause nausea and vomiting.
5. Sodium Solution
Although not recommended, sodium solution is able to cause stomach irritation, causing its contraction and inducing vomiting.
However, sodium solutions are associated with increased risk of hypernatremia, which is a toxic situation that can endanger life when sodium level is too high in the blood. See more about hypernatremia.
Possible risks of provoking vomiting
One of the biggest risks of vomiting is the possibility of developing pneumonia. This is because when you vomit the content that is in the stomach returns to the mouth and, in this process, it can happen that some of this content is aspirated to the lungs.
If this happens, there will be an inflammation and the bacteria that are in digested food may develop in the lung, causing pneumonia.
However, frequent vomiting can also cause esophagus and mouth injuries as they are places with very sensitive mucous membranes that are not prepared to get direct contact with gastric acid.
Consult the nearest doctor using the following tool in case of symptoms of vomiting complications:
Vomiting and food disorders
Vomiting as a way of controlling weight and physical appearance is a sign of food disorder, such as bulimia, anorexia nervous or a dietary food disorder.
Inducing vomiting does not reversing what a person has eaten and can lead to harmful consequences such as severe anxiety, depression, electrolytic imbalances, teeth and throat damage and even pneumonia if vomiting is accidentally aspirated to the lungs.
If you have eating disorders that lead the person to want to vomit after eating, you should seek medical help.
Eating disorders are treatable and a complete recovery with adequate medical, psychological and nutritional support can be obtained.
What can cause vomiting
Although the desire to vomit is relatively common, there are situations in which it may be a sign of changes in the body. Some are:
- Severe Abdominal Problemssuch as appendicitis or intestinal obstruction;
- Changes in the digestive systemsuch as food poisoning or ulcer;
- Nervous system changessuch as meningitis, hydrocephalus or tumors;
- Pregnancyespecially after the 6th week of gestation;
- Use of medicationssuch as digoxin, codeine or chemotherapy.
Although there are some situations where vomiting can be induced without major risks, if the desire to vomit appears very often and do not improve, ie accompanied by other signs such as blood or fetid smell, it is important to go to the hospital to evaluate the situation.
See which 10 main causes of vomiting.
When not provoking vomiting
Vomiting should never be used as a way to remove ingested food from the stomach just because it has eaten too much. If this is often happening, it is possible that one is suffering from bulimia, a type of dietary disorder in which the person causes vomiting after eating so as not to get fat. Learn more about bulimia and how to combat that will.
Also, if a poison or cleaning product has been drunk, it should not be vomited either, as there is a very high risk of causing esophagus burns.
Source: www.tuasaude.com