Modern lifestyles often involve irregular eating patterns, making gastrointestinal disorders common. Gastritis is a frequent and prevalent condition, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, including upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, belching, and loss of appetite. Reports indicate nearly everyone has experienced gastritis at some point, yet over half of patients neglect treatment for what they consider a "minor ailment."
Watch Out for These Gastritis Symptoms
1. Upper abdominal pain may be intermittent and worsening or a persistent dull ache. Some patients experience severe pain. The location is typically slightly left of the mid-epigastrium or around the navel, possibly accompanied by abdominal bloating and discomfort.
2. Nausea and vomiting. Vomited contents may include undigested food, with relief following vomiting. Some patients may vomit bile or gastric acid.
4. Dehydration: Caused by excessive fluid loss from repeated vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms include poor skin turgor, sunken eyes, thirst, and decreased urine output. Severe cases may present with low blood pressure, cold extremities, and a rapid pulse.This indicates bleeding in the gastric mucosa.
How to Self-Check for Gastroenteritis
1. Occasional sensations of obstruction, pauses, or pain behind the sternum, varying in intensity. This often suggests possible esophagitis, esophageal diverticulum, or early esophageal cancer.
2. Persistent postprandial bloating or constant fullness, belching without acid reflux, poor appetite, gradual weight loss, and mild pallor or grayish complexion. These symptoms suggest chronic gastritis, particularly chronic atrophic gastritis or gastric ptosis.Pain may follow a pattern, such as occurring after exposure to cold, emotional stress, or consumption of irritating foods. This may indicate a gastric ulcer.
4. Frequent stomach pain occurring around 2 hours after meals, sometimes severe enough to wake you at night. Eating a small amount may provide relief, often accompanied by acid reflux. Symptoms tend to worsen in autumn and winter, with pain localized in the upper right abdomen and occurring rhythmically. This may indicate a duodenal ulcer or duodenal inflammation.
5. Abdominal distension and pain after meals, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or a sensation of food accumulation. Symptoms may worsen with a history of pre-existing gastric issues or develop recently without prior history, and may be accompanied by occasional vomiting of blood.
5. Postprandial abdominal distension and pain, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and occasionally hematemesis. History of worsening gastric issues or recent onset without prior history, along with anemia, weight loss, loss of appetite, and palpable hard masses above the navel or in the epigastric region. This warrants high vigilance as it may indicate gastric cancer.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Methods for Regulating Gastroenteritis:
1. Galangal Rice Porridge
15g Galangal, 100g japonica rice. Grind galangal into powder, decoct in water for 30 minutes, strain out residue. Add japonica rice and simmer into porridge. Season and consume in divided doses. Take one dose daily for two consecutive weeks, pause for several days, then resume. Continue for six months to one year.
Particularly suitable for chronic gastritis with symptoms of bland taste, cold pain in the epigastrium, and weakness.
2. Sichuan Pepper Chicken Gizzards
2 chicken gizzards, 20 Sichuan peppercorns. Clean and split the gizzards. Add peppercorns and a pinch of salt, place in a cloth bag, wrap in several layers of damp paper, and steam until tender.Remove, slice thinly, and consume while hot. Eat one gizzard per serving, twice daily, for two consecutive weeks.
Suitable for chronic gastritis with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold (manifesting as emaciation, fatigue, cold hands/feet, and abdominal cold pain) and indigestion.
3. Stewed Pig Stomach with Hawthorn
1 pig stomach, 100g hawthorn berries,50g rock sugar. Scrub the pork stomach clean and cut into strips. Wash fresh hawthorn berries and slice. Simmer together over low heat until tender. Add rock sugar and consume once dissolved. Divide into 2-3 servings. Consume 5 stomachs consecutively or take as needed.
Suitable for atrophic chronic gastritis with epigastric distension and poor appetite.