THE nausea manifest themselves in very uncomfortable sensations: urge to vomit, stomach pain, cold sweats, loss of appetite… And there is no shortage of grandmother’s remedies to soothe them, some of which are somewhat eccentric, notably shared on the famous Tik Tok social network.
Recently, the video of a young girl smelling the contents of a plastic bag on the train to relieve her motion sickness had more than 3 million views on the platform. And this publication did not fail to attract the attention of a doctor from the NHS (the public health system in the United Kingdom) who validated this surprising technique. But what exactly does this sachet contain?
Make nausea go away with… lemon juice!
“If you want a simple way to ease nausea, [le jus de citron] could actually work“, begins doctor Karan Raj in a video on his Tik Tok account where he shares his medical knowledge.
Indeed, the expert explains that the sense of smell is governed by the olfactory system, this being closely linked to the limbic system of the brain which plays a role in the regulation of nausea. So, smelling lemon juice can stimulate the limbic system and help relieve nausea symptoms.
“The aroma of lemon can also stimulate the salivary glands, increasing saliva production and gastric emptying“, adds the doctor. This means that your stomach empties more quickly, which alleviates the symptoms of nausea. Additionally, smelling a strong odor like lemon can serve as a sensory distraction. This distracts your attention and redirects it to the more powerful aroma.
Finally, your brain can form associations with certain smells. “If you’ve ever experienced relief from nausea from the smell of lemon, chances are your brain triggers a conditioned response that will reduce nausea when you smell that smell again“, concludes the expert.
Trick : If you don’t have a lemon on hand, you can also smell alcohol disinfectant wipes. They containIsopropylic alcoholwhose anti-nausea effect has been demonstrated.
@dr.karanr Keyboard shortcut for nausea @Darcy McQueeny ♬ original sound – Dr Karan Raj
