Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a common and chronic disease, and although the patient’s symptoms and objective indicators can be restored by active treatment, there are still some patients who cannot be effectively controlled by short-term treatment, and with the interference of various factors, individual patients may also have aggravation or recurrence of the disease, when the patient is mentally stressed and has a lot of worries.
Therefore, it is very important to strengthen the care during and after the treatment. As the saying goes, “three parts cure, seven parts nourish”, “nourish” is the care, this phrase is most appropriate in the CAG patient care, CAG care are: mental care, dietary care, life regimen, medication methods.
The main factors in the development of chronic atrophic gastritis are emotional and mental disorders. Chinese medicine recognized the importance of emotional factors in the development of CAG as early as the Nei Jing period. The “Spiritual Pivot – painful chapter” points out: “I know that all diseases are born in the qi. Anger is qi up, happiness is qi slow, sadness is qi down, anger is qi down, …… fright is qi chaos, …… thinking is qi knot”. Modern medicine believes that: excessive mental stimulation, depression, fatigue and other factors repeatedly, can cause the cerebral cortex functional balance imbalance, resulting in various pathological changes in the stomach, long-term disorders can produce organic lesions become CAG.
1, mental conditioning
In life, it is often found that emotions and diet have a close relationship is this reason. Therefore, in the clinical strengthening of CAG mental care has become an indispensable part of the treatment. The patient’s mental state also plays an important role in the treatment, “Su Wen – meridians and veins of the other chapter” cloud “the brave qi line is already, the timid and disease.
This indicates that emotional and mental factors play an important role in the occurrence and development of diseases. In clinical practice, according to the specific circumstances of the patient, different methods of mental care should be adopted.
CAG patients have the following common concerns.
(1) for CAG, a chronic disease, long duration, recurrent episodes of lack of awareness, eager to achieve, frequent examinations, changing treatment methods, treatment is not at ease. Such patients should be educated about the treatment of CAG, the prognosis of the development of the disease and other general knowledge, so that patients have a correct understanding of the disease. As the saying goes, “the disease comes like a mountain, the disease goes like a silk”. It means that the treatment of chronic diseases should not be rushed, as the saying goes, “if you want to do it quickly, you cannot achieve it”.
(2) Talking about “cancer”, only think of the evil consequences of CAG to evolve into gastric cancer, without considering the good outcome. Patience and guidance should be given to such patients, and they should be informed that CAG can be completely cured by treatment. The percentage of cancer is only 7%. Besides, Chinese medicine has achieved promising results in the treatment of CAG, so one should be optimistic about the disease.
(3) The patient thinks that the disease is a chronic disease and it is the same whether it is treated or not, so he does not insist on treatment and does not treat it seriously. Such patients should be informed of the rationale for early treatment of the disease. CAG patients should reduce as much as possible all kinds of stimulating factors, enhance the patient’s self-control, the mind is calm, the god is peaceful, the stomach is peaceful. In the treatment of patients “heart disease”, the doctor should establish a new doctor-patient relationship with the patient, to obtain the patient’s trust, patient guidance to relieve their contradictions and pain, so that the patient from the heavy pressure of distress. In the “Spiritual Pivot”, it is said that “the patient should be informed of his or her defeat, spoken of his or her goodness, guided by his or her convenience, and opened up by his or her suffering”. As Ye Tianshi said, “When internal injuries are caused by emotions and feelings, it is important to explain them with generosity” (“Clinical Guide to Medical Cases”). Only in this way, the doctor can really get the patient’s cooperation, the application of prescriptions and drugs, and only to obtain significant results.
2. Dietary care
In the regulation of CAG, diet regulation has an extremely important role. As early as in the Nei Jing, it is pointed out that the diet should be “careful and five flavors” (Su Wen – angry Tong Tian Lun), “grain, meat, fruit and vegetables, food and nourishment to the end” (Su Wen – Wu Chang Zhi Da Lun). Reasonable meals and dietary regimen can not only assist in medication, but also ensure that patients have sufficient nutrition to strengthen their physique.
(1) Diet in moderation
Dietary factors are one of the main pathogenic factors of CAG. CAG patients, the gastric mucosa epithelium is damaged, mucosal intrinsic gland atrophy, or even disappear, lack of gastric acid, poor digestive capacity.
One, eat in moderation, not too much, “Su Wen – paralysis” pointed out that “diet since the times, the intestines and stomach is hurt”, in the clinical binge eating led to aggravation of the disease is common. The clinical cases of aggravation due to overeating are not uncommon. As the saying goes, “too much hurts its righteousness”.
Second, to three meals a day, do not add meals. CAG patients are better off with three meals a day and no snacks to give the stomach a break, which is conducive to the repair of the gastric mucosa.
(2) Warm and hot are appropriate
Food that is too cold or too hot will produce adverse stimulation to the gastric mucosa, making it congested and edematous and aggravating the clinical symptoms. CAG patients should not eat food stored in the refrigerator, such as watermelon, drinks, etc.
CAG patients are generally afraid of cold, the stomach likes heat, like warm, like to eat hot food, but must be moderate, to warm food, hot and hot food on the stomach and esophageal mucosa damage is very large. Experiments show that: more than 50 ℃ hot water such as continuous drinking for 1 month can cause esophageal epithelial cell hyperplasia, more than 80 ℃ hot water can immediately cause damage to the esophagus and gastric mucosa.
