Find Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness & Know How to Avoid It

Find Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness & Know How to Avoid It
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Morning Sickness

About 80% of women experience morning sickness to some degree. When a woman becomes pregnant, hormones like Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) rise quickly and metabolic changes occur which can cause nausea and vomiting.

Morning sickness usually starts early in the pregnancy and is almost always gone after the first trimester (first three months). Symptoms normally occur in the early morning and disappear after a few hours but they can be felt at any time. Learn how you can treat and avoid morning sickness naturally.

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 will help decrease hCG and other pregnancy-related hormones.

In one study[1], involving 59 pregnant women, 25mg of vitamin B6 was given every 8 hours to some women and a placebo was given to the other women. After 3 days, 8 of 31 women who were given vitamin B6 still had nausea compared to 15 of 28 women who received the placebo.

In another study[2], 342 pregnant women with morning sickness received either 30mg of vitamin B6 or a placebo. 24 hours prior to the treatment, these women recorded the severity of their nausea and the number of vomiting episodes and continued to record for 5 days of treatment. Women who took the vitamin B6 showed a significant reduction in nausea scores and vomiting episodes compared to the women who took the placebo.

Ginger

Ginger is well known for alleviating symptoms of stomach upset, including morning sickness. It is unsure how ginger helps but it is believed to effect the gastrointestinal tract and not the brain.

In one study[3], involving pregnant women who suffered from severe nausea and vomiting (hyperemesis gravidarum), 19 out of 27 women who received 250mg of ginger root powder (given 4 times a day) showed a significant reduction in both the severity of the nausea and the number of attacks of vomiting.

Vitamin K and C

Vitamin K and C are effective remedies when taken at the same time. According to Dr. Jonathan V. Wright, Medical Director of the Tahoma Clinic, taking 5mg of vitamin K and 500mg of vitamin C once a day can provide remarkable relief of nausea and vomiting with pregnancy. It takes about 2-3 days to take effect.

In one study[4], 91% of pregnant women showed complete remission within 72 hours after taking vitamin K and C together. Both vitamins given alone showed little effect.

Acupressure

Acupressure is applying manual pressure to specific points on the body to unblock energy flow that is blamed to cause the health condition. PC6 (pericardium 6) is the point found on the wrist for treating morning sickness.

In one study[5], 12 out of 16 pregnant women wearing an acupressure wristband reported relief from morning sickness. A decrease in anxiety and depression was also noted.

These wristbands are wonderful natural remedies for morning sickness and can be found at most drug stores.

Avoid Morning Sickness

If nausea occurs in the morning hours, eat dry crackers before arising.

Arise slowly when getting out of bed and avoid sudden position changes throughout the day. This may prevent nausea due to hypotensive episodes.

Avoid the odor of certain foods or other conditions that precipitate nausea and vomiting.

Do not eat greasy or highly seasoned foods.

Eat small, frequent meals to avoid morning sickness.

References

  • [1] Obstet Gynecol 78 (1991): 33-6
  • [2] Am J Obstet Gynecol 173 (1995): 881-4
  • [3] Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 38 (1990): 19-24
  • [4] Am J Ob Gyn 64 (1952): 416-8
  • [5] J Nurse Midwifery 34 (1989): 171-8

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