Gastritis is the inflammation of the stomach lining. This condition is prevalent among approximately 20% of the adult population. Gastritis may have symptoms such as acid reflux, stomach pain, belching, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bleeding, feeling full, and blood in vomit or stool. Another commonly associated factor is H-Pylori infection.
Instead of limiting gastritis to a syndrome, Chinese medicine views the disease as a manifestation of the pathodynamics of the Stomach organ. Chinese Medicine views the Stomach as the first organ to receive food — important as nutrition supports the entire body and spirit's functions. The Stomach can be afflicted by several disease factors, such as:
- Climatic factors (cold, heat, dampness, dryness, summerheat)
- Food "evils" (spicy food, sugary sweets, overly sour, strong bitters, etc.)
- Emotional "evils" (grief, anger, worry, fear, joy)
Here are some examples:
- Heat of the Stomach will cause hypersecretion of HCL acid
- Cold of the Stomach may prevent stomach contents from descending into intestines
- Worry places the body into Sympathetic-mode and away from Parasympathetic-mode, reducing digestive efficiency
- Stomach Qi Deficiency leads to weak churning of stomach contents, resulting in retained HCL acid in the gut
- Stomach phlegm means the mucosa secretes excessively, causing slow movement of stomach contents and gastric discomfort
Because gastritis is considered part of internal medicine, in regards to treatment, acupuncture, moxabustion, and herbal medicine are administered. Various medicinals are prescribed in formulated prescriptions according to the patient's Chinese medical diagnosis. For example, warming herbs like Dried Ginger and Atractylodes may be prescribed for Stomach Cold. For Stomach Heat, cold herbs like Coptis root may be prescribed.
