Being sick

[Supernick]

I've just been rather violently sick (sorry to be disgusting), and think I might now accept that I'm not well enough to be in the office today. But being sick made me feel better for a while. Why is that? Surely whatever is making you ill has left the stomach and is in the blood or intestines or wherever. Why has evacuating the contents of my stomach made it all seem briefly better?

[andy-hughes]

When the stomach feels the urge to evacuate its contents, it sends a variety of signals to the brain. These include a hot flush, diziness, nausea and the initial contractions of the stomach muscles. All these are designed to warn you that the reflex vomit action is iminent, to give you time to prepare - be upright and prepared to vomit.

Once the vomiting reflex has occured, the warning symptoms subside quickly, and the absence makes you feel better virtually instantaneiously. This feeling may or may not last, depending on the virulence of the infection or what ever reason created the vomit reflex in the first place.

If the vomit reflex is caused by diasgreeable stomach contents, then the relief will be long-term. If however, it is caused by an ongoing infection, then the relief may be temporary, unil the cycle starts again, and it will continue until the infection has passed through the system.