Why do we Puke? |

Why do we puke? That was the thought sitting quietly in the back of AumSum’s mind as he curled up on the couch, holding a pillow against his belly, staring at the ceiling like it might offer some kind of answer.

Just a few hours ago, the day had started like any other. AumSum had woken up full of energy, ready to conquer whatever Saturday had in store. The weather was perfect, sunny with a cool breeze, and there was a big family gathering planned with all his cousins, games, and a huge lunch buffet. AumSum couldn’t wait. He had always been the kind of kid who wanted to try everything. And when it came to food, that meant a little of this, a little of that, and then a little more of everything.

The table at lunch was packed. There were spicy noodles, cheesy fries, creamy pasta, crispy spring rolls, cold fizzy drinks, and two kinds of dessert: chocolate mousse and mango pudding. AumSum had filled his plate so high he had to balance it carefully with both hands. Bite after bite, he worked his way through it all, not really thinking about how full he was getting. He was too busy enjoying every flavor and laughing with his cousins to notice the slow rumble beginning in his stomach.

After lunch, someone brought out a skipping rope, and AumSum jumped right in, bouncing and spinning and laughing. That was when his stomach started to feel strange. It was a small twist at first, just enough to notice. Then came a wave of queasiness, like his belly had turned into a washing machine stuck on spin cycle. He stopped skipping, sat down quietly, and tried to breathe through it. But the feeling only grew stronger.

Soon, everything inside him felt like it wanted to rush back out. His head felt foggy, his skin a little sweaty, and his stomach began to squeeze in a way that was definitely not normal. His mom brought him inside, gave him a glass of water, and sat him down on the couch with a bucket nearby, just in case. And sure enough, a few minutes later, AumSum puked.

It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t comfortable. But something about it made him wonder - why had that happened? He hadn’t eaten anything weird or spoiled. He hadn’t fallen or gotten sick. So why did his body suddenly decide to throw everything back up?

What AumSum didn’t realize was that his body had been doing something smart. Deep inside him, behind the scenes, his brain had been paying close attention to all the signals it was getting. The stomach had been stretched too far, his balance had been shaken by all the skipping, and everything inside was swirling in ways it wasn’t meant to. The brain has a special place that watches for trouble like this - it’s called the vomiting center. It listens to alerts from different parts of the body and decides whether action is needed.

When the vomiting center gets too many warning signs at once, it sends out a clear message: time to get rid of what’s inside. Muscles tighten in the belly, the diaphragm pushes up, the stomach squeezes, and - suddenly - everything comes back out. It’s not meant to be fun. It’s meant to be fast and effective.

AumSum didn’t know all those details, but as he lay quietly, starting to feel a little better, he could tell that something inside had changed. The tight feeling in his belly was gone. His head was clearer. Even though he felt a bit tired, he also felt lighter, like his body had finished fighting off something it didn’t want.