Everyone once in a lifetime has vomited whether it is because of violent illness or a long night out. And we usually try to get rid of the newly expelled vomit as soon as possible as it can cause disgust and more retching.
This might lead to a missed opportunity because the appearance of your expelled vomit might keep some essential clues within its consistency, color, and content to pinpoint the reason for vomiting.
So here is some of the information you need to consider. Bile is a digestive fluid that is often used by the small intestine to digest fats. Usually, while vomiting, bile might accompany the stomach content and has the color of dark green or yellow. This appearance of bile should be identified and should not be ignored especially when it suddenly appears because it may indicate a severe illness which should be paid attention immediately.
Bile secretion is at its maximum at about 20 to 40 minutes after having a meal especially if the consumed food is fatty and if puking were to happen for any reason during this time, you should expect to see partially digested meal with mucus, digestive enzymes as well as bile.
Causes of throwing up bile
There are different reasons for throwing up bile. Excessive vomiting can be one of the reasons for seeing bile however mostly viruses and other causes of irritation plays a significant cause as well. Moreover, the act of throwing up is merely a body reaction to some disturbance in the intestine and digestive tracts. Thus, your body tempts to correct the abnormal action by expelling it.
Besides, these common causes there are several causes that you might need to pay more attention:
Intestine blockage
Blockage in the intestine can block the food flow inside the digestive tract which causes the entire system to be backed up, resulting in puking. As it happens along the tract, bile should be mixed with the partially digested food; when you vomit, bile will come along with the undigested food. An intestine obstruction can be caused by a gallstone, inflammatory bowel disease or even adhesion which is a complication of abdominal surgery. These symptoms often come with constipation and abdominal pain.
Cyclical vomiting syndrome
This is a rare disorder which can lead to throwing up bile, and it is characterized by sudden and violent vomiting that happens for no valid reason.
Drug and alcohol abuse
Excessive take of alcohol or drug can irritate the stomach lining thus, trigger the receptors in the central system in the brain. Eventually, the brain will tell the stomach to vomit.
Stomach flu
Stomach flu which is also known as gastroenteritis might cause bile vomiting because of the viral infection effect. This disease is usually accompanied by abdominal cramps, dehydration, and diarrhea. As the stomach flu often leads to the inability of keeping food down for a few days, throwing up bile during vomiting episode is quite likely.
Food poisoning
This incident often happens violently and suddenly because of the reaction of the body towards the bacteria or viruses invading from food which has past the expiration or has been prepared for the unsanitary condition. Thus, there will be retching which later results in bile.
How to stop throwing up bile?
When the vomiting process has started, it is difficult to stop in the middle, so the best is just to let it run. Moreover, one of the most typical causes of vomiting bile is because your stomach is empty. However, it is the least worrying type of bile vomiting, and you can easily treat it by using ginger tea to calm the stomach. Since ginger contains a high amount of natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties which has been proven to reduce nausea and vomiting.
However, if the causes of throwing up bile are something else rather than that, the treatment might be more complicated. There are several treatments you can take into consideration:
Intestinal blockage
One of the most common causes of this problem is due to a malformation of the digestive tract. This will cause the attention immediately as surgery is the most likely cure for this type of problem.
Cyclic vomiting disorder
Once it is brought to the attention of your doctor, you will be prescribed grade antiemetic medication. Different lifestyles and lifestyle changes should be implemented too to enhance the symptoms. Moreover, you should get enough sleep, eat regular meals and avoid vomiting triggers.
Alcohol
Alcohol is typically considered as a poison to the body, and if consumed excessively, it can kill you. Symptoms of vomiting because of alcohol can be reduced by taking antihistamines with the recommended dosages. And vomiting bile can be reduced by stopping alcohol consumption.
Stomach flu
Viewing this as a result of viral infection, the only thing you should is to replace the electrolytes and the water that was lost during the puking period. If the cause is the bacteria, however, antibiotics can be used to treat that. Also, antiemetics can also be adopted to reduce the frequency of puking episodes as well.
Food poisoning
Another version of stomach flu, therefore, top up lost water and electrolytes will be the best treatment for this problem.
Home remedies for vomiting bile
Throwing up bile is a prevalent issue that has prompted the usage of natural home remedies to combat it. You should:
- Avoid dehydration by taking up at least eight glasses of water a day
- Drink cold fruit juices and lemonade. These juices will help you to reduce inflammation.
- Take anti-nausea herbs. Ginger tea, cinnamon can help you to relieve nausea as well as vomiting bile.
- Divide the meals into small meals with regular intervals to help your stomach in regulating the digestive tract
Even though you know the causes and treatments well, not all the cases result from the same reason. Thus, you should seek for help and doctor when your vomiting is severe and affect your health severely.
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