What to do with diarrhea in children? TCM rehabilitation can help

Many parents come to the clinic to consult, saying that their children have diarrhea easily after eating fruits or cold food, as if their spleen and stomach are very weak, and they are very distressed. After asking, we learned that most of them have eaten seafood, fruits and other cold foods since their babies started to eat complementary foods. So what should they do now? Today we will talk about diarrhea in children.

Infantile diarrhea, also known as pediatric diarrhea, is a disease characterized by increased frequency of bowel movements and thin or watery stools. It is one of the most common diseases in children in my country. It is more common in children aged 2 years and under and is one of the main causes of malnutrition, growth and development disorders, and even death in children.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the causes of diarrhea in children are mainly due to external evil, internal injury from milk and food, and weak spleen and stomach. The disease is mainly located in the spleen and stomach, and may affect the liver and kidneys.

Exposure to external pathogens : Children have delicate internal organs and fragile skin, and they cannot tell whether they are cold or warm, so they are easily affected by external pathogens and become ill. External pathogens such as wind, cold, dampness, and heat can all cause diarrhea.

Internal injury caused by milk and food : Children's spleen is often insufficient, their transportation and transformation abilities are weak, and they do not know how to control their diet. If they are not properly cared for, breastfed, have an irregular diet, or eat too much greasy, raw or cold food, the spleen yang will be damaged, transportation and transformation will be blocked, and the spleen and stomach will be unable to digest and rot food, which can lead to diarrhea.

Weak spleen and stomach : Children's congenital deficiency, improper postnatal care, or prolonged illness can damage the spleen and stomach, leading to weak spleen and stomach. Weak spleen and stomach will reduce the ability to raise the clear and lower the turbid, and to digest food, resulting in spleen deficiency diarrhea.

Pediatric massage is a special treatment method in traditional Chinese medicine. It is based on the theory of meridians and massages the corresponding acupoints. Through benign mechanical stimulation, it regulates the qi, blood, yin and yang of the internal organs, strengthens the spleen and stomach's function of transportation and transformation, and plays a role in stopping diarrhea. Pediatric massage can also reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract of children and adjust gastrointestinal function.

The mechanism of action of pediatric massage is manifested in the following aspects:

1. Regulate gastrointestinal motility. Massage has a bidirectional regulatory effect, acting directly or indirectly on the child, inhibiting or exciting the child's gastrointestinal smooth muscle, regulating gastrointestinal motility, and reducing the excretion of gastrointestinal substances.

2. Enhance gastrointestinal digestion and absorption. Massage can excite the nerves that control the internal organs, promote the secretion of gastrointestinal digestive juices in children, and thus enhance the digestion and absorption capacity of the gastrointestinal tract.

3. Improve anal sphincter function.

Method: Nourish the spleen meridian, massage the abdomen, rub the navel, rub the Zusanli point, push up the seven vertebrae, and rub the coccyx.

Tonify the spleen meridian

Location: Thread surface of the distal segment of the thumb

Operation: To tonify the spleen meridian, the operator holds the baby's thumb with one hand to fix it, and uses the other hand to rotate and push the baby's thumb spiral surface; or use the tip of the thumb to push straight along the radial edge of the baby's thumb tip toward the base of the finger.

Function: Strengthen the spleen and stomach, replenish qi and blood

Indications: Tonifying the spleen is often used for loss of appetite, indigestion, weak muscles, etc. caused by weak spleen and stomach.

Abdominal massage

Location: Abdomen

Operation: The operator rubs the abdomen with the palm or four fingers

Function: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, helps digestion and relieves stagnation.

Indications: Used to treat constipation, abdominal distension, anorexia, diarrhea due to indigestion, etc.

Rubbing the navel

Location: In the navel.

Operation: The child lies on his back and the operator rubs with the tip of the thumb or the base of the palm.

Function: Warming Yang and dispelling cold, digesting food and relieving stagnation.

Indications: Treatment of diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, malnutrition, etc. in children.

Rubbing Zusanli

Location: 3 inches below the outer kneecap, about one finger width away from the anterior crest of the tibia, on the tibialis anterior muscle.

Operation: Use the tip of your thumb or the spiral surface to apply force and massage with a little force.

Function: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, regulates Qi and balances the middle, dredges the meridians and removes stagnation, strengthens the body. It is a commonly used tonic acupoint.

Indications: Treatment of digestive system diseases such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and lower limb weakness.

Push up seven joints

Location: In a straight line from the fourth lumbar vertebra (Yaoyangguan point) to the end of the coccyx (Changqiang point).

Operation: The child lies prone, and the operator applies force with the radial side of the thumb thread surface or the index and middle finger thread surfaces, pushing straight up from bottom to top.

Function: Warming the Yang and stopping diarrhea.

Indications: Mostly used to treat diarrhea caused by deficiency of cold or chronic dysentery.

Rub the glans

Location: Turtle tail, also known as Changqiang, is at the end of the coccyx.

Operation: The child lies prone, and the operator uses the tip of the thumb or middle finger to rub the coccyx.

Function: Regulate the large intestine, stop diarrhea and relieve constipation.

Indications: Treatment of diarrhea, constipation, rectal prolapse, enuresis, etc.

Syndrome differentiation and treatment, symptomatic addition and subtraction:

For diarrhea caused by cold and dampness, add tonifying the large intestine, massaging the outer Laogong point, and pushing the three gates to warm the yang, transform dampness, and stop diarrhea;

For damp-heat diarrhea, add Qingwei Meridian, Qingxiaochang, and Qingtianheshui to clear away heat and dampness;

In case of diarrhea caused by indigestion, massage Banmen, Zhongwan and Tianshu points to help digestion and relieve stagnation.

For diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, massage Zhongwan and pinch the spine to strengthen the spleen and stomach.