Why do we throw up when we put our fingers down our throat?

Question

I was just brushing my tongue and went back too far and almost threw up and almost had to brush my teeth all over again and I was thinking about why that happens...

What is it like a defense against choking? I mean why would our stomachs throw up because of something that happens in our mouth...you know what I mean?

Answer 1

Gag reflex... I think it might be as you said, the body's way of guarding against choking. Could also be a sort of natural "manual switch" to induce vomiting, in case a person swallows something they shouldn't then decides it needs to come back up right away.

Doesn't really have anything to do with the stomach, though, I don't think. It's just the way the muscles work, and when you start to gag, it puts the process into work where the muscles lining the throat start to eject what's in the stomach.

Answer 2

Exactly! It keeps you from choking. When something goes into your mouth that is expected the brain will see it as food and except it but if its something that is unexpected then the brain will see it as a threat and do all it can to get rid of it witch is regurgitate or vomit if you will.

Answer 3

So our food and drink doesn't go in the wrong hole. Its due to the uvula(the thing between tonsils for the people who have their tonsils)  which makes sure of our food not going down the wrong hole. Thats why people with eating disorders do that. IT shouldn't be practiced for it is dangerous.

Answer 4

Your gag reflex, to keep certain things from going down

Answer 5

I guess its just a natural defense like you said. We have a lot of little amazing features as humans that some times we may take advantage of.

Answer 6

i dont.

Answer 7

It is a gag reflex....and of many reasons for it is to prevent against choking. If somthing gets shoved to far back in your throat the gag reflex just tries to shove it back up  to prevent choking.....

oh and the person who just awnsered before me "anyone" it is your epaglotis..... that sheids you trechea when swallowing.. this prevents solids and liquids from entering your lungs. Horses have a uvula but they can't throw up because they have know gag reflex, that is why they colic....

Answer 8

its a gag reflex so u get rid of any foreign objects obstructing ur airpassage

Answer 9

the mouth leads to the throat which leads to the stomach. its a gagging reflex.

Answer 10

Hre is an explanation from wilkipedia:

The pharyngeal reflex or gag reflex is a reflex contraction of the back of the throat, evoked by touching the soft palate[1], that prevents something from entering the throat except as part of normal swallowing. This helps prevent choking.

The afferent limb of the reflex is supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve (cranial nerve IX), which inputs to the Spinal tract of V, and the efferent limb is supplied by the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X) from the nucleus ambiguus. Absence of the gag reflex is a symptom of a number of severe medical conditions, such as damage to the glossopharyngeal nerve, the vagus nerve, or brain death.

This is the entire article but if you want to view it goto:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gag_reflex

So you are right, it keeps us from choking.

It also is what occurs when food "goes down the wrong tube."

And makes you cough.

Source: wilkipedia, former emt, and my own curiousity a few years ago.

Answer 11

Besides choking, your brain fews it as a foreign object,that is too large to swallow and is intruding.