A "Grizzly" Mistake: Cambodian Mothers-to-be Reach for Chewing Tobacco for Morning Sickness

This photo shows a pregnant Cambodian mother-to-be with tobacco stained teeth.
Photo Courtesy of The Atlanta Journal Constituion

In Cambodia, expecting mothers reach for a very unlikely source to cure morning sickness: a wad of chewing tobacco.

The World Health Organization(WHO) warns that many of the mothers-to-be get hooked on chewing tobacco and develop an addiction. Not only are the throws of addiction a terrible problem, but WHO also has a major concern for the potential health problems for the mother and the baby as well.

"Chewing tobacco appears to be strongly influenced by beliefs passed on by older relatives," lead author, Dr. Pramil N. Singh from Loma Linda University in California, said in a statement. "The behavior is seen as a rite of passage into womanhood. Further research is needed to find out whether village health workers actively promote its medicinal use."

Women who chew tobacco expose their baby to the same health problems as mothers who smoke tobacco. The potential risks range from low birth weight, to fetal addiction syndrome, all the way to stillbirth.

Women in the United States, as well as abroad, should be encouraged to use more natural, alternative methods to ease nausea. Certain methods include the incorporation of ginger, ginger root, olives, and soda crackers into their diets.

The two substances in ginger that aid in the process of digestion are gingerols and shogaols. Both of these help to increase the secretion of digestive juices which, in turn stimulates the appetite, while also toning the muscles of the digestive tract. Ginger has also been found to have anti-inflammatory components. Ginger can be consumed raw or added to teas, curries, or sauces.

Olives have been shown to reduce nausea because of the presence of tannins, which ease nausea because of the mouth drying effects caused by the tannins. The soda crackers help with nausea in a similar manner by introducing slightly flattened soda to induce drying and alleviate a queasy stomach.

Although there are some positive health benefits associated with the use of tobacco, the negatives greatly outweigh the positives. This rule is true more so for expecting mothers. The techniques listed above will also work for individuals who are experiencing nausea and are not pregnant. For either case, the nausea is an effect brought about by natural causes so let nature act as the cure with the more homeopathic methods listed in this article. Keep yourself healthy, keep your baby healthy, and hopefully everyone can benefit from some of nature's great, all-natural, healing cures.