Of all the things that I see in my clinic, nausea is one of the most challenging because oftentimes, the problem has nothing to do with the gastrointestinal tract.

A chronic feeling of nausea could be related to a neurological or hormonal problem, or it could be related to another condition, such as diabetes or gall bladder disease. A person’s medications also can cause nausea.

Other reasons for nausea can be related to temporary situations, such as a stomach bug, food poisoning, motion sickness or overeating.

For these reasons, it’s important to take a very staged and structured approach when looking for causes of nausea. After a good history and physical examination, we will usually start with an evaluation for common gastrointestinal issues. Once these are excluded, we consider other possibilities.

— Gastroenterologist Maged Rizk, MD