(3) Avoid eating fried, spicy, greasy food
These foods help dampness and generate heat, damage the spleen and stomach, leading to aggravation of stomach symptoms. Many CAG patients suffer from aggravation and even gastric bleeding due to consumption of fried foods, such as doughnuts, sesame seeds, fried balls, etc.
Try to eat less hard dried fruit foods. Such as peanuts, melon seeds and other dried fruits, such as inadequate chewing, these things can directly stimulate the gastric mucosa affect the treatment effect and recovery.
(4) diet should not be too fine, coarse and fine with
Now some food is getting refined, if long-term consumption of over-refined food, can lead to a lack of vitamin B, and the lack of vitamin B can easily lead to the occurrence of gastritis. Therefore, the food must be coarse and fine, appropriate to eat some coarse grains, such as millet noodles, corn flour, etc.
(5) Quit drinking alcohol, avoid drinking strong tea, coffee and other carbonated drinks
The harm of alcohol to the stomach is well known, long-term reference to strong alcohol, can directly damage the gastric mucosa, leading to the occurrence of CAG, and even bleeding. The higher the concentration of alcohol, the greater the damage to the stomach, and continuous alcohol consumption is more harmful than intermittent alcohol consumption. patients with CAG have thinner gastric mucosa and more sensitive to the stimulation of alcohol as blood vessels are revealed. Not only should you quit drinking alcohol, but you should also quit drinking beer and so on.
In addition, such as strong tea, coffee, carbonated beverages should also be avoided. Tea bubble too long, too thick, which tannic acid can directly stimulate the gastric mucosa, resulting in nausea, gastric distension.
(6) diet should be clean and fresh
CAG patients, the gastric mucosal barrier protection is weakened, the diet should be hygienic and clean to prevent contaminated food, stimulating damage to the gastric mucosa. Stomach mucosa. Try to eat fresh food, not overnight and stale food, not pickled food, not smoked food, eat fresh vegetables and fruits in moderation.
3.Life care
The Suwen – Shanggu Tianzhen said: “its know, law in the yin and Yang, and in the art, diet, living in a regular, not delusional labor ……”. CAG patients should pay more attention to the living care, eat on time, rest on time, and moderate work and rest.
(1) Exercise in moderation
CAG disease for a long time, eating less, relatively less calories, weakness, exercise should not be excessive, aerobic exercise, as Hua Tuo said, “people should work, but should not make the extreme ear. Excessive exercise is not conducive to the recovery of CAG patients.
(2) Maintain good sleep
CAG patients with more obvious clinical symptoms can be affected by symptoms such as stomach congestion, heartburn and other symptoms that affect sleep, repeated illnesses that do not heal, and stressful thoughts that aggravate insomnia, which in turn affects the repair of gastric mucosa. Therefore, we should ensure sufficient sleep, so that the internal organs of Qi and blood regulation in order to facilitate the recovery of gastric disease. Stomach and will sleep peacefully.
(3) Do not smoke
Smoking damage to the stomach is also relatively clear. Nicotine, the main harmful component of tobacco, can directly stimulate the gastric mucosa, another important component of nicotine can cause nausea, nausea, etc.. Smoking can delay the repair of the gastric mucosa, smoking can make the cardia sphincter, pyloric sphincter, the two “gate” relaxation, affecting the secretion of digestive juices, resulting in difficulties in the repair of the gastric mucosa, making the gastric mucosa vulnerable to pathogenic factors, therefore, CAG patients should quit smoking.
(4) Be careful with drugs that stimulate the stomach
Some elderly CAG patients, may be accompanied by other chronic diseases, therefore, when taking drugs should try to choose drugs that are less irritating to the stomach. Some drugs that are more damaging to the gastric mucosa, such as pautazone, hormones, reserpine, aspirin, etc., should be prohibited.
(5) Prevention of external influences
Chinese medicine has always attached great importance to the pathogenic role of external evil in gastric diseases. Whenever the seasons change, the incidence of gastric disease increases significantly when the cold wave descends into the climate change. The stomach is a cavernous organ connected to the outside of the body, any sudden changes in the external environment will affect the physiological function of the stomach and the occurrence of disease.
Once CAG patients are attacked by external evil, it will aggravate the existing stomach symptoms. Therefore, CAG patients should do more outdoor activities in moderation, more indoor ventilation, less use of air conditioning in summer, pay attention to warmth in winter, to prevent the occurrence of external influences.
4.Method of taking medication
CAG patients should be treated according to the specific circumstances of the patient’s medication method and time. Chinese herbal medicine is generally decocted twice with water over a gentle fire, taking a total of 400ml of juice and divided into two warm doses. If available, the medicine should be taken between 2 meals, such as 9:00, 21:00. Taking the medicine immediately after meals affects the absorption of drugs, and taking the medicine on an empty stomach is prone to epigastric discomfort, nausea, and even nausea. After suffering from CAG, generally eat less, serious people drink a little more water are full, stuffy, etc..
In addition, some herbal decoction has a special taste, if a large amount of a dose, the patient can appear epigastric discomfort, affecting eating. If the patient is seriously ill, the number of doses can be increased and the amount of each dose can be reduced. 400ml of each dose can be divided into 5-6 doses (such as 9:00, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00, 21:00), such as taking Chinese medicine at the same time can be taken half an hour before or half an hour after meals. Take the medicine with warm water and rice soup for better effect.