1.What is irritable bowel syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional disorder of the intestine, an independent intestinal dysfunctional disease with a specific pathophysiological basis. It is characterized by the absence of organic lesions of the intestine, i.e., no adverse findings on examination, but excessive or paradoxical physiological response of the entire intestine to stimuli. The manifestations are abdominal pain, diarrhea, or alternating constipation and diarrhea, sometimes with large amounts of mucus in the stool. The onset of the patient is mostly in the context of psychiatric factors, and psychological factors play an important role in the formation and development of the syndrome.
The naming of irritable bowel syndrome has been confusing in the past. Patients who see the names of colonic dysfunction, mucus colitis, allergic colitis, spastic colitis, allergic colonic syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, intestinal stress syndrome, etc. should know that they all refer to irritable bowel syndrome. This syndrome belongs to the category of abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation in Chinese medicine.
2.How do I know I have irritable bowel syndrome?
If a patient has irritable bowel syndrome, he/she can be diagnosed with the syndrome if he/she has digestive tract symptoms and symptoms outside the digestive tract, but the general examination is normal.
(1) Gastrointestinal symptoms
(1) Abdominal pain: In patients with irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain is the most prominent, mostly in the lower abdomen or small abdomen, intensifying before stool and worsening after cold food, mostly in the early morning at 4 to 5 am.
②Diarrhea: often mucous diarrhea or watery diarrhea, which can be several times a day or even dozens of times, and often with the feeling of incomplete defecation and unpleasant discharge.
(③) bloating: some patients may have bloating, and often accompanied by constipation or diarrhea, with heavy in the afternoon or evening, the bloating can be reduced after anal exhaustion or defecation.
Constipation: Mostly seen in female patients, with dry stool and difficulty in passing stool, and only once in a few days or even a dozen days; some patients commonly have alternating constipation and diarrhea.
(2) Symptoms outside the digestive tract
Patients with this symptom overreact to all kinds of outside world, manifesting as upset, anxiety, depression, insomnia and dreaminess. Some patients are accompanied by frequent urination, urgent urination, and incomplete defecation. Other patients may have sexual dysfunction, such as impotence and pain during sexual intercourse.
3.What are the treatment methods for irritable bowel syndrome?
Since the etiology and clinical manifestations of the syndrome vary greatly from one individual to another, treatment should be individualized and a corresponding treatment plan should be developed for the patient’s condition, specifically the following methods.
(1) General treatment
(1) General treatment: ①Psychotherapy: It is the key to the treatment of this syndrome. Patients should establish confidence to fight against the disease, eliminate tension and fear, and actively cooperate with the treatment in order to recover as soon as possible.
② Diet regulation: Patients should take easy-to-digest, easy-to-absorb, low-fat and moderate protein food as the main food, and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. Avoid some too cold, too hot, high-fat, high-protein and stimulating foods. Especially, you should restrict some kind of food or several kinds of food that directly trigger this sign.
(2) Drug treatment
In some patients, there may be no great effect with any medication. Therefore, when treating this sign with medication, it is necessary to choose carefully and avoid abuse, so that the medication can really achieve the purpose of treatment without causing adverse effects.
① For patients with more severe mental tension and insomnia, take Valium 5 mg orally at bedtime every night, or use Glutamine 20-50 mg three times a day to regulate the plant nervous function.
②For patients with abdominal pain, in addition to the conventional use of atropine and belladonna, the calcium channel blocker isoproterenol or nifedipine 10 mg sublingually or orally three times a day can be used to reduce abdominal pain and the number of bowel movements.
(3) If diarrhea is the main cause, use Emmenthal 2 mg 3 times a day. For severe diarrhea, a small dose of codeine phosphate 15 mg 3 times a day or chlorphenesinamide may be used as appropriate.
④If constipation is the main cause, when the stool is dry, use paraffin oil 20ml, 3 times a day, or take raw blood laxative; also can use open plug, glycerin suppository into the anus, so that the anus is lubricated, to facilitate the discharge of stool.
⑤ If the stool is mucus stool, use anti-inflammatory pain 25 mg, 3 times a day, to inhibit the synthesis of prostate function, to reduce mucus secretion.
4.What psychological adjustment should be made for patients with irritable bowel syndrome?
