Many people like to be their own doctors, especially when it comes to chronic diseases like stomach pain. As long as there are medications for treating stomach problems and the label says "pain relief," they will buy and take it without hesitation. Especially when fellow patients with similar symptoms recommend a certain medication, their trust becomes even higher. Little do they know, even if the symptoms are the same, the causes and mechanisms of the diseases can be vastly different. If the wrong medication is used, it can lead to big troubles.
Wei Muxin specializes in the combined treatment of digestive diseases using both Chinese and Western medicine. He says that stomach pain is a common symptom and can be seen in various diseases such as gastritis, gastric ulcers, and stomach tumors. In recent years, with changes in lifestyle, irregular eating habits, smoking, drinking, and emotional stress have become increasingly common, leading to a rapid increase in the number of patients with stomach diseases.
1. Gastric Ulcers: Acid Suppressants and Neutralizers Take the Lead
According to Wei Muxin, from the perspective of modern medicine, gastric acid is produced by the gastric mucosa cells and plays a vital role in the human body. It can partially break down food, secrete pepsin to digest proteins, and inhibit the growth of bacteria in the stomach. The pH value of gastric acid is about 2-2.5, indicating a strong acidity that can easily corrode tissue. However, the human body is well-designed, and under normal circumstances, there is a layer of evenly distributed mucosa on the inner wall of the stomach. Its role is to isolate gastric acid from the stomach wall, ensuring efficient digestion while protecting the stomach wall from damage.
When various factors disrupt the secretion of gastric acid, stomach pain occurs. "For example, gastric ulcers, which occur frequently, are caused by excessive secretion of gastric acid," says Wei Muxin. In addition to gastric ulcers, excessive gastric acid secretion accompanied by stomach pain can also be seen in chronic superficial gastritis. Excessive acidic substances damage the gastric mucosal layer, causing gastric acid to directly erode the stomach wall, resulting in intense pain. What's worse is that the more severe the damage to the mucosal layer, the more gastric acid is reflexively secreted, leading to a vicious cycle. For this type of stomach pain caused by excessive acid, proton pump inhibitors can be used to block the production of H+ acid substances, effectively reducing the corrosive effect of gastric acid on the stomach wall and relieving pain. The previously mentioned Losec belongs to this category. Acid neutralizers can also be used, and there is a wide variety of these drugs, such as Daxi, traditional Chinese medicine Hai Suo Shao, Walongzi, and Anweiwei Ulcer Capsules (mainly composed of extracts from licorice), which can form a protective film in the stomach, blocking the close contact between gastric acid and the stomach wall.
2. Atrophic Gastritis: Do Not Use Acid Suppressants
Insufficient secretion of gastric acid can also cause stomach pain. The famous writer Lu Xun mentioned in his diary that he suffered from stomach problems and had a prescription containing dilute hydrochloric acid syrup. It tasted sour and sweet, and "the pain stopped after drinking half a bottle." This shows that Lu Xun's stomach pain was caused by insufficient gastric acid secretion. The same goes for patients with chronic atrophic gastritis. Due to the atrophy of gastric secretory cells, they cannot secrete enough gastric acid, resulting in reduced digestive function and a large amount of food remaining in the stomach, leading to pain.
Chronic atrophic gastritis is worrisome because if the condition persists, severe cases can be accompanied by pathological changes such as intestinal glandular epithelial metaplasia and atypical hyperplasia, which are considered as precancerous lesions in medical terms. Wei Muxin says that for patients with chronic atrophic gastritis, although gastric acid is reduced, he does not advocate the use of vinegar or dilute hydrochloric acid preparations to "acidify" the stomach. Instead, he recommends traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment. If you observe the tongue of these patients, you will find that their tongue surface is smooth like a mirror, unlike the thin white coating found in ordinary people. According to traditional Chinese medicine, a "mirror tongue" is a sign of Yin deficiency and should be nourished with herbs such as Maidong, Yuzhu, Shashen, and Baima She Shecao. The treatment course is generally around 3 months. Patients should eat fresh and light vegetables in their daily diet and pay attention to supplementing folic acid preparations, which can play a role in preventing gastric mucosal atrophy and cancer. If they feel discomfort in the stomach, they can take Daxi in moderation, but they should never take acid suppressants.
One thing to note is that even for stomach pain caused by excessive gastric acid, acid suppressants should not be abused. Wei Muxin has seen patients like this: due to chronic superficial gastritis, the doctor prescribed Losec and asked him to come for a follow-up visit after finishing the medication. After taking the medicine, the pain significantly reduced, so he bought more from the pharmacy and took it for half a year without going for a follow-up visit. After six months, the patient's stomach pain suddenly worsened. The result of the examination was that not only did the gastritis not heal, but the excessive use of acid suppressants severely inhibited the gastric cells, causing their function to decline and leading to malnutrition. Atrophic gastritis had already been induced. Suddenly, he had two types of gastritis. Can you imagine how urgent the situation became?
3. Chinese Patent Medicines: Yin Deficient Patients Should Not "Dry" Themselves Anymore
In addition, stomach pain is closely related to emotions. For many people who tend to be irritable, stomach pain is a common occurrence. According to traditional Chinese medicine, emotional discomfort is a significant cause and aggravating factor of stomach diseases, referred to as "qi stagnation stomach pain." Patients often experience symptoms such as belching, breath holding, stomach distention, and pain in the sides. In fact, this is due to abnormal regulation of gastric motility, which is different from stomach pain caused by gastric acid secretion disorders.
When encountering such patients, besides providing guidance and support, Wei Muxin recommends taking Qi Stagnation Stomach Pain Decoction or Stomach Su Decoction. However, he emphasizes that although the effectiveness of these two Chinese patent medicines is good and many people take them on their own, they should not be used indiscriminately, just like acid suppressants. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, both of these medicines have drying properties. Yin deficient patients already have depleted Yin and body fluids, so they should not take drying medicines. Even for other patients, the duration of use should not exceed 10-15 days in general. Once the symptoms are relieved, they should immediately stop using the medicine. If the symptoms recur, they can be used again. Unfortunately, in clinical practice, there are still a few Western doctors who prescribe Chinese patent medicines without understanding the principles of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment. As a result, the medicine does not match the condition, and patients believe that "Chinese medicine has mild properties." Prolonged use can lead to Yin deficiency and bodily harm.
There is a saying, "There is no junk food, only wrong ways of eating." Similarly, there are no absolute good or bad medications. It is only due to improper usage and dosage that "good medicine" becomes "poison." Wei Muxin reminds people that the same disease can be caused by various different factors. It is necessary to confirm the "root cause" through examination and then choose the appropriate medication under the guidance of a doctor. Take the medication correctly and follow up on time. Do not take matters into your own hands and act as a "free doctor" for yourself. As for acid suppressants, ulcer patients usually need to take them for 3 weeks to 2 months, and patients with chronic superficial gastritis should take them for a maximum of 3 months. Taking medicine every day like a meal will not cure the disease but instead cause problems.
