Caring for someone with nausea before reaching for herbs

Watching a partner or parent feel queasy makes everyone want to help. Before any herbal remedy, the cause and warning signs need attention.

The helpless feeling of watching someone queasy

Few things make a household feel more unsettled than one member who cannot keep breakfast down. A husband searches for something, anything, to offer; a daughter remembers her grandmother's ginger tea. Late at night, a web page of so-called stomach-settling herbs feels like rescue.

The trouble is that nausea turns up for countless reasons. Medicines, pregnancy, infections, migraine and many other conditions can all produce it, and a list of ingredients tells you nothing about which one is at work. A spice that sits happily in the pantry also behaves differently once concentrated into a herbal product, which may not suit everybody.

Describing the pattern clearly

Carers frequently notice more than anyone, a point Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, makes to families visiting the Lane Cove clinic about herbs. Note when the queasiness comes on, what accompanies it and what has been tried so far. Bring every medicine and supplement along, including anything recently started. Those details shape whether herbs are worth discussing at all.

• Time of day and link to meals or medicines.
• Other symptoms such as headache, fever or dizziness.
• Home remedies already attempted, and what happened.

When a doctor needs to see them first

Vomiting that keeps returning, a parched mouth with hardly any trips to the toilet, or strong pain in the belly means a doctor should see them without delay. Repeatedly trying one remedy after another is not appropriate in those situations, however well-meant. Pregnancy-related nausea should also involve the person's GP or midwife.

Making any herbal advice easy to follow

If a herbal prescription does follow, it should carry a clear name, simple steps and an agreed follow-up. Store the packet and instructions together, and let Christine know whenever other medicines change. If a fresh symptom appears and nobody can tell whether the herbs are responsible, a phone call is far safer than adjusting amounts at home.

Looking after the carer too

Supporting someone who feels ill all day can wear you down. If your family would like to talk through whether herbal medicine has any role, Christine welcomes both the person feeling unwell and the one doing the caring.