Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
Cyclic vomiting syndrome is characterised by episodes of severe vomiting with no apparent cause
Cyclic vomiting syndrome is an uncommon disorder, that can occur in all age groups, but often begins in children aged 3 to 7 years old. Although it's more common in children, the number of cases diagnosed in adults is increasing.
Cyclic vomiting syndrome causes episodes of severe nausea and vomiting which can last a few hours to several days and is followed by symptom-free periods. Episodes tend to start at the same time of day, last the same length of time, and occur with the same symptoms and intensity.
People who suffer from cyclic vomiting can have between 4 and 12 episodes per year.
Symptoms of cyclic vomiting syndrome
The symptoms of cyclic vomiting syndrome often begin in the morning, and include:
Nausea and sweating before an episode starts
Three or more recurrent episodes of vomiting that start around the same time and last for a similar length of time, with good health between episodes
Lethargy
Other signs and symptoms during a vomiting episode may include:
Headache
Abdominal pain
Diarrhoea
Dizziness
Sensitivity to light or sound
Diagnosing cyclic vomiting syndrome
Cyclic vomiting can be difficult to diagnose because nausea and vomiting are symptoms that can be present in a number of medical conditions. It is normally diagnosed by a medical practitioner ruling out other conditions first.
Cause of cyclic vomiting syndrome
Researchers have found a strong link between cyclic vomiting syndrome and migraines, particularly abdominal migraine. Abdominal migraine is a type of migraine that occurs in children aged between 3 and 10 years and includes symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea and loss of appetite. Children with cyclic vomiting syndrome have been found to have a family history of migraines or go on to develop migraines themselves when they get older.
In adults, cyclic vomiting syndrome has been linked with a personal or family history of migraines.
Researchers believe cyclic vomiting syndrome is caused by abnormalities in nerve connections between the gut and the brain stem. The vagus nerve, picks up signals from the gut and relays information to the brain stem. The vagus nerve is responsible for regulating digestion, heart rate, breathing rate and reflexes like coughing, sneezing and vomiting. A common underlying problem in migraine and cyclic vomiting syndrome is a sensitised brainstem. Seemingly normal nerve messages from the gut become exaggerated in the overly sensitised brainstem, leading to episodes of nausea and vomiting.
Migraine medications that ‘desensitise’ the brain stem can be used to treat cyclic vomiting syndrome.
Neck disorders causing a ‘sensitised’ brainstem may also be contributing to cyclic vomiting syndrome. A skilled examination of the upper cervical spine to ‘rule in’ or ‘rule out’ your neck as a possible factor contributing to cyclic vomiting makes sense.
Case Study - Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome
Mrs D, a 31-year-old mother of one and childcare worker, presented with a 18 month history of abdominal pain attacks with severe headache, nausea, burping, increased wind, diarrhoea and vomiting. Her symptoms began after having covid while on holiday in India. Her first attack lasted for 10 days, she was well for some time before having a second attack 10 months later lasting 3-4 days followed by a third attack 3 months later which was so severe she went to A&E for pain relief. Her symptoms settled for a couple of months before coming back again recently and continuing relentlessly for 6 weeks. Each episode would start after eating food, beginning with a prickling type of pain in her stomach followed by a severe right sided headache which spread to the whole head. Severe bloating and nausea would follow, then bouts of vomiting. She became so frightened of her symptoms she avoided eating, began losing weight and developed a high level of stress. These symptoms prevented her from sleeping well and combined with tiredness and feelings of foggy headedness stopped her from being able to work. Feeling desperate and unable to find any answers or diagnosis through her GP or A&E clinics, she found our website and booked in for an initial assessment. We were able to reproduce her familiar right sided head pain using the Watson migraine assessment. Following the very first treatment session, she was a new person. Her head and stomach pain were gone and the other gut symptoms, burping, nausea, bloating, not being able to eat disappearing over the next 3 sessions. She was discharged after 4 sessions, having returned to work and with the knowledge of how to maintain her improvement with a few gentle exercises.
Our approach
If your upper cervical spine is contributing to cyclic vomiting syndrome, having your neck assessed and treated by a skilled practitioner to desensitise the brainstem can result in long term relief from symptoms of nausea and vomiting.