Chemotherapy Induced
Nausea and Vomiting

Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting can be helped by maintaining a healthy diet during chemotherapy. Side effects from chemotherapy can also be minimized by anti-nausea medication.


Chemotherapy side effects can include fatigue, nausea and hair loss after chemotherapy as well as during it.

Many people find the vomiting and constant nausea to be the most difficult part of the treatment.

Considering that chemotherapy is actually an "accidental discovery" that came from the use of mustard gas during WWII, it isn't a surprise that the side effects are so bad.

Many of the long term side effects of chemotherapy are similar to radiation side effects from the effects of nuclear radiation.

The type of chemotherapy drug and the dosage will all influence your risk for developing these side-effects. As well, there are personal factors that can increase your risk, such as:

• Younger than 50 years of age
• Prone to motion sickness
• Clinically significant levels of anxiety
• A woman who had morning sickness during pregnancy

It is interesting to note that the medications that carry the most risk of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting are not plant based. These medications include:

• Altretamine (Hexalen) - a synthetic medication
• Streptozocin (Zanosar) - naturally produced by the bacterium Streptomyces (this is NOT licensed in the UK and carries a risk of developing a secondary cancer such as leukemia)
• Oxaliplatin - a platinum-based drug
• Dacarbazine - from the same "family" as mustard gas

Side effects from chemotherapy such as nausea are greatly reduced using a plant based drug. Some of these are:

• Taxol - from the bark of the pacific yew
• Etoposide - from the mayapple
• Vinblastine and Vincristine - from the Madagascar periwinkle

It is important to note that each chemotherapy drug is indicated for specific cancer types, and all of them carry side effects.

How to Reduce Chemotherapy Induced
Nausea and Vomiting

The most severe nausea will generally develop within just a few hours of chemotherapy. 5HT3 antagonists such as Ansemet, Zofran, and Aloxi are quite successful. Most anti-nausea drugs are given intravenously, but there are also antagonists that are skin patches that will help prevent nausea and vomiting.

Some alternative therapies and natural remedies include:

• Hypnosis
• Acupuncture
• Eating smaller meals
• Avoiding spicy foods
• Use of ginger (known as nature's Dramamine)
• Ginger counteracts nausea and motion sickness better than any OTC drug.
• Ginger also contains shogal and zingerone, two phonic compounds that protect fats from free radical damage (that means it puts a stop to the development of cancer cells). 0.5-1.0 gram doses have been shown to provide up to a 40% nausea reduction.
• Therapeutic Massage

The most important thing a chemotherapy patient must do is stay hydrated.

Not only will dehydration interfere with the chemotherapy, it may also put you in the emergency room.

You should also eat a fiber rich diet and be certain to avoid oily foods.

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