Dietary indigestion of the stomach

　　1, Overeating:Due to irregular milk and food, improper feeding, overeating of thick and spicy foods, leading to injury of the spleen and stomach, dysfunction of transformation and transportation, imbalance of ascending and descending, and retention of milk and food without digestion.

　　2, Deficiency of stomach yang:If stomach yang is excessive, it will often be turbid and unclear. If there is deficiency of stomach yang, there will be闷胀 and retention of food and drink. Eating cold food and drinks easily leads to injury to the stomach.

　　3, Deficiency of spleen yang:Deficiency of spleen yang will lead to indigestion, retention of food and drink, and abdominal distension.

　　Pale complexion, muscle wasting, loss of appetite, lack of energy, restless sleep, night sweats, stools sometimes dry and sometimes loose, abdominal distension, short urine, frequent low fever, bad breath, purple fingerprints, red tongue, thin yellow fur. The pathological mechanism of the disease is unbalanced diet, injury to the spleen and stomach by food, retention of food without digestion, stagnation of turbid qi, leading to insufficient production of vital energy and blood, and thereby causing the pathological signs and symptoms of dyspepsia in children.

　　Dyspepsia is a common pediatric disease of the spleen and stomach caused by improper feeding, internal injury of milk and food, accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract, and dysfunction of the spleen. Clinically, it is characterized by loss of appetite for milk and food, abdominal distension and belching, acid and foul stools or constipation. Dyspepsia is also called retention. It is similar to dyspepsia in Western medicine. This disease can occur throughout the year, with higher incidence rates during the summer and autumn when heat and dampness are easy to stagnate the spleen qi. It can occur in children of all ages, but it is more common in infants and young children. It often appears in conjunction with common cold, diarrhea, and malnutrition. Infants and young children with weak spleen and stomach, congenital deficiency, and artificial feeding are prone to recurrent disease. Some children with dyspepsia for a long time and delayed treatment may suffer severe damage to the spleen and stomach function, leading to nutritional and growth and development disorders in children, with the body becoming thinner day by day, which may transform into malnutrition. Therefore, the saying of the ancients 'accumulation is the mother of malnutrition, and without accumulation, there is no malnutrition' is mentioned. The 'Old Records of All Diseases - Miscellaneous Diseases of Children' records the 'accumulation of retained food' and 'overeating' as the earliest descriptions of this disease. Subsequently, 'The Heart Book for the Living Young' and 'A Hundred Questions for Infants and Children' respectively proposed the names of 'accumulation syndrome' and 'retention'.

　　The book 'Bao Ying Zhu Yao - Dyspepsia and Cold Heat' says: 'Dyspepsia in children is caused by deficiency of the spleen and stomach, indigestion of milk and food, and accumulation over a long time.' This clearly points out the cause of dyspepsia in children.

　　Massage therapy

　　Dyspepsia should be understood as a 'syndrome', and there are many causes of dyspepsia, but it is difficult to find these causes clinically, so it can be called 'primary dyspepsia'. Dyspepsia with found causes is called 'secondary dyspepsia'. Among children with secondary dyspepsia, some can be treated with massage therapy, while others cannot. Therefore, massage therapy is mainly suitable for primary dyspepsia. Different techniques should be adopted for different types of primary dyspepsia.

　　Firstly, the type of 'food accumulation with cold':

　　Principle of treatment: Warming the middle jiao, invigorating the spleen, and resolving food accumulation.

　　Technique: Pushing technique, friction technique, palm friction technique, kneading technique.

　　Acupoints and locations: Spleen Earth point, wrist Yin and Yang points, Three Passes point, Bagua point, Zusanli point, navel and surrounding abdominal area.

　　Operation method and requirements:

　　1. Supplement the Spleen Earth point:There are two methods to supplement the Spleen Earth point: one is to treat the Spleen Earth point with the finger friction technique; the other method is to bend the interphalangeal joint of the patient's thumb and push from the distal end of the radial side to the proximal end. The practitioner can choose either of the two methods to push for three hundred strokes.

　　2. Separate push:Have the child place their palm upwards, and the practitioner supports the child's hand from both sides of the wrist and hand with the index, middle, ring, and little fingers of both hands; with the thumbs, push from the midpoint of the wrist palmar surface to the ulnar and radial sides of the wrist simultaneously, for about one hundred strokes.

　　3. Push the 'Three Passes' point:Since it is treating 'food accumulation with cold', the number of times to push the 'Three Passes' point should be more, about six hundred strokes.

　　4. Manipulate the Bagua point:Have the child place their palm upwards, and the practitioner uses the distal palmar surface of one finger as the contact surface to apply the finger friction technique on the child's八卦穴, which is called 'manipulate the Bagua point', for about three hundred strokes.

