Food Stagnation in the Stomach
Food Stagnation in the Stomach
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Diagnostic Signs
Thick coating which can be white or yellow
Slippery (Hua), Full (Shi)
Diagnostic Considerations
Epigastric fullness, sour regurgitation and a thick tongue coating are enough in and of themselves to diagnose retention of Food in the Stomach.
Causes & Pathology
Common Causes
The main cause of this pattern is overeating but it can also be due to eating too quickly, eating in a hurry or eating while worried or stressed.
Pathological Mechanism
This pattern tends to mostly occur in children or babies whose Stomach and Spleen are weak and food therefore tends to accumulate.
Adults can be affected too: most people can probably remember overeating a holiday meal with the accompanying bloating, belching, pain and poor sleep that resulted.
The basic mechanism is that food is improperly digested and thus retained in the Stomach. It causes a blockage and feeling of fullness and pain in the epigastrium.
Stomach Qi then becomes obstructed and rebels upwards, leading to symptoms of vomiting, nausea, belching and sour regurgitation.
The foul breath is due to the fermentation of food in the Stomach for too long.
Insomnia can also occur from this because an obstruction in the Middle Burner prevents Heart Qi from descending, which causes the Mind to be disturbed at night.
Treatment Approach
Treatment Principle
Resolve retention of Food, stimulate the descending of Stomach Qi.
Recommended Herbal Formulas
Diet & Lifestyle Recommendations
Since this pattern is commonly caused by overeating, it is wise to eat only lightly when suffering from it to leave time for the stagnation to dissipate.
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