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Food stagnating in the stomach and intestines
食滞胃肠 〔食滯胃腸〕shí zhì wèi cháng
Also:
- Food stagnating in the stomach duct (食滞胃脘 shí zhì wèi wǎn)
- Food stagnation (食滞 shí zhì), a traditional disease name
- Food accumulation (食积 shí jī), denoting severe food stagnation in some cases manifesting in palpable lumps in the abdomen or to food stagnation in infants and children
- Abiding food (宿食 sù shí), often referring to more chronic conditions
NB: Food stagnating in the stomach and intestines
and food stagnating in the stomach duct
are most bowel and visceral pattern identification names for the other above-listed terms, which are pathocondition/disease names.
A disease pattern chiefly characterized by glomus, distension, and pain in the stomach duct; vomiting and diarrhea with vomitus and stool that have a sour-putrid smell.
Description: Distension and pain in the stomach duct and abdomen that refuses pressure; aversion to food; belching of putrid gas; acid swallowing; vomiting of sour-putrid matter; relief from discomfort and pain after vomiting; in some cases, rumbling intestines, passing of flatus, and diarrhea with ungratifying defecation and foul-smelling stool with the smell of rotten eggs; in some cases, constipation; thick slimy tongue fur; a pulse that is slippery or sunken and replete.
Sour-putrid vomitus and stool are a major feature of this pattern, which is attributable to the putrefaction of stagnating food. This phenomenon is often referred to as food turbidity
or foul turbidity.
Diseases: Stomach duct pain; vomiting; belching; abdominal pain; diarrhea; constipation.
Biomedical correspondence: indigestion; gastritis.
Pathogenesis: Food and drink stagnating in the stomach and intestine results from dietary irregularities, such as voracious eating and drinking
(暴饮暴食 bào yǐn bào shí), unclean food, or excessive consumption of rich fatty food. This can be exacerbated by pre-existing spleen-stomach vacuity.
Analysis of signs
- Impaired harmony and downbearing of the stomach: Oppression, distension, and pain in the stomach duct and aversion to food.
- Stomach qì ascending counterflow: Sour-putrid belching, acid swallowing, and vomiting of sour-putrid matter.
- Food accumulation in the intestines: Rumbling intestines, abdominal pain, passing of flatus with the smell of rotten eggs, sloppy stool, and ungratifying diarrhea with foul-smelling putrid stool. In some cases, there may be constipation.
- Tongue: Thick slimy fur, reflecting foul turbidity steaming upward.
- Pulse: Slippery or sunken and replete.
Treatment
Medicinal therapy: Treat by dispersing food and abducting stagnation, usually referred to as abductive dispersion.
Commonly used medicinals include medicated leaven (Massa Medicata Fermentata,
Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on CV and ST. Select
Point selection according to signs:
- For constipation, add
BL-25 (Large Intestine Transport, 大肠俞 dà cháng shù). - For diarrhea, add
PC-6 (Inner Pass, 内关 nèi guān). For glomus and oppression, addSP-4 (Yellow Emperor, 公孙 gōng sūn). - For putrid belching and acid swallowing, add
GB-40 (Hill Ruins, 丘墟 qiū xū) andGB-34 (Yáng Mound Spring, 阳陵泉 yáng líng quán).
Compare food damage, food accumulation, abiding food, feeding accumulation, and food stroke.
Clinical sketch: A 25-year-old Chinese female visiting the United States for the first time complains of a bloated stomach, diarrhea, and vomiting. Inquiry revealed that at a dinner party two days previously she had overeaten food she was not used to and drunk more red wine than she had ever drunk at one time before. As a result, she had felt stomach discomfort and nausea. The following day, she was taken out sailing, and vomited profusely over the side of the boat. She was diagnosed with food stagnating in the stomach duct exacerbated by seasickness.