What are the common digestive system diseases?
The digestive system is divided into upper and lower digestive tracts. Common upper gastrointestinal diseases include functional dyspepsia, which is often manifested as upper abdominal pain, upper abdominal distension, belching, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms; Reflux esophagitis (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is often characterized by symptoms such as acid reflux