How or by what means can vomiting be induced?

Introduction

There are different methods to induce vomiting. However, you should consider for what reasons you want to induce this and whether it is a sensible remedy. If poisoning or swallowing harmful substances such as acids is suspected, triggering vomiting is often not suitable for therapy and a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible or contact the Poison Information Center.

The nausea stimulus is a reflex that is controlled by the nausea center in the brain. Therefore, it can be caused by processes that take place in the brain itself as well as by processes far away from the brain. In the case of the nausea reflex, the 9th or 10th cranial nerve (nervus glossopharyngeus and nervus vagus) may be the cause. These are located in the back of the throat.

Overview of the methods

First of all, it should be mentioned that only in rare cases it is useful to induce vomiting compulsively. This is because if vomiting is really necessary for the body, such as poisoning with food, alcohol or other harmful substances, it will happen by itself. Artificially induced vomiting is often the first step in a pathological behavior such as anorexia (bulimia) and also leads to complications if performed more frequently.

Since stomach acid is not tolerated everywhere except in the stomach itself, regular vomiting can lead to a worsening of the condition of the teeth or irritation of the esophagus. Vomiting can be triggered very effectively by the “classic” method of “finger-in-the-neck“. As soon as the uvula, which is located at the back of the palate, is touched, a reflex-like vomiting occurs.

If you do not like to use your finger, you can of course use other objects such as a toothbrush or a spring (Roman method). Mechanical irritation, such as the strong pressure on the abdominal wall, causes some people to vomit reflexively. There are also a number of substances used in emergency medicine to induce vomiting.