Recurrent ulcers make it difficult to eat, and you need to find the right time to gain weight in autumn

As the old saying goes, "When the weather gets cold, you need to put on weight in autumn." Putting on weight in autumn can help people store calories, nourish themselves healthily, and better cope with cold weather. November is a good time to put on weight in autumn, but some people can only look forward to food and do nothing because of the sudden ulcers in their mouths. Wu Kexuan, deputy director of the Department of Gastroenterology at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, said that in the face of the recent high incidence of oral ulcers, a light diet and regular work and rest can effectively alleviate the problem.

Recurrent ulcers affect eating

Recently, Ms. Xu, who had been working non-stop for several weeks and had just finished a business trip, found that several "white pits" appeared on her tongue when she got home. It hurt when she touched it. She immediately realized that it was a mouth ulcer. Thinking it was just a common disease, she used antibacterial and anti-inflammatory topical spray to relieve it. A few days later, the ulcer not only showed no signs of disappearing, but was getting worse. At the same time, because of the pain, Ms. Xu's appetite began to decrease recently. Although she didn't eat much, she always felt full in the upper abdomen and began to burp frequently.

After being recommended by someone, she went to the Department of Gastroenterology of the Provincial Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for treatment. Wu Kexuan, deputy director of the Department of Gastroenterology, found that Ms. Xu had a red tongue with a thin yellow greasy coating, and bright red ulcers appeared on the tip of the tongue. There was no obvious odor in the mouth. Further Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation found that her pulse was thin and slightly rapid, which belonged to the syndrome of weak spleen and stomach. Director Wu told her that daytime fatigue and lack of sleep at night aggravated the already weak spleen and stomach, accompanied by the extension of heart fire, which eventually stimulated oral ulcers. Ms. Xu was then treated with the empirical prescription of Licorice Xiexin Decoction for tonifying the middle and purging fire, eliminating lumps and harmonizing the stomach, which helped her tonify the spleen and stomach, clear the heart fire, and reduce lung metal. Five days later, all the ulcers in Ms. Xu's mouth had healed, and her living conditions had improved significantly.

People with weak spleen and stomach are more likely to be "targeted"

The Neijing says that spring is for growth, summer is for growth, autumn is for harvest, and winter is for storage. Wu Kexuan explained that in summer, the human heart fire is strong, and in autumn, it needs to be slowly withdrawn and restrained. However, some people with insufficient restraining ability are prone to fire stagnation in the upper part of the body, thus inducing oral ulcers. In addition, people with weak spleen and stomach are more likely to be targeted by oral ulcers in autumn, and in severe cases, digestive ulcers may also be induced at the same time.

"Clinically, patients mostly present with three syndromes of spleen and stomach heat accumulation, yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire, and spleen and stomach qi deficiency causing mouth ulcers. The treatments are mainly focused on clearing heat and purging fire, nourishing yin and clearing fire, and tonifying the middle and replenishing qi," said Wu Kexuan. Oral ulcers are divided into two types in traditional Chinese medicine, "false fire" and "real fire", and the treatments are very different, requiring differentiation of symptoms before prescribing the right medicine.

Generally speaking, most oral ulcers are not serious and usually take 1 to 2 weeks to heal on their own. However, there are also some "stubborn patients" who take an unconventional approach and "fight poison with poison" by applying salt, white vinegar, and wine to the ulcers and continuing to eat spicy foods in the hope of achieving a cure.

Wu Kexuan reminded that these behaviors not only have no healing effect, but also aggravate the ulcer surface and affect healing. He said that during the ulcer period, the mouth should be kept clean and a light diet should be maintained, with soft and easily digestible food as the main food, and rough, hard, spicy and irritating foods should be avoided to prevent secondary stimulation of the oral mucosa.

The "Four Musts" rule to prevent oral ulcers

Wu Kexuan said that good prevention can effectively reduce the occurrence of oral ulcers. To this end, he proposed the "four musts" rule:

1. Keep a regular schedule. Go to bed early and get up early, try not to stay up late, and try to fall asleep before 11 o'clock every night. Use adequate sleep to relieve fatigue and restore energy.

2. Exercise should be appropriate. Aerobic exercise such as Ba Duan Jin, Tai Chi, walking, etc. should be done with the body sweating slightly and feeling relaxed. Vigorous exercise is not suitable in autumn to avoid excessive sweating, which will affect the convergence and descent of Qi.

3. Eat sweet and moist food. Maintaining a sweet and moist diet is not only conducive to the recovery of essence and energy, but also can effectively relieve throat pain and dry stool caused by autumn dryness. You can choose more seasonal fruits such as wild rice melon, fresh lotus root, pear, persimmon, etc. In addition, you should also reduce the consumption of spicy and stimulating foods, dried and fried goods, to avoid getting angry.

4. Keep your emotions stable. After the fall, the bleak scenery can easily make people feel emotional and depressed. In severe cases, it can also induce anxiety and depression, which will affect the release of lung qi and cause qi to stagnate in the chest. Therefore, try to keep calm and in a good mood.