The cause of irritable bowel syndrome is not very clear, but it is certain that mental and psychological factors are the main cause of this syndrome. Therefore, psychotherapy is more effective than medication in the treatment. Patients should first eliminate unnecessary fears and doubts and build up confidence in overcoming the disease; family members and friends around should not be disgusted or disliked. Sometimes, when family members see that the patient’s test results are normal, they think that the patient is pretending to be sick and ignore him or her, and even ridicule and abuse him or her, which will not help the patient, but will make the patient more nervous and depressed, thus aggravating the disease. Patients should also be patient and tell their friends and relatives about their condition so that they can really understand your condition and seek medical help together.
In addition, once you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, you should adopt a positive and optimistic attitude, be calm and self-possessed, and actively treat the disease as well as reasonably arrange your work, life and rest so that the disease can be controlled to some extent and reduce mental sorrow and pain, which in turn will lead to an increased appetite and better health. Therefore, conditioning the psychological state is the key to the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.
5.What are the recipes for irritable bowel syndrome?
(1) Eight Treasure Dioscorea Cake
[Composition] 250 grams of fresh yam, 150 grams of adzuki beans, 30 grams of gravy rice, 20 grams each of white lentils and cloud poria, four plums, fruit and sugar in appropriate amounts.
[Method]
① will be made of adzuki beans into bean paste, add the appropriate amount of sugar. Cloud Poria, white lentils, gravy rice into fine powder, add a small amount of water to steam.
② fresh yam boiled and peeled, add Poria and other cooked powder, mixed into a puree, spread a thin layer in the plate, then spread a layer of bean paste, so spread six or seven layers, into a thousand layer cake. The outermost layer is decorated with the right amount of fruit ingredients, steamed in a pot and taken out. Boil plum and sugar to make a thick juice, pour over the cake and serve.
Usage: Eat on an empty stomach or with a meal for 4 to 5 days.
Efficacy] Strengthening the spleen and the middle, stopping diarrhea and appetite.
(1) Lychee meat and lotus seeds yam porridge
[Composition] 50 grams of dried lychee meat, yam, lotus seeds 10 grams each, 50 grams of rice.
[Method] the dry lychee meat, yam, lotus seeds pounded, add appropriate amount of water decoction until cooked, add rice to cook porridge.
Usage: Take it every night while it is still hot.
[efficacy] strengthen the spleen and stop diarrhea.
(3) simmered yam
[Composition] yam 1, about 250 grams.
[Method] mix water with yellow clay and evenly, wrapped and simmered in the stove, remove the mud and skin.
[Usage] 1 per day, you can eat as often as you like.
Efficacy] Benefit the spleen and stop diarrhea.
(4) Job’s Tears Congee
Composition] 30 grams of net coix seeds, 30-60 grams of rice.
[Method] Coix seeds and rice cooked together into a porridge.
Usage] Once a day, eat on an empty stomach, 3-5 days for a course of treatment.
Efficacy] Strengthen the spleen and stomach, dispel dampness and stop diarrhea.
(6) Pearl and Jade Two Treasures Congee
Composition] 60 grams each of raw yam and raw coix seeds, 30 grams of persimmon cake.
【Method】 Boil the coix seeds until they are cooked, and then mash the yam, cut the persimmon cake into small pieces, and cook them into a paste porridge.
Usage: Take it twice a day, on an empty stomach or with a meal. 5-7 days for a course of treatment.
Efficacy] Strengthening the spleen, nourishing the stomach and relieving dampness.
6.What is the effect of qigong therapy on irritable bowel syndrome?
According to Chinese medicine, only when the human body is weak and insufficient to resist external evil, it leads to the dysfunction of internal organs and qi and blood and causes disease. Weakness of vital energy is not only the root cause of the disease, but also the development, prognosis and regression of the disease depend on it. Especially in the case of “long term illness will be deficient” overall decline, supporting the right qi is particularly important. Qigong exercise method is a holistic therapy that starts from supporting the righteousness and improving the overall situation. Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disease of unknown cause and long duration, and patients often suffer from mental anxiety and pessimism, which are detrimental to the treatment of the disease. Many people have significantly improved their sleep and diet after exercising through qigong, which is a manifestation of the gradual flourishing of positive energy within the body. Many people who are weak or sick have recovered their health and overcome diseases based on the gradual enrichment of their internal strength. Therefore, patients suffering from this sign, while actively treating, should carry out some qigong treatment under the guidance of professionals that is conducive to the recovery of the disease, and to develop a habit, persistent, do not see the difference, often change, for quick results, so as to avoid the desire for speed but not achieve, the opposite.