Morning Sickness

Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is a common term used todescribe nausea during pregnancy, especially within the first months. It is estimated that 50 to 80 % of all pregnant women experience morning sickness at some point.

Possible Triggers And Causes

• Deficiency of magnesium is believed to be the most frequent cause of morning sickness)

• Deficiency of molybdenum, zinc, B6, B12 and vitamin D

• Foods high in sugar, sulphites and nitrites,

• Use of alcohol and other stimulants

• High levels of toxins

• Stress

• Hormonal imbalance. It is also believed that morning sickness can be triggered by changes in hormone levels, especially rising estrogen levels.

• Overeating

• Flu or cold

• Kidney or liver stones

• Migraine headaches

• Two scientists at the University of Liverpool researched 56 studies on the prevalence of nausea and sickness in pregnant women and found that intake of refined sugars, sweeteners, stimulants such as caffeine, meats, milk and eggs increased risk of morning sickness and nausea among pregnant women.

Beneficial Supplements

• MAGNESIUM: Try taking 150-200mg of good magnesium such as magnesium citrate or bisglycinate twice daily (in the morning and evening or before bed). In addition, you may also add some Epsom salts or Magnesium chloride oil to your bath. Magnesium is one of the main causes of nausea during pregnancy. Almost all people today are deficient in magnesium due to soil depletion, refined diet, use of stimulants, stress and other factors, and pregnancy makes this deficiency even worse. For this reason you need to take two times a day 200-400 mg of magnesium citrate (also good to deal with constipation). Magnesium is the number one most important element to cope with morning sickness. It works even better if you start taking it months before getting pregnant. But let me explain why magnesium is so important in morning sickness. Cortisol, which is made by your adrenal glands whenever you experience stress, triggers huge sugar (glucoses) spikes, resulting in tiredness and nausea (morning sickness). Normally, it is magnesium that balances cortisol levels by cleaning the excess of this hormone from the blood. Unfortunately, since almost all people are already deficient in magnesium, and in addition, hormones during pregnancy inhibit the ability to absorb magnesium, the lack of this mineral leads to excessive levels of stress hormones that cause nausea!

• MULTIVITAMIN: Apart from magnesium, you also need a good quality multivitamin supplement (such as Pregnazon) which should contain vitamin B6 and zinc (try citrate as other types of zinc may trigger nausea) after breakfast. Both B6 and zinc deficiency (very common today) are believed to contribute to nausea during pregnancy.

• MOLYBDENUM: During pregnancy one of the key causes of nausea can be molybdenum deficiency as this trace mineral is very important in eliminating nitrates from the body. Without molybdenum nitrates can’t be removed and may trigger nausea. A study found lower morning sickness in areas where the diet was high in foods that are good sources of molybdenum such as legumes and whole grains (especially oats and barley). We know that sulfites cause morning sickness and nausea if they are not removed from the body by molybdenum. Molybdenum is used in our body by enzymes including sulfite oxidase to convert sulfites to sulfates (which are recycled or excreted in urine). Foods that interfere with sulfite oxidase (especially sulfites and nitrites) are believed to be common triggers for nausea, morning sickness and motion sickness. Keep in mind that molybdenum is a trace mineral which due to soil depletion will never be found in large enough doses in food. It is therefore recommended to take it in the form of supplements. The Linus Pauling institute suggests about 50 mcg for pregnant women and to treat morning sickness. Multivitamins that contain molybdenum include Day-vitProbio (50mcg) and MultiMax for Women (25mcg) both by HealthAid).

Supplementation with molybdenum might be useful in easing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy

•  GINGER contains powerful oils and compounds – gingerols and shogaols that calm the stomach and digestive system. One gram of ginger daily is often enough to curb both nausea and vomiting in pregnant women. Ginger can be effective for motion sickness and nausea, with the added benefit of not causing side effects.

Ginger Safely Relieves Nausea During Pregnancy

•  VITAMIN B12: Studies demonstrated that vitamin B12 reduces nausea and vomiting in many pregnant women who are usually deficient in this vitamin as it is used by foetus. There has been no sign of harm to the foetus with the use of vitamin B12 supplements. In fact, a combination of vitamin B12 and folic acid (methylfolate is much better form of supplementation) is the most effective way to prevent neural tube defects in the growing foetus. Take 1,000 to 2,000 mcg of B12 a day under the tongue (must be in the form of sublingual Methylcobalamin!).

•  ACTIVATED CHARCOAL: Also activated charcoal may be helpful in reducing signs of morning sickness and nausea.

•  IRON: Almost all women need good iron supplements such as iron bisglycinate (or ferrous fumarate), but should avoid inorganic iron. If you are deficient in iron take 5-10 tablets or 1 tablespoon of organic spirulina powder twice daily 30 minutes before meals, one tablespoon of black strap molasses with meals, and avoid caffeine, black and green tea (they all lead to iron deficiency).

According to one study “The discontinuation of [inorganic] iron-containing prenatal multivitamins reduces the severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy”

• LEMON JUICE is another particularly effective nausea treatment. Lemons contain specific neutralizing acids that generate bicarbonates in the stomach, in turn relieving nausea caused by a number of conditions. Lemon juice can be added in tea or taken directly from the lemon itself.

• RED RASPBERRY LEAF: “This is the best remedy for morning sickness. I couldn’t drink the raspberry tea because the smell made me sick. A friend recommended red-raspberry leave capsules. You must get them with just red raspberry, no mixture (often mixed with rose hips). Take two three times a day. Gets rid of 80% of morning sickness. After the first three months, reduce dose to two one time a day throughout pregnancy to strengthen uterus. Makes labor and recovery much easier.” Posted by Toni (Oregon) (source)

• AVOID: alcohol, caffeine, low-quality meat, fish, poultry, eggs, greasy and fatty foods, refine salt, processed/packaged foods.

• Plant-based unrefined diet seems to be very beneficial as according to the greenmedinfo, “It has been found that nausea and vomiting in the morning happen far less frequently in countries where diets are centred on plants like fruits, vegetables and grains. For example, India is a country where eating meat is far less common than in the Western world. Many animals that are considered livestock in the United States are revered and respected in India. As a result of eating mostly plant foods, India is at the bottom of the list when it comes to frequency of morning sickness at just 35%.”

Related Articles

• HEALTHY PREGNANCY
• HEALING RECIPES

Sources

• www.draxe.com/morning-sickness
• https://tv.greenmedinfo.com/plant-based-diet-morning-sickness/
• Images: Pregnant belly photo created by senivpetro - www.freepik.com

Any information or product suggested on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Consult your primary healthcare physician before using any supplements or making any changes to your regime.