We’ve all been sick at one point or another, and everyone knows what it’s like to be nauseous.

Unfortunately, I live with Meniere’s disease, a chronic inner ear disorder that causes vertigo and dizziness, so I'm probably more intimately familiar with nausea than most.

Most people have an idea of what to do when nausea strikes. But I've learned a few tricks over the years.

This simple technique will give you immediate relief from nausea and prevent you from throwing up.

Isopropyl Alcohol Vapor Inhalation:

If you've worked in an emergency room, this might be familiar to you, but for everyone else, you can completely stop nausea (at least temporarily) by inhaling 70% isopropyl alcohol vapors.

I know it sounds crazy but it's true and backed up by research.

This little trick is well known to hospital staff and the basic premise is simple enough that you can try it right away.

All you have to do is take three inhalations of 70% isopropyl alcohol vapors every 15 minutes as needed.

The research studies were done with isopropyl alcohol wipes, but there’s no reason you can’t pour a small amount onto a paper towel instead.

(If you have 90% isopropyl alcohol, just make sure to dilute it down with water first.)

The underlying mechanism of why this actually works to stop nausea is unclear. But it does work and it’s something most people already have lying around their house.

It's also safe, as long as you only take three inhalations every 15 minutes. (Any more than that and you can run into trouble as isopropyl alcohol vapors are a CNS depressant. )

So the next time you're feeling nauseous, I hope you'll give this a try!

(This technique first appeared on my chronic illness blog)