Stomach ache

Acupuncture has a concrete impact in GI disorders.  Functional stomach disorders are positively controlled and some mild ulcers can be influenced as well.

Conditions:

1. Non-erosive gastritis
2. Gastric Peptic ulcer
3. Bulbar or duodenal peptic ulcer
4. Hiatal hernia
5. Gastric reflux - heart burn
6. Lack of appetite
7. Slow digestion

TCM Classification

Liver attack Stomach

Liver Qi stagnation causes wandering distending chest/abdominal/hypochondriac pain
P/T – soothe Liver, harmonize Stomach
Acupuncture – foot jueyin, ST 36 & RN 12, LR 3 & 14
• belching – MH 6, RN 17

Cold invades Stomach

acute severe cold pain, cold symptoms, T- white coat, P- wiry tense
P/T – warm Stomach, expel Cold, harmonize Stomach Qi
Acupuncture – sedate, moxa, Ren, foot yangming, RN 12 & ST 36 (Stomach pain), SP 4 & MH 6 (abdomen)
• severe pain – ST 34

Accumulation of Stomach Heat

acute attack feels like painful fullness is pressing from the inside outwards, chronic attacks feel like fullness and distension, difficult for patient to describe (just say feels irritable or heart burn), acid reflux, bitter taste or sticky, T- red with yellow coat, P- rapid
P/T – purge Heat, relieve pain
Acupuncture – sedate, foot yangming, Ren 13 (cardia sphincter, meeting of Stomach and Ren), ST 34 (Xi-cleft), ST 44, LI 4 & LR 2 (purge Stomach Fire)
• more Heat – HT 8

Food stagnation

distended pain, belching, poor diet, acid reflux, nausea, bloating, vomiting, dislike pressure, bowel movement helps pain, T- thick dirty fur, P- strong
P/T – promote digestion, regulate Stomach Qi
Acupuncture – foot yangming, ST 36 (lower he-sae), ST 25, MH 6, RN 10 (pyloric sphincter, digestion), Li Nei Ting (digestion, under ST 44)

Blood Stasis

ulcer, severe stabbing fixed pain, black tar-like stools, dislike pressure
P/T – promote blood circulation, move Stasis
Acupuncture – neutral, Ren, foot yangming, RN 12, ST 36, MH 6, SP 4, BL 17 & LR 14, SP 6
• black tar-like stools – SP 10

Stomach Yin deficiency

dull pain, heart burn, difficult to describe pain, dry mouth and stools, T- red cracked, scanty coat, P- thin rapid
P/T – nourish Yin, harmonize Stomach
Acupuncture – Shen, Mu, BL 20, 21, LR 13, RN 12, ST 36, MH 6, SP 6, 10
• black tar-like stool – SP 1, BL 17

Spleen Stomach deficient Cold

dull mild ache, worse on empty stomach- better after eating, like warmth and pressure, cold body, soft stool, nausea, vomiting clear fluids, T- pale, P- deep thin
P/T – warm mid Jiao, strengthen Spleen Stomach
Acupuncture – tonify, moxa, Shu, Mu, BL 20, 21, LR 13, RN 12, MH 6 & SP 4 (confluent, abdomen), RN 4

Alternative treatment methods

auricular – SP, ST, LR, sympathetic, shenmen, subcortex
7 star – T5-T12, medium to strong stimulation
injection – Huang Qi, Dang Gui/Chuan Xiong
electro – ST 36, SP 4 & MH 6, BL 20, 21, low continuous sedating frequency
acupressure – clockwise