How to treat chronic gastritis with acupuncture

  Chronic gastritis is a common digestive system disease characterized by non-specific inflammatory reaction of the gastric mucosa. The disease belongs to the categories of “gastroparesis”, “hypochondriac pain”, “acid swallowing” and “gastric gangrene” in Chinese medicine, and is characterized by clinical discomfort, dull pain, burning pain and fullness after eating, in addition to loss of appetite, belching, nausea and acidity. The onset of the disease is mostly caused by poor diet, too much labor and fatigue, and poor emotion, resulting in damage to the spleen and stomach, poor qi flow, and dysregulation of the middle jiao. Acupuncture therapy has good efficacy in the treatment of this disease, which can be clinically divided into six types of evidence-based treatment.  The basic acupuncture points are Zhongyao, Neiguan, and Feosanli. The stomach is the center of the six internal organs, and it is smooth to pass down. Zhongguang is the point of the stomach and the meeting point of the internal organs, and Sansili is the point of the stomach, which can be used to regulate the Qi of the internal organs and harmonize the stomach for any discomfort in the stomach and stomach. Nei Guan is a point of the Hand Convulsive Yin Pericardium meridian, which communicates with the three jiao, and is good at regulating qi and lowering rebellion, and is a meeting point of the eight veins, which is connected to the Yin Wei vein, and can be used to smooth the qi of the three jiao, harmonize the stomach and lower rebellion to relieve pain. For liver-stomach disharmony, add Taichong and Shimen to clear liver and Qi; for damp-heat stagnation, add Yinlingquan, Fenglong, Sanyinjiao and Neiting to clear heat and dampness; for blood stasis in the stomach ligament, add Di Yu, Blood Sea and Sanyinjiao to invigorate blood and remove stasis and open the ligaments; for dietary injury to the stomach, add Liangmen, Jianli and Tianshu to eliminate food and direct stagnation. For deficiency of stomach yin, add Spleen Yu, Stomach Yu, Sanyinjiao and Taixi to nourish yin and nourish the stomach. For weakness of the spleen and stomach, add Sanyinjiao, Spleen Yu, and Stomach Yu to strengthen the spleen and benefit the stomach.  In addition, there are auricular acupuncture, fire acupuncture, water acupuncture, moxibustion and other treatment methods, but their indications are different. Ear pressure therapy can be applied to the ear points of spleen, stomach, Sanjiao, Shenmen, subcortical, sympathetic, etc. Magnetic beads are fixed to the corresponding ear points with adhesive tape, and the points are pressed several times a day, alternating between the two ears, once every other day; fire acupuncture can be applied to the points of Zhongyu and Sansili, etc. This method is suitable for patients with spleen and stomach deficiency; water acupuncture therapy, also known as acupuncture injection therapy, can be applied to the points of Liver Yu, Stomach Yu, Sansili, etc. by injecting Astragalus, Angelica injection or vitamin B1 Moxibustion therapy is suitable for patients with spleen and stomach deficiency, and it can also be used as health care moxibustion to enhance physical fitness and immunity, using moxa strips or moxa columns to moxibustion points such as Zhonggui, Spleen Yu, Stomach Yu, Foot Sanli, Liangmen, each point for 5-10 minutes, as tolerated by the patient; cupping therapy is mainly based on dorsal points, mostly using Liver Yu, Gall Bladder Yu, Spleen Yu, Stomach Yu, etc. The acupuncture points are mainly selected for stimulation, and the retention time is 5-10 minutes.