Alcohol for nausea?

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Dannybot

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Inhaled isopropyl alcohol for nausea and vomiting in the emergency department

Recent study finds sniffing isopropyl alcohol very effective at treating nausea. Since sea sickness and nausea are common ailments for divers, I think this warrants discussion.

Will this benefit divers? Hard to say. The article only addresses young patients in the emergency room with organic causes of nausea. While this may be helpful for those who overindulge on their dive trip, I cannot help but wonder how much this would be beneficial to divers and cruisers.

Seasickness arises from the vestibular system in the inner ear. Organic nausea arises from the chemoreceptors in the medulla oblongata.
 
That's extremely interesting, I will try it next time since I almost always get sick at least a little, even while diving in a lake. As the study notes, you can't have a truly blind study since many people will recognize the smell of isopropyl alcohol. Still, for it to be more effective than the standard drug, and with a decently large sample size, is pretty impressive.
 
So we're jewelry shopping for my wife in Mexico and the guy there offers me a shot of tequila...because that's what they do in Mexico. I told him I had a bad stomach going on and the last thing I wanted was tequila. He insisted I needed to "kill the bug" and it would help me. I held my nose and took a shot of "membrillo tequila" (it's sweet) that he gave me. No kidding, within 10 minutes I was good to go...and HUNGRY! So, while I realize we're talking about a different type of alcohol here, and maybe even a different cause, I can confirm scientifically that tequila helps.... Isn't that a saying on a t-shirt somewhere? :)
 

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