Nausea is the uneasy sensation of discomfort in the upper stomach, typically preceding vomiting, but not necessarily so. Nausea can be short-lived and severe or prolonged and mild. A nausea attack is also referred to as a qualm. Nausea is in fact not an illness in itself, but rather a symptom of an underlying medical condition. The cause of nausea could be related to the stomach but in many cases it is not. Physical factors or psychological ones may cause nausea making a diagnosis of the condition difficult.

Symptoms of Nausea
The main symptoms of nausea are a feeling of unease along with the urge to vomit. Nausea could be accompanied by symptoms such as stomach pain, anxiety, sweating, dizziness, weakness, dry heaves, and retching. The feeling of nausea may seem to originate from the stomach, but in fact begins in the brain. As a result, several of the symptoms may be psychological in nature. If you suffer from nausea and vomiting, speak to your doctor or health care practitioner to get to the root of the problem. In order to reach a diagnosis, your doctor will perform a physical examination and ask a number of questions such as:

-- When did the nausea begin? How long did it last?
-- Did it begin after eating?
-- What other symptoms are you suffering from ? dizziness? Stomach pain? Diarrhea? Headaches?
-- If you have vomited is there any blood or undigested food in your vomit?
-- Is your nausea prolonged enough to cause weight loss?
-- Are you on any new medications?
-- Have you traveled out of the country?
-- Are you pregnant?

In addition to these questions, you may be required to undergo tests such as a blood test, a urine test and a stomach x-ray to rule out certain causes of the nausea. The test results and your answers to the questions will give your doctor a clearer picture about the cause of the nausea and how to treat it.

Causes of Nausea
Since nausea is a symptom of an underlying medical condition there are several possible causes of nausea. Some of these include:
-- Excessive consumption of alcohol
-- Anxiety attack
-- Appendicitis
-- Overdose of caffeine
-- Chemotherapy
-- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
-- Concussion and head injury
-- Diabetes
-- Drug abuse
-- Food poisoning
-- GERD
-- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
-- Kidney Stones
-- Menstruation