Anorexia, also known as malnutrition, is a condition in which children do not crave food for a longer period of time, lose their appetite, or even refuse to eat. The disease is common in children aged 1 to 6 years, and its occurrence has no obvious seasonality, and the symptoms can be aggravated in summer. The prognosis is good for anorexic children with normal mental status, but if the disease is long, it may evolve into noma. In modern medicine, anorexia has two pathological factors: first, local or systemic diseases affect the function of the digestive system; second, the central nervous system is affected by various stimuli in the internal and external environment of the body, and the regulation of digestive function is out of balance. According to Chinese medicine, the main causes of this disease are: poor diet and improper feeding; multiple illnesses and prolonged illnesses that damage the spleen and stomach; congenital deficiencies and acquired disorders; summer and dampness fumigation and loss of spleen yang; emotional changes and thoughts that hurt the spleen. Among them, poor diet and improper feeding are the most common. The pathogenesis of this disease is the malfunction of the spleen and stomach.
Clinical manifestations
(1) Loss of spleen movement: the face is less florid, not thinking about eating, or eating without taste, the body is thin, the urine and stool are basically normal, the mental state is generally no special abnormalities. The tongue coating is white or thin and greasy.
(2) Gastric Yin deficiency: poor appetite, dry mouth and excessive drinking, often accompanied by atrophy of the face, loss of skin moistening, dry stools and short yellow urine. The tongue is red and less fluid, with little coating or flaking, and thin pulse.
(3) Qi deficiency of the spleen and stomach: lack of desire to eat, thinness of the body, less florid face, less food and more stools, sweating alone, undigested residues in the stools. Thin white tongue coating and weak pulse.
[Massage Therapy
(1) Treatment principle: strengthen the spleen and stomach. If the spleen is not healthy, it is advisable to regulate the spleen to help transport; if the stomach is deficient in yin, it is advisable to benefit the stomach and nourish yin; if the spleen is deficient in qi, it is advisable to strengthen the spleen and benefit qi.
(2) Treatment steps
(1) Tonic the spleen meridian: slightly flex the child’s thumb and rotate and push the ribbed surface 300 times, with gentle force.
② rubbing Panmen: use the end of the thumb to rub the child’s Panmen point 100 times.
③ pinch and knead the four transverse lines: pinch the four transverse lines in turn with the nail of the thumb and then knead them, repeatedly 3 to 5 times.
④Knead the middle epigastric: knead the middle epigastric point above the umbilicus of the child with the middle finger for 1 to 2 minutes.
⑤ abdominal massage: use the palm side of the hand or the index, middle and ring fingers to stroke the abdomen of the child in a counterclockwise circular motion for 5 minutes.
(6) rubbing the foot three miles: rub the foot three miles point with the middle finger for 1 to 2 minutes.
(7) Chiropractic: first push and massage the child’s back from top to bottom 2 to 3 times, then use the chiropractic method to lift and pinch the child’s sacral tail to the large vertebrae point, and repeatedly lift and pinch 3 to 5 times.
(8) If the spleen is not healthy
a. Clearing the stomach meridian: apply pressure with the ribbed side of the thumb, pushing from the first section of the palm of the thumb towards the root of the finger 200 times.
b. Transporting the internal bagua: apply pressure with the ribbed side of the thumb and transport the bagua points around the palm of the child’s hand for 100 times.
c. Press and rub the Spleen and Stomach points: Press and rub the Spleen and Stomach points with the ribbed side of the thumb for 1 minute each.
⑨If stomach yin is insufficient
a. Tonic stomach meridian: Use the ribbed side of the thumb to apply pressure and push 300 times on the palm side of the thumb of the child near the first joint of the palm.
b. Clearing the large intestine: using the radial side of the right thumb, push from the child’s tiger mouth to the fingertips 200 times.
c. Rub the second horse: use the end of the thumb to rub the recess behind the metacarpophalangeal joint of the ring finger and little finger on the back of the child’s hand for 200 times.
⑩If the spleen and stomach are deficient in qi
a. Tonic stomach meridian: using the ribbed side of the thumb, push 200 times on the palm side of the thumb of the child near the first joint of the palm.
b. Push three Guan: with the thumb or index and middle finger ribbed surface force, along the radial side of the forearm, from the transverse wrist line to the transverse elbow line 200 times.
(3) course of treatment: massage treatment once a day, 10 times for a course of treatment. General treatment after 1 course, the symptoms have significantly improved, must continue treatment until cured.
Caution】
(1) Regulation of diet is an important measure to prevent and treat anorexia nervosa in children.
(2) Eat regularly, forbid snacking, and have a regular diet.
(3) Pay attention to dietary hygiene, prevent picky eating, and correct partial eating.
(4) Pay attention to the correction of the child’s adverse emotional changes and reduce mental stress.
(5) If loss of appetite is detected after illness, prompt examination and treatment should be provided.