Food accumulation

1. Specifically in infants, food collecting in the stomach and intestines as a result of food irregularities causing damage to the spleen and stomach. It is characterized by warm head and hot abdomen, belching and bloating, poor appetite, abdominal distension and fullness with pain that refuses pressure, vomiting of sour putrid matter, and in some cases by stool that has the smell of rotten eggs. See feeding accumulation.

2. In general, stagnation and accumulation of food attributable to spleen-stomach movement and transformation failure and characterized by fullness and oppression in the chest and stomach duct, in some cases with hardness or glomus lump, abdominal pain that refuses pressure, hard stool, reduced food intake, putrid belching, and acid swallowing.

Medicinal therapy: If the signs are all of repletion, use accumulation-attacking medicinals such as rhubarb (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, 大黄 dà huáng) and morning glory (Pharbitidis Semen, 牵牛子 qiān niú zǐ). If stagnation is in the early stage, or if accumulation has formed but the patient’s constitution is weak, use Harmony-Preserving Pill (保和丸 bǎo hé wán). For spleen vacuity, Six Gentlemen Decoction (六君子汤 liù jūn zǐ tāng) may also be included in the treatment.

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on CV, ST, and GV. Main points: Lǐ Inner Court (里内庭 lǐ nèi tíng), CV-21 (Jade Swivel, 璇玑 xuán jī), CV-12 (Center Stomach Duct, 中脘 zhōng wǎn), CV-6 (Sea of Qì, 气海 qì hǎi), ST-25 (Celestial Pivot, 天枢 tiān shū), and ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ). For repletion, needle with drainage. For early-stage stagnation or weak constitution, needle with drainage and add moxa. For spleen vacuity, add BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù) and BL-21 (Stomach Transport, 胃俞 wèi shù), needle with drainage and add moxa.

Point selection according to signs: For glomus lump, apply large amounts of moxa at Glomus Root (痞根 pǐ gēn). For hard stool, add ST-37 (Upper Great Hollow, 上巨虚 shàng jù xū), BL-25 (Large Intestine Transport, 大肠俞 dà cháng shù), and TB-6 (Branch Ditch, 支沟 zhī gōu). For putrid belching and acid swallowing, add GB-40 (Hill Ruins, 丘墟 qiū xū) and SP-4 (Yellow Emperor, 公孙 gōng sūn). Compare food stagnating in the stomach and intestines, food stagnation, food damage,and abiding food.