Acupoints for health | If you suddenly have stomachache, massage Zusanli and Zhongwan

In midsummer, barbecue and beer have become the most popular choices on the streets. While people enjoy the delicious, cool and refreshing food, they also face many health risks. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to talk to you about how to quickly relieve pain by massaging these two acupoints when stomachache occurs.

01 Causes of sudden stomach pain

Stomachache, also known as "epigastric pain" in traditional Chinese medicine, is characterized by pain in the epigastric region of the upper abdomen as the main clinical manifestation, often accompanied by symptoms such as bloating in the epigastric region, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, acid reflux and noisy stomach. It is seen in Western medicine diseases such as acute and chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric spasm.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the disease is located in the stomach. Whether it is the stomach itself or other organs that affect the stomach, it can lead to stomach pain due to blocked stomach channels or lack of nourishment. Stomach pain can be divided into two categories: excess syndrome and deficiency syndrome. Excess syndrome is often caused by the liver, while deficiency syndrome is mostly caused by the spleen. It is often caused by cold evil invading the stomach, food hurting the stomach, liver qi invading the stomach, and spleen and stomach weakness. In life, stomach pain is often induced or aggravated by factors such as careless diet, emotional distress, fatigue, and cold.

The stomach is the center of the six internal organs, and smoothness is achieved by smooth flow. The ancients compared the spleen and stomach to the "granary" that stores rice and grain, which is responsible for transporting and transforming water and grain and generating the qi and blood needed by the human body. Exogenous cold, heat, dampness and other evils in the stomach block the qi in the stomach, which causes pain; eating without moderation, being too hungry or too full, damages the spleen and stomach, causing stagnation of stomach qi, which causes pain; the stomach belongs to the earth in the five elements, and the liver belongs to the wood in the five elements. Worry, worry and anger can cause the liver to lose its ability to vent, and the liver qi can invade the stomach, causing the stomach to lose harmony and descend, resulting in stomach pain; the spleen and stomach are weak, and the transport and transformation are impaired, the qi is not smooth, or the middle yang is insufficient, and the middle jiao is cold, and the warming yang is lost, causing stomach pain.

Gastric pain is a visceral disease. Zhongwan, the nearby Mu point and Hui point, and Zusanli, the distant He point, are used. The near and far points complement each other and complement each other. Therefore, for epigastric pain, regardless of cold, heat, deficiency or excess, Zusanli and Zhongwan can be used to unblock the qi of the stomach and relieve the pain.

02 The principle of acupuncture for pain relief

Zusanli is a point on the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming. It is located on the anterior and lateral side of the lower leg, 3 inches below the Dubi point and one horizontal finger (middle finger) away from the front edge of the tibia. Zusanli is the He point of the Five Shu points of the Stomach Meridian of Foot-Yangming, and is also the lower He point of the stomach. It belongs to the Earth Meridian and Earth point, and "He treats internal organs". It can be used for all diseases of the six internal organs.

Zhongwan is a point on the Ren Meridian, located in the upper abdomen, on the anterior midline, 4 inches above the umbilicus. Zhongwan is the Mu point of the stomach and the meeting point of the viscera. Mu points are points where the qi of the internal organs gathers in the chest and abdomen. Mu points are often used to treat stomach and other six viscera diseases. Mu points are "adjacent points" in acupuncture and are often used in combination with distant points on the limbs in clinical practice.

This article summary was published in the 7th edition of "China Traditional Chinese Medicine Journal" on July 8, 2022, under the heading "Health Care"

03 Daily prevention

Stomachache is a common clinical disease. Many people have experienced stomachache. Acupuncture has a significant effect on it. In daily life, to avoid stomachache, you should eat at regular times and in fixed quantities, avoid being too hungry or too full, avoid eating raw, cold, or irritating foods, quit smoking and drinking, and keep a good mood.

Mastering these two points can play a positive role in relieving stomach pain, but you should also pay attention to distinguishing diseases with similar clinical manifestations such as liver and gallbladder diseases, pancreatitis, myocardial infarction, etc., so as not to delay the disease. At the same time, for severe stomach pain such as ulcer bleeding, gastric perforation, etc., you should go to a regular hospital in time for comprehensive treatment.