Rubbing Alcohol Aromatherapy as Nausea Treatment

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 


A really interesting study published about five years ago by some Australian researchers focuses on the use of rubbing alcohol to reduce nausea.[1]  How cool is that?  Rubbing alcohol is easily acquired (or used to be, anyway), inexpensive, and part of every medical kit.   Ondansetron (Zofran), an anti-nausea medication commonly used in hospitals, is expensive ($1-4 per tablet) and available by prescription only or through overseas pharmacies.

Here are the not-too-complicated instructions (and yes, even the first two points were part of the instructions in the research study):

• Get rubbing alcohol pads--cheap pads available over the counter work just fine
• Open the pad or have the patient do it
• Inhale deeply through the nose as often as desired[2]
• Repeat with new pad in 10 minutes[3]

Researchers noted the rapid onset of relief--the effect peaks in four minutes.[4]

Patients who were enrolled in the study presented to the emergency room and were diagnosed as complaining from the following illnesses, among others:

• Gastroenteritis
• Food poisoning
• Urinary tract infection
• Headache
• GERD
• Appendicitis
• Gallbladder disease
• Vertigo

Conclusions:  Add an additional box or two of alcohol pads to your preps.  They're cheap, effective, and multi-purpose.  What's not to love?
Contraindications:  The study was not conducted with pregnant females.  One study involved children, and while the treatment was effective, there is some concern about the toxicity levels that could occur with children sniffing alcohol pads.

Links to related posts:
Rubbing Alcohol Uses
Appendicitis
Food Poisoning
Urinary Tract Infections

References:
[1] https://www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(18)30029-5/fulltext
[2] https://www.jwatch.org/na46286/2018/03/09/inhaled-isopropyl-alcohol-superior-oral-ondansetron
[3] http://www.hughesmedicine.com/2018/10/inhaled-isopropyl-alcohol-for-nausea.html
[4] https://www.cfp.ca/content/64/8/580

 9.15.20