Nausea

Nausea is the queasy, unsettled sensation that rises in the upper belly or throat—often with a sense of heaviness, heat, or resistance to eating. It can show up before or after meals, during stress, illness, motion, or hormonal shifts. In traditional medicine, nausea reflects an upward reversal of digestive energy, signaling that the body is struggling to process, digest, or emotionally metabolize something. Rather than just an inconvenience, nausea is your body’s early warning system, inviting you to slow down, observe patterns, and support gentle reset.

• Location of Symptom

  Upper to mid-abdomen (epigastric/mid-region), sometimes extending into the chest or throat

• Physiological Breakdown

  Nausea is like your body’s internal warning system — a smoke alarm that senses something is off before the fire even starts. It doesn’t always mean you’re going to vomit, but it’s your brain’s way of hitting pause on digestion so it can figure out if something dangerous just entered your system.

  Here’s what’s happening physiologically:

  Vagus Nerve Activation: This nerve connects the brain and gut. If digestion is sluggish, inflamed, infected, or emotionally overwhelmed, signals travel up the vagus nerve to the brainstem — triggering nausea. This can happen within minutes of exposure to a trigger (food, emotion, smell, etc.).

  Toxin or Pathogen Detection: Your body is extremely sensitive to harmful substances. If it senses bacterial toxins, spoiled food, chemicals, or drug side effects, it may trigger nausea to keep you from absorbing more. This response is often rapid — within minutes to 2 hours.

  Delayed Gastric Emptying (Gastroparesis): If the stomach is slow to empty due to tension, fatigue, or nerve issues, food just sits there. That pressure and stagnation can cause nausea within 1–3 hours after eating.

  Hormonal Influence (e.g., pregnancy, menstruation, adrenal issues): Hormones like estrogen and progesterone can affect gut motility and sensitivity. This type of nausea may be cyclical or random, often worsened by hunger, smells, or fatigue.

  Brain-Gut Axis and Emotional State: Anxiety, grief, or intense emotions can trigger nausea without anything physically wrong in the gut. The brain sends a “freeze” signal to the GI tract, making you feel sick. This can happen instantly during stress or trauma.

  Motion Sickness or Sensory Overload: When your brain receives conflicting signals from your eyes and inner ear (e.g., reading in a moving car), it interprets it like a toxin. Nausea here is neurological and kicks in within 15–60 minutes of exposure.

  In short, nausea is the body’s way of saying, “Something doesn’t feel right — stop digestion and assess the situation.” But sometimes it’s a false alarm, and sometimes it’s a sign of deeper dysfunction in digestion, hormones, or the nervous system.

• Typical Onset Pattern

  Nausea tends to arise before eating (if digestion is weak or fire is low) or after meals (if food overwhelms the system or stagnates). It may also appear in the morning (especially with hormone or bile imbalances) or during stress, motion, or heat exposure.

• Common Signs

  You feel a rising, queasy sensation in your upper belly

  You may salivate, have a sour taste, or feel lightheaded

  You feel the urge to vomit or gag without actual vomiting

  Symptoms worsen with certain motions, smells, or emotional stress

  You feel relief from small sips of warm liquid or fresh air

• Rudimentary Root Causes

  Eating when not truly hungry or when digestion is weak

  Hormonal shifts (e.g., pregnancy, menstruation, blood sugar crashes)

  Stress, fear, or trauma triggering vagus nerve disruption

  Food poisoning, motion sickness, or gut infections

  Gallbladder or liver congestion (especially after heavy or fatty meals)

  Pharmaceutical causes: Antibiotics or pain medications (e.g., opioids, NSAIDs), Chemotherapy or hormone-modulating medications

  Supplement-induced causes: Iron, zinc, or multivitamins on an empty stomach

  Phytoiatrogenic causes: Overuse of hot, pungent herbs in sensitive or depleted constitutions, Bitter herbs taken without sufficient grounding or toning support

• Primary Tissue State

  Wind/Tension: Fluttering, unsettled sensation; worse with stress or motion

• Organ Systems Affected

  Digestive System: Stomach, duodenum, liver/gallbladder

  Nervous System: Vagus nerve, brainstem, gut-brain signaling

  Endocrine System: Hormonal shifts (pregnancy, cortisol, cycle)

  Immune System: Response to toxins, infections, or food antigens

  Vestibular System: Inner ear (motion-induced nausea)

Does nausea occur with specific foods, smells, or motions? Is it relieved by warmth, rest, or fresh air? Do you feel queasy on an empty stomach or after heavy meals? Is stress, travel, or emotional upset a trigger? Are you taking certain types of supplements, medications, or herbs on an empty stomach?

Nausea is the body’s way of pushing back—on food, emotion, pace, or energy it isn’t ready to digest. If you're tired of feeling uneasy in your own belly, I can help you explore what’s underneath and restore a sense of trust and ease with your inner rhythm.

Disclaimer

Each person’s condition has a unique root cause, and lifestyle, diet and herbal remedies must be tailored to the individual. The information on this page is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized care. If you’d like support in understanding your specific situation, please reach out to me for guidance. If you are experiencing severe, persistent, or life-threatening symptoms—such as vomiting blood, dehydration, unexplained weight loss, or an inability to keep down food—please seek emergency medical care immediately.