Gastric ulcer is a common stomach disease in daily life, which can be very painful. Traditional Chinese scraping therapy has a good regulating effect on gastric ulcer patients. So, where should gastric ulcer be scraped?
Where to scrape gastric ulcer
I. Scraping locations
1. Select the Qimen point of the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian to regulate the liver and gallbladder qi;
2. Select the Zusanli point of the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian and the Zhongwan point of the Ren Meridian to promote the downward flow of stomach qi;
3. Select the Piyu and Stomach Yu points of the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian to strengthen the spleen and stomach;
4. Select the Sanyinjiao point of the Foot Taiyin Spleen Meridian to regulate the middle energizer qi.
II. Scraping methods
1. Scraping the back waist
Scrape downward along the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian, focusing on the Piyu and Stomach Yu points.
2. Scraping the abdomen
Press or scrape the Qimen and Zhongwan points.
3. Scraping the inner side of the lower limbs
Scrape downward along the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, focusing on the Zusanli point. Press or scrape the Sanyinjiao point.
III. Indications
It is suitable for patients with gastritis and gastric ulcers, who often have symptoms such as upper abdominal pain, bloating, belching, acid reflux, gastric burning sensation, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Patients with gastric mucosal erosion may have symptoms such as vomiting blood or tarry stools, and long-term minor bleeding can cause anemia.
Precautions for scraping gastric ulcer
I. Precautions before scraping
1. Scraping therapy requires exposed skin, and the pores of the skin should be open during scraping. If exposed to wind and cold, the evil qi can directly enter through the open pores, affecting the scraping treatment effect and even causing new diseases. Therefore, a good treatment place with fresh and ventilated air should be chosen before scraping, and attention should be paid to keeping warm and avoiding wind. Expose as little skin as possible.
2. Choose a comfortable scraping position to facilitate scraping and prevent dizziness from scraping.
3. The scraping tool should be strictly disinfected to prevent cross-infection. Before scraping, carefully inspect the scraping tool to avoid scraping the skin.
4. The hands of the practitioner should also be disinfected.
5. Before scraping, explain the general knowledge of scraping to the patient to eliminate their fear and gain their cooperation, in order to avoid dizziness from scraping.
6. Do not perform scraping treatment on patients who are hungry, full, or overly tense.
II. Precautions during scraping
1. The scraping technique should be evenly applied with appropriate pressure, and should be stopped when the patient can tolerate the scraping or when sha (petechiae) appears.
2. For infants, children, and elderly people, the scraping technique should be gentle.
3. Do not blindly pursue sha and use heavy scraping or prolong the scraping time. The amount of sha is influenced by many factors. Generally, blood stasis syndrome produces more sha; excess syndrome and heat syndrome produce more sha; deficiency syndrome and cold syndrome produce less sha; excessive medication, especially the use of hormone drugs, makes it difficult to produce sha; obese and muscular people are less likely to produce sha; yin meridians produce less sha than yang meridians; it is difficult to produce sha when the room temperature is low.
4. During the scraping process, frequently inquire about the patient's feelings. If dizziness occurs, such as fatigue, dizziness, pale complexion, nausea, cold sweat, palpitations, cold limbs, or low blood pressure, and even coma, the scraping should be stopped immediately. Comfort the patient and help them lie down, pay attention to keeping warm, and drink warm water or sugar water. If the symptoms do not improve, lightly press the water groove points on the corner of the scraping board, avoiding edema after heavy pressing. Use the draining scraping method on the Baihui and Yongquan points. After the patient's condition improves, continue scraping the Neiguan point and Zusanli point.
III. Precautions after scraping
1. Scraping treatment opens the pores and eliminates evil qi, which consumes some of the body's fluid. Therefore, after scraping, drink a cup of warm water and rest for a while.
2. After scraping treatment, in order to avoid the invasion of wind and cold evil, the skin pores must be closed and returned to their original state before bathing, which generally takes about 3 hours.
3. For some patients with complex and critical conditions, in addition to scraping treatment, other therapies should also be used, such as medication, to avoid delaying the condition.
Why is the area after scraping especially dark?
The reason why the area after scraping is particularly dark is likely due to moderate or severe sha.
Severe sha refers to the appearance of one or more dark blue or dark green petechiae with a diameter greater than 2 cm on the surface of the skin, which are significantly higher than other areas.
The appearance of severe sha indicates severe microcirculatory disorders in the body, severe oxygen deficiency in the meridians, and a long duration. It can be seen in relatively serious sub-healthy or diseased states, often with symptoms.
What does the color of sha represent:
1. Scattered sha points
Sha appearance: light red or red scattered sha points or petechiae, similar in height to other skin areas.
Health tips: indicates good health, this kind of microcirculatory disorder can be resolved through the body's self-regulation function.
2. Mild sha
Sha appearance: multiple petechiae patches with a diameter of 1-2 cm, light red or red, more densely distributed, not higher than the skin.
Health tips: mild microcirculatory disorder, indicating mild meridian oxygen deficiency, shorter duration; seen in sub-healthy states without obvious symptoms.
3. Moderate sha
Sha appearance: multiple purple-red or blue patches with a diameter greater than 2 cm, similar in height to or slightly higher than the skin.
Health tips: moderate microcirculatory disorder, indicating moderate meridian oxygen deficiency, longer duration, can be seen in sub-healthy or diseased states, sometimes with symptoms.
What is the reason for not being able to produce sha during scraping?
1. Insufficient qi and blood
If sha cannot be produced during scraping, it may be due to insufficient qi and blood in the body.
