Spring is a crucial season for nourishing both the liver and stomach. To raise awareness about springtime stomach care, Family Doctor Online conducted a "Spring Stomach Care Survey" during the Spring Festival. The survey revealed that 69.57% of respondents had been diagnosed with stomach issues, 60.87% neglected regular gastrointestinal maintenance, and most exhibited unhealthy eating habits to varying degrees.
Don't Underestimate Chronic Superficial Gastritis
Among survey participants, 73.91% were aged 30-49, predominantly middle-aged adults. The most common gastric condition was chronic superficial gastritis, accounting for 46.67% of cases.Professor Huang Suiping, an expert from the Family Doctor Online Medical Committee and Director of the Gastroenterology Department at Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, stated that chronic superficial gastritis is a common form of chronic gastritis. It originates from poor dietary and lifestyle habits. In severe cases, chronic superficial gastritis can progress to chronic atrophic gastritis or even develop into cancer.
Dietary Factors Are the Primary Cause of Chronic Gastritis
Professor Huang Sui-ping emphasized that dietary issues are the main cause of chronic gastritis. The primary culprit is consuming unclean food, which may contain pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria. One such microorganism is Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). H. pylori is not only the primary cause of chronic gastritis but can also lead to gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, and even gastric cancer.Secondly, irregular eating habits—such as binge eating, fasting, or inconsistent meal patterns—disrupt gastric acid secretion, damaging the gastric mucosa. Inconsistent eating prevents timely neutralization of gastric acid by food, thereby damaging the mucosa and causing gastritis or ulcers. It may also impair gastric emptying, leading to bile reflux into the stomach and compromising the mucosal barrier function, which triggers gastritis.Beyond diet, emotional factors also contribute to chronic gastritis. Traditional Chinese medicine posits that excessive worry harms the spleen, while anger damages the liver. Overthinking, depression, and anger all impair spleen and stomach function. Additionally, individual constitution plays a role—those with inherently weak spleen and stomach systems are more susceptible to gastric disorders than those with robust digestive systems when exposed to various triggers.
Eating small, frequent meals to protect the stomach is unreliable; prevent chronic gastritis by addressing its root causes.
Surveys indicate that 51.72% of respondents believe "protecting the stomach requires eating small, frequent meals." Professor Huang Suiping points out that this is a misconception.Professor Huang advises the public to adhere to three regular meals daily, eating at consistent times and in appropriate portions. Avoid both frequent small meals and binge eating, as poor dietary habits are the primary cause of chronic gastritis.
All survey participants exhibited some degree of unhealthy eating habits, with "irregular meal times" (i.e., inconsistent hunger levels) being the most common issue, affecting 20.75% of respondents.Professor Huang Sui Ping reminded everyone that preventing chronic gastritis requires addressing its root causes: changing unhealthy habits like irregular eating patterns and overeating, maintaining regular and hygienic meals, and keeping emotions calm and relaxed. For high-stress office workers, it's important to unwind after work through exercise or cultivating hobbies to alleviate negative emotions.Additionally, Professor Huang Sui Ping emphasized that protecting the spleen and stomach should be tailored to individual constitutions. Those with spleen deficiency should avoid cold foods and instead consume warming tonics like astragalus, codonopsis, and Chinese yam. Individuals with a hot constitution should limit spicy and heating foods to prevent internal heat, opting instead for yin-nourishing and moisturizing foods such as glehnia root, dendrobium, and ophiopogon.
Spring Prioritizes Nourishing the Liver and Stomach
Furthermore, the survey revealed that 60.87% of participants typically neglect gastrointestinal care, while only 15% chose traditional Chinese dietary therapy for stomach health.Professor Huang Suiping emphasized that "stomach ailments are treated with one part medicine and seven parts nourishment." Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the concept of "medicinal foods"—dietary therapies tailored to individual constitutions—which fall under dietary regulation and are highly beneficial for "nourishing the stomach."The "70% nourishment" for gastric ailments encompasses not only dietary regulation but also emotional regulation through maintaining a balanced mindset, lifestyle regulation by adjusting daily routines, and physical regulation through activities like Tai Chi.Regarding springtime stomach care, Professor Huang Sui Ping explains that in TCM, spring corresponds to the wood element, which relates to the liver, while the spleen belongs to the earth element. As the liver and spleen are closely interconnected, liver qi imbalance or impaired dispersion in spring can lead to liver wood overacting on spleen earth.Only when liver qi flows smoothly can the spleen and stomach function properly. Thus, spring stomach care centers on nourishing the liver. To maintain normal liver qi flow, one must cultivate emotional stability, avoiding anger and depression—as "anger harms the liver"—which disrupts liver qi circulation and damages spleen-stomach function, leading to disorder and weakness.
Professor Huang Suiping further noted that TCM methods for stomach care vary based on individual constitution. She recommends the public learn more about TCM gastrointestinal care through authoritative channels like the Family Doctor Online Wellness Channel, tailoring their approach to their specific constitution.