Does vicks help with nausea?

Let me guess, you’re feeling nauseous and someone suggested applying Vicks Vaporub around your nose. And now you’re wondering if it can actually help with the queasy feeling in your stomach, or if it’s just an old wives’ tale.

Well, look no further! We’ve done our research and are here to give you the lowdown on whether Vicks can really help soothe that upset tummy of yours.

The Science Behind Nausea

Before we dive into how effective Vicks is for nausea relief, let’s first understand what causes this unpleasant sensation.

Nausea is a symptom that can result from various conditions such as motion sickness, food poisoning, morning sickness during pregnancy or even anxiety. It often comes about due to signals sent to the brain from different body parts such as the inner ear or stomach itself.

When these sensors detect something abnormal in their external environment (like being violently thrown off a rollercoaster) they send warning signals up through neurons and nerves to alert certain areas of our upper-brainstem related to memory formation around poisons–which primes us to vomit –in order to avoid potential threats before they become overwhelming sources of physical discomfort inducing vomiting response by increasing vagus stimulation resulting in ‘nausea’.

Now that we know why we feel nausea let’s move on does vick work?

What Is Vicks Vaporub?

First off- for those who may not be familiar with what Vicks Vaporub is: it’s camphor-, menthol- and eucalyptus-scneted ointment designed for topical use aimed at relieve cough symptoms commonly brought about colds or flu & other respiratory issues like bronchitis via inhalation sublimating towards thinner air within glycerol slurry covering alveoli while allowing exchange of oxygen & CO2, thus alleviating coughing from irritated bronchioles by weakening the response.

Although Vicks is intended for respiratory relief, some believe it can also work to reduce nausea symptoms. The theory behind this is that its strong and soothing scent (mainly caused by menthol) can help mask unpleasant odors or feelings that might stimulate our brains into feeling queasy- reducing symptom severity during various expirations.

Let’s Look at Some Evidence

Beyond anecdotal stories of people who’ve tried and had positive experiences with using Vicks for their nauseous stomachs, there isn’t a lot of scientific research out there to confirm or prove effectiveness — so we’ll just have to take them on faith trusts!

That being said- one small study in the nursing field published in 2013 did show that inhaling peppermint could be useful in mitigating postoperative nausea. Peppermint essential oilhasbeen foundinpreviouslytoactivea brain regionknownasthevomiting center – possibly interrupting signals related to vomiting which means whenever sensed gets suppressed before full-on onset occurs (which would make you wonder if anyssential oils both alone together could reap similar rewards…)

So whether smelling something like Vicks Vaporub rather than its actual effectiveness constitutes as peppermint here will only impact placebo effect with high subjectivity correlation between senses & cognitive responses even though biologically they differ chemically but not dissimilar enough conceptually since industry scientist followed market trends buying up leaves harvested same regions used informed consent surveys…

Regardless – sniff away! We doubt anyone has ever gotten sick from too much menthol/ camphor inhalation…yet?

How To Use Vicks For Nausea

If you want to give applying Vicks Vaporub around your nose a shot next time your stomach feels unsettled–here are some tips:

  1. Apply a small amount of Vicks to your hand first and then swipe it over the skin around your nose, cheekbones or chest using two fingers. Do NOT apply directly near mouth or nostrils! You can also combine with a warm compress which could further help churn things along in stomach subconsciously.
  2. Inhale deeply (but not too harshly) through both nostrils so you get the full experience of that cooling rush across your nasal passages and lobes for maximum terminal stimulation from multiple sources channeling signals back different areas of our brain capable triggering reduction gastric distress response
  3. Afterwards wash hands before touching face however not washing properly may cause temporary additional irritation asthey may have come into contact with vick residue & so many other bacteria floating about!

Voila! That’s it.

Other Ways to Relieve Nausea

While we love exploring alternative holistic remedies here at Funnytone editorial team — if the idea of smelling like an essential oils factory isn’t up your alley– there are plenty more options out there for relieving nausea:

1- Ginger root: A household staple often found in teas/soups/broths/ smoothies, is widely known as a natural method in combatting variations of digestive issues such as nausea/motion sickness triggered by motion & anxiety.

2-Essential oils like peppermint oil: Apart from its pleasurable scent these products truly offer molecules that activate sensory receptors on our neurons causing various cognitive responses especially but not limited too symptoms most commonly associated with gastrointestinal problems where they’ve been shown effectiveness otherwise why would people ever stereotype them working?

3-Antinauseant medication/apps: Oh we know what you’re thinking but actually some drugs( Zofran I’m looking at you!)are prescribedat hospitals frequently utilize mild tranquilizer properties whilst simultaneously targeting serotonin receptor sites involved between possible origins responsible chemically linking innards&digestive tracts together within CNS.

4- Acupressure wristbands: These “simple-to-wear”, stretchy bands offer continuous acupunctural pressure hitting a spot called Pericardium 6 which may lead to reduced nausea and vomiting symptoms with minimal effort on your part 🙂

Of course, you can always run by whole foods & pick up some activated charcoal pills as well because who doesn’t like an excuse to go into wholefoods?

To Sum Up

While using Vicks Vaporub for nausea may seem like a good idea, there isn’t any concrete scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness. However, it won’t hurt you so feel free to give it a try- but definitely consider other options too! And remember the key in alleviating gastrointestinal distress is reducing discomfort”whatever method suits best”- be that actively engaging multi therapeutic solutions or simply distracting oneself – and getting through tough times until our bodies succumb/recover!

Random Posts