So many cancer patients suffer from stomach upset that researchers have developed many medications to treat it-but there are also several natural solutions you can try.
Why is it that cancer treatments so commonly cause stomach upset? According to Dr. Harman at cancergrace.org, both cancer and the treatments for it can be factors in creating stomach problems. Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting usually occur because the drugs stimulate a part of the brain that controls the vomiting response. Damage to the intestines from chemo can also stimulate that same response in the brain, and in the stomach. Other causes unique to cancer include:
- Radiation-induced nausea (when part of the gastrointestinal tract is involved, including the esophagus)
- Intestinal obstruction (due to scar tissue or a tumor)
- Pressure or swelling on the brain
- Uncontrolled pain
Which medications your doctor may recommend typically depends on the cause of the upset. Those used specifically in cases of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting include anti-nausea medications like Zofran, Kytil, Anzemet, Aloxi, and Emend. These target receptors in the brain and gut to block the vomiting response. For other types of nausea caused by the cancer itself, or by a combination of causes, doctors may prescribe compazine and haldol, anti-nausea medications, or “motility” agents, which help get things moving in the intestine. Marinol, the medical form of marijuana, has been shown effective in cases of persistent nausea and no appetite.
Medications aren’t the only option, however. Many non-medical approaches can be effective at calming the stomach. Ginger, for example, has shown in studies to be very helpful. (Start taking it before treatments-see our post for details.) Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, found that acupuncture controlled post-operative breast-surgery nausea more effectively than Zofran. Two hours after surgery, 77 percent of subjects who received the acupuncture experienced no nausea or vomiting, compared to 64 percent taking Zofran. According to another analysis of 11 studies, acupuncture seemed to reduce the vomiting that can occur shortly after a chemotherapy treatment.
There are some Ayurvedic solutions to nausea as well. Mothernature.com suggests three, recommended by top Ayurvedic practitioners. Try two pinches of cardamom and ½ teaspoon honey mixed into ½ cup of plain yogurt. Or, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of cardamom into ½ cup of warm milk. If you like tea, steep a teaspoon of cumin seeds and a pinch of ground nutmeg in one cup of boiling water for ten minutes, strain to remove the seeds, and drink.
Myhomeremedies.com has several solutions sent in by readers. One recommends boiling a cup of water and mixing in a teaspoon of cinnamon or one cinnamon stick, a tablespoon of honey, and drinking slowly. Peppermint is also commonly recommended when it comes to stomach upset. Try a drop or two of peppermint oil on the tongue, or take some peppermint candy with you on treatment days. Best-home-remedies.com suggests half a cup of coconut water twice a day.
Remember-just because many people experience nausea and vomiting as a result of treatment doesn’t mean you will. “You can become so convinced that nausea and vomiting will occur that it does occur,” says the Mayo Clinic. “Your doctor can tell you specifically whether the treatment you’ll receive is likely to cause nausea and vomiting.”
Have you found an effective home remedy for cancer-related nausea and vomiting? Please share your discoveries.
Photo courtesy of ember via Flickr.com.