　　5. Separate push the abdominal Yin and Yang points:Have the child lie on their back, and the practitioner uses the fingers of both hands (usually the thumbs, but also the index and middle fingers) to push from the lower end of the sternum along the costal arch to the midaxillary line on both sides, for two hundred strokes.

　　6. Rub and knead the umbilical abdomen:Have the child lie on their back, and the practitioner uses one hand to apply the palm friction technique on the child's navel and surrounding area, for several minutes. Then, apply the palm kneading or palm root kneading technique on the navel and abdomen to create a strong sense of warmth.

　　Secondly, the type of 'food accumulation with heat':

　　Principle of treatment: Relieving heat, invigorating the spleen, and resolving dampness.

　　Technique: Pushing technique, finger kneading technique, palm friction technique, palm kneading technique.

　　Acupoints and locations: Spleen Earth point, wrist Yin and Yang points, Three Passes point, Six Bowels point, Four Horizontal Lines point, External Labor Palace point, Abdominal Yin and Yang points, Zusanli point.

　　Operation method and requirements:

　　1. Clear the Spleen Earth point:Have the child place their palm upwards, and the practitioner uses the finger pushing technique, pushing from the proximal end of the child's thumb to the distal end, which is called 'clearing the Spleen Earth', for three hundred strokes.

　　2. Supplement the Spleen Earth point:Firstly, treat the child with the 'Clearing the Spleen Earth point' method, and then use the 'Supplementing the Spleen Earth point' method, which is called 'clear first and then supplement'. When there is 'food accumulation with heat', the method of 'clear first and then supplement' is often used.

　　3. Separate push the wrist Yin and Yang points:About one hundred strokes.

　　4. Push the 'Three Passes' point:About two hundred strokes.

　　5. Cool the Six Bowels point:The number of times to push the 'Cooling the Six Bowels' point should be more than that of pushing the 'Three Passes' point, as it is due to 'food accumulation with heat'.

　　6. Push the 'Four Horizontal Lines' point:There are two different positions for the 'Four Horizontal Lines' point, which is a general term for the four acupoints. The positions mentioned here are located on the palmar side of the metacarpophalangeal joints of the index, middle, ring, and little fingers. The practitioner applies the pushing technique, treating each of the above-mentioned areas in turn, for about a few minutes.

　　7. Rub the external Laoguan point:The external Laoguan point is directly opposite the Laoguan point on the palm. The practitioner uses the finger to rub in the clockwise direction for dozens of times.

　　The diagnosis of food stagnation in the stomach not only relies on clinical manifestations but also requires necessary related examinations. Upper gastrointestinal contrast, gastric ultrasound examination, electronic gastroscopy, gastric tympany area, and gastric motility function test.

　　In addition to conventional treatment, patients with food stagnation in the stomach should pay attention to light diet, try to avoid spicy and stimulating foods, do not eat greasy foods, and pay attention to balanced diet to ensure nutrition.

　　1. Treatment Method:Invigorate the spleen and eliminate food stagnation, soften hardness and resolve masses.

　　2. Composition of the Formula:Three Shell and Three Divine Herbs Powder

　　5g of穿山甲, 5g of Biejia, 5g of Guiban, 10g of Shaoyao, 10g of Maiya, 10g of Shengdang, 12g of Baizhu, 9g of Huanglian.

　　3. Administration Method:This formula can be used as a decoction or as a powder. The decoction is taken once a day, the specific method is: place the above herbs in a medical decoction pot, add about 500ml of water, soak the herbs for about 25 minutes, boil for about 30 minutes, remove the herbal juice, then add about 300ml of water, boil for about 15 minutes, and collect the herbal juice again, combine the two batches of herbal juice, and take 6 servings a day. The powder is made by grinding the herbs into a fine powder, take 3-5g each time, and take 3 servings a day.

　　4. Key Points of Medication:The formula contains穿山甲to eliminate food stagnation and resolve masses. Biejia softens hardness and resolves masses. Guiban eliminates food stagnation and softens hardness. Shaoyao eliminates all kinds of food stagnation, especially meat. Maiya eliminates all kinds of food stagnation, especially flour-based foods. Shengdang eliminates all kinds of food stagnation, especially greasy and rancid foods. Baizhu strengthens the spleen and harmonizes the stomach. Huanglian clears heat and relieves stagnation. The drugs work together to achieve the effect of strengthening the spleen, eliminating food stagnation, and softening hardness and resolving masses.

　　5. Adjustments and Medications:If the stool is dry and hard, add rhubarb and hawthorn to relieve heat and promote bowel movements; if the stool is loose, add poria and Job's tears to invigorate the spleen and eliminate dampness to stop diarrhea; if there is severe abdominal distension, add radish seeds and areca nuts to relieve Qi and eliminate food stagnation; if there is Qi deficiency, add Astragalus and Ginseng to tonify the middle Qi, etc.

　　6. Precautions:It is necessary to persevere with this prescription and not give up halfway.