Queasiness and Nausea

Q My endoscopy and blood tests were normal, yet the nausea continues. Does that mean the cause was missed?

A. Tests look at injury and inflammation of the lining, so problems of movement and sensitivity appear normal. The cause was not missed — it sits outside what these tests examine. Since dangerous causes are now excluded, this is a good point to shift towards management.

Q Could this be something other than digestion? I often feel dizzy at the same time.

A. Nausea also arrives through the balance organs of the inner ear, migraine, medication and pregnancy. If the room seems to spin, the balance system must be checked as well. Remembering which symptom comes first is a great help in telling them apart.

Q I have lived with queasiness for years. Can something like this really improve?

A. Being long-standing does not put it beyond help. Rather than vanishing overnight, the frequency and intensity of the queasiness fall first. Using that change as your yardstick tells you whether the direction is right.

Q Along with nausea I get acid reflux, belching, dizziness and a heavy head. Must each be treated separately?

A. More often than separate problems overlapping, these branch from one flow. When the stomach cannot empty in time, what fails to descend is pushed up as acid and belching; prolonged stagnation then unsettles circulation and the autonomic balance, leaving the head heavy. Suppressing one leaves the rest behind.

Q Is there anything I can do at home the moment nausea rises?

A. Stay seated or keep your upper body upright and breathe slowly with a long exhale. Sipping lukewarm water in small amounts also helps. After meals, walk lightly for 15 to 20 minutes rather than lying down — it supports the movement of the stomach.

Q After a poor night I feel queasy all day. Does sleep matter here too?

A. Lack of sleep raises the sensitivity with which nausea is felt and slows the stomach's recovery. The same stimulus simply produces a bigger reaction. That is why sleep matters as much as diet during symptomatic periods.

Q When does nausea mean I should go to hospital immediately?

A. Vomiting blood or material resembling coffee grounds, black stools, or vomiting so persistent that you cannot keep water down all require emergency care at once. The same applies with severe headache, a stiff neck or reduced consciousness, and with chest pain or cold sweats. If weight is falling on its own or swallowing is difficult, arrange testing first.

Q The nausea started after I began taking painkillers and iron supplements. Could the medication be the cause?

A. That is quite possible. Anti-inflammatory painkillers, antibiotics, iron supplements and some diabetes medications commonly cause nausea. If the timing of starting them overlaps with the onset of symptoms, tell the prescribing clinician first and ask whether an adjustment is possible.

Q I take stomach medication and an antidepressant. Can I take herbal medicine alongside them?

A. In most cases yes, but you must tell us everything you are taking. Depending on the type, we advise spacing doses one to two hours apart. Do not stop existing medication on your own — we decide together when to reduce it.

Q How soon after starting treatment does the nausea decrease?

A. Usually the frequency falls before the intensity. What happened several times a day narrows to mornings only, then to particular situations. Symptoms of a few months often change within weeks; long-standing ones take longer to assess.

Q A feeling that I might vomit rises several times a day. Why does this happen?

A. When the stomach cannot empty in time, its contents cannot move downward and press upward instead, which is felt as nausea. If the nerves linking the stomach and brain also become sensitised, the queasiness repeats without any actual vomiting. It is a problem of flow and sensitivity rather than structure, so tests rarely capture it.

Q I feel especially queasy on an empty stomach in the morning and gag while brushing my teeth. Why is it worse then?

A. Because the stomach, empty overnight, is stimulated before it is ready to move. The longer the fast, the greater the acid stimulation, and the clearer the nausea becomes. Gagging while brushing reflects heightened sensitivity at the back of the throat on top of that.

Q Before an important meeting or on my commute, I feel queasy and break into a cold sweat. Is this all in my mind?

A. It is not weakness of mind — tension genuinely halts the movement of the stomach. The stomach and the brain are connected by nerves, so the signal of tension reaches the stomach directly. That is why symptoms can rise the moment you anticipate the situation.

Q Which foods make the queasiness worse?

A. Fatty and fried food, alcohol, and coffee on an empty stomach are the main ones. They linger in the stomach or irritate it directly, strengthening the upward push. Strongly scented food can trigger nausea even before you eat.

Q Eating makes me queasy, so I keep skipping meals. How should I eat?

A. Skipping meals increases acid stimulation and often makes nausea worse. Eat small amounts frequently instead of large meals, starting with lukewarm, plain food. Broth or porridge is a good way to begin because the stomach accepts it easily.

Q I work in Dong-gu, Incheon. How often should I come in?

A. Early on we shorten the interval to two or three visits a week to settle the symptoms first. Once stable, we widen the interval and raise the share of herbal medicine and lifestyle management. At the first visit we set a realistic plan around your work schedule.

Q In what order does the clinic treat nausea?

A. We first screen for danger signs, then press the abdomen and read the pulse to see how stiff the stomach is. Next we restore its movement, clear what has accumulated, help the irritated lining recover, and settle the over-sensitised nerves. Acupuncture and moxibustion release the stiff upper abdomen, with herbal medicine matched to your state.

Q Stomach medication and motion-sickness tablets help only briefly, then the nausea returns days later. Why?

A. Those medicines suppress the upward signal for a while, but the conditions preventing the stomach from emptying remain. So once the effect wears off you return to the same state. Changing those conditions is what widens the intervals.