Digestion & Elimination

On Vomiting

By Gory ⋅ June 14, 2008 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

I like this description of vomiting by MedlinePlus:

Vomiting is a complex, coordinated reflex orchestrated by the vomiting center of the brain. It responds to signals coming from:

• The mouth, stomach, and intestines
• The bloodstream, which may contain medicines or infections
• The balancing systems in the ear (motion sickness)
• The brain itself, including unsettling sights, smells, or thoughts

An amazing variety of stimuli can trigger vomiting, from migraines to kidney stones. Sometimes, just seeing someone else vomit will start you vomiting, in your body’s effort to protect you from possible exposure to the same danger.

Hence we will experience vomiting in:

1. food poisoning: e.g. GI tract (stomach) responds to presence of unwanted microbes.
2. deeper illnesses: where poison enters blood stream
3. motion sickness
4. emotional upsets

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