why do harmless things make people v

[hairyfairy]

I`m aware that vting is nature`s way of clearing poisons from the body, but I`m always reading about other people`s experience of getting sick on things that are completely harmless. quite a few of these stories have been on this site. I have never gotten sick from aything other than alchohol, & once from a dodgy curry, that is, not since I was a child. I know that children have very sensitive stomachs that get upset easily, but I`m astonished at the number of adults that report vting from a change of diet, or trying food that they`ve never had before. It`s almost as if their bodies just being bad for the sake of it.

[KaydeeJayde]

Some things just don't agree with people. People have different make ups. Their stomachs are all different. You couldn't handle the dodgy curry, but there was probably someone out there who didn't get sick from eating it. People's bodies are never bad just for the sake of it. Doing things "just for the sake of it" is something that comes from human nature, not the human biology, as far as I'm aware.

[Rebecca85]

Agreed. Several times my boyfriend has been violently ill after eating dodgy food (and we know it was the food because he saw too late it wasn't cooked). I ate the same food and was fine.

[ButterfliesInHerEyes]

Well, most people on this site focus on stomach viruses, especially noro, but the reality is that a person can vomit anywhere, anytime, for any reason. Doesn't mean you will, just that it's possible. Meaning, some people, my sister-in-law for example, has such a weak stomach, she vomits quite easily for any number of reasons... even if she LOOKS at a creamy soup, as an example. Then there's a friend of mine who can't tolerate any kind of medication other than tylenol because just about every med she's been put on has made her vomit - even vitamins. My sister has divirticulitis (spelling?) and sometimes she can eat certain foods and be fine and then other times those same foods upset her stomach and she vomits. And the list goes on and on. You get the point.

And then there's us, emetophobes.... who rarely ever vomit, even during potentially life-threatening situations where it might help to vomit.

Everyone's different.

[Leo StarGazer]

It is true that some people can become so anxious over trying new foods that they think themselves into vomiting when it enters their mouth, but that's not 'nothing'. Somewhere in their mind, the food is still being interpreted as harmful and whether it is or it isn't doesn't really matter because in the end if the mind says it is, it's not staying down.

& trying a food that you've never had before can make you genuinely sick, especially if the food is very rich, spicy, vinegary or anything 'strong' that you're not used to. There doesn't have to be something wrong with the food. You're stomach just sees it as something abnormal and wants to get rid of it. It's normal. The body is more complex than we think it is.

[hairyfairy]

Wow!!! reading some of these threads makes me grateful that I don`t have a particularly sensitive stomach, as I can eat any food without vting, as long as the food is`nt gone off, & I don`t stuff myself silly with it. I don`t know how I`d cope if I did, I`d probably starve, as I`d be scared to eat anything!

[Rebecca85]

Ah, but if you did have a sensitive stomach you probably wouldn't be emet, because you would be practiced at vting and it wouldn't be something 'strange' to be feared. For example, my fear (it was a fear not full blown phobia) of myself vting has reduced by probably 90% since I was seriously ill with Crohn's back in April. If I feel I need to vt because of my Crohn's, I can go and do it and feel fine (however I still freak a bit if I get n from something else!). My phobia of others vting has reduced immensely since working in a school- where unfortunately sometimes kids do v.

[anxious.amelia]

It infuriates me when people never say when they feel ill, especially children, and because of that, I can't even sit next to another child in a cinema unless I know them well :/

I used to be a binge eater, but I would get sick from drinking lots of water and not just scoffing whole cheese cakes.

If only humans and animals never vomited, I wouldn't care if it was bad for you, it would make life so much easier!

[hairyfairy]

Anxious, I so agree, I would`nt care if not vting made me more ill, I could put up with it if I knew that I was`nt going to v. About that curry, I remember that I only vted once, & had bad dihorea, but my boyfriend, who had the same curry, had no diohrea, but vted a number of times, so I guess we all react differantly to bad food.

[mooki]

I'm cursed with a very sensitive stomach that gets upset often for little reason. Even something as bland as oatmeal and a glass of water can make me nauseated sometimes.

[hairyfairy]

If I did have a sensitive stomach, I don`t think it would stop me from being scared of vting, I would more likely starve to death due to being scared to eat!

[wargerbil]

Some people are just different than others! My sister wasn't allowed to eat donuts as a kid cause she'd barf every time she did!! (It took my parents a while to figure this one out. It's kind of funny now, looking back.)