“That’s something that can clinch the diagnosis for me, when someone says they’re better with a hot shower,” said Dr. Chris Buresh, an emergency medicine specialist with UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s Hospital. “Patients describe going through all the hot water in their house.”
The exact cause is also unknown, but the leading theory, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is that long-term overstimulation of receptors in the endocannabinoid system may disrupt the body’s natural control of nausea and vomiting.
“It seems like there’s a threshold when people can become vulnerable to this condition, and that threshold is different for everyone,” Buresh added. “Even using in small amounts can make these people start throwing up.”
