Stomach pain is an all too common ailment. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms of the stomach or duodenum, are known as “xin xia tong” (pain below the heart) or “wei wan tong” (epigastric pain), and often manifest as sensations of pain, bloating, or heartburn. Aside from using medications for relief, what other methods are available to alleviate stomach pain?
Western Medical Approaches for Treating Stomach Pain
Before the widespread use of gastrointestinal endoscopy for diagnosis, physicians used to diagnose stomach pain by analyzing its symptomatic manifestations to distinguish whether it stemmed from the stomach or the duodenum. For instance, stomach ulcers typically exhibit “hunger pain” and “fullness pain,” while duodenal ulcers commonly present as “hunger pain” and “fullness bloating.”From the perspective of Western medicine, the most common causes of stomach pain are gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcerative dyspepsia, and non-ulcer dyspepsia. To address these three causes of stomach pain, Western medical practitioners primarily use pain relievers, acid suppressants, mucosal protective agents, nerve blockers, proton pump inhibitors, and digestive aids to alleviate symptoms.