In traditional Chinese medicine, sha is regarded as a manifestation of sufficient qi and blood. Sha is the filtered toxins and wastes of strong qi in the blood and body fluids. Most people will have sha after treatment, but some people may not. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, this is due to insufficient qi and blood in the body, and the qi and blood cannot fill the skin pores. Even if scraping is done vigorously, it is difficult to achieve the desired sha effect.
2. Thick fat layer
Sometimes being too fat or too strong can also prevent the production of sha during scraping.
Because in some obese or strong people, the subcutaneous fat acts as a buffer, making it difficult to stimulate yang qi during scraping (too much oil outside the capillaries). As a result, even if scraping is painful, sha may not appear.
3. Not enough time since the last scraping
Some people will feel lighter after scraping, so even if their body is healthy, they will continue to scrape after the sha fades. In this case, since the toxins and stagnation in the body have already been eliminated through previous scraping, the body may not produce new toxins in a short period of time, so even if scraping is painful, sha may not appear.
4. Excessive medication
Excessive medication can also prevent the production of sha. Because medications can cause disorders in the body's immune system, even if the scraping area is painful, sha may not appear.
Self-care methods for gastric ulcers
1. Avoid taking medications that can damage the gastric mucosa
Some medications, such as aspirin, can irritate the gastric mucosa and worsen the condition of gastric ulcers. They should be avoided as much as possible. If they need to be taken due to illness, inform the doctor and switch to other medications, or follow the doctor's advice and take them after meals to reduce adverse reactions on the stomach.
2. Eliminate bacterial infections as the cause
Previously, it was believed that gastric ulcers were related to gastric acid digestion and dysfunction of the neuroendocrine system. Therefore, the traditional treatment was to reduce acid secretion and relieve pain. In recent years, studies by related scholars have found that some gastric ulcers are caused by bacterial infections, with Helicobacter pylori being the most common. These patients must undergo antibiotic treatment.
3. Pay attention to dietary hygiene
Not paying attention to dietary hygiene, eating a biased diet, irregular meal times, or excessive consumption of cold drinks and foods, or having a preference for spicy food, strong tea, coffee, and other stimulating foods can disrupt digestive function and hinder ulcer healing. Pay attention to dietary hygiene, have three meals a day at fixed times and in moderate amounts, chew slowly, and develop good habits that promote ulcer healing.
4. Maintain a regular lifestyle and pay attention to climate changes
Patients with gastric ulcers should have a regular lifestyle and avoid excessive fatigue. Excessive fatigue not only affects food digestion but also hinders ulcer healing. Patients with gastric ulcers should pay attention to rest and have a regular daily routine. They should also adjust their clothing according to the temperature changes of the seasons, adding or removing clothes in a timely manner.
5. Avoid mental stress
Gastric ulcers are typical psychosomatic diseases, and psychological factors have a significant impact on gastric ulcers. Mental stress, emotional excitement, or excessive worry can stimulate the cerebral cortex through adverse stimulation, weaken or lose the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, and cause disorders in the autonomic nervous system, which is not conducive to food digestion and ulcer healing. Maintaining a relaxed and happy mood is the key to curing gastric ulcers.
6. Long-term medication adherence
Since gastric ulcers are chronic diseases and prone to recurrence, long-term medication adherence is necessary for complete healing. Do not stop medication abruptly when the symptoms improve, and do not switch to another medication after taking a certain medication for a few days without seeing improvement in symptoms. Generally, a course of treatment requires medication for 4-6 weeks, and after pain relief, consolidation treatment for 1-3 months or even longer is needed.
What foods are good for gastric ulcers?
1. Eggs
The egg yolk contains a large amount of lecithin and cephalin, which have a strong protective effect on the gastric mucosa.
2. Lotus root
Rich in starch, lotus root can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, accelerate the healing of gastric ulcers, and also have a hangover effect.
3. Jujube
Jujube has the function of invigorating the spleen and stomach. Eating jujube regularly or making porridge with jujube and sticky rice has a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on gastric ulcers.
4. Honey
Drinking honey is beneficial for the stomach. Honey has the functions of nourishing the spleen and stomach, lubricating the intestines, moisturizing the lungs, and detoxifying. It contains nutrients such as glucose, fructose, organic acids, yeast, various vitamins, and trace elements, which can protect the ulcer surface of the gastric mucosa.
5. Pumpkin
"Compendium of Materia Medica" states that "pumpkin is warm in nature, sweet in taste, and enters the spleen and stomach meridians". It can invigorate the middle energizer, dispel inflammation, relieve pain, and nourish the intestines. Pumpkin can be cooked into porridge or soup to nourish the stomach and intestines.
6. Sweet potato
"Exegesis on the Classified Records of Medical Herbs" states that "sweet potato can invigorate the middle energizer, warm the stomach, and nourish the five viscera." It can be consumed during cold weather to invigorate the qi, aid digestion, and reduce intestinal accumulation. However, sweet potatoes have a high starch content and will be converted into glucose after consumption, so they are not suitable for patients with diabetes.
7. Cabbage
Cabbage is flat in nature and sweet in taste. It is non-toxic and enters the stomach and kidney meridians. Cabbage is one of the vegetables recommended by the World Health Organization and is known as a natural "stomach vegetable". Its nutrients not only have anti-ulcer effects and protect and repair the gastric mucosa but also can keep the stomach cells active and reduce the chances of lesions. Patients with gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers can drink cabbage juice every day or mix it with honey, which can promote ulcer healing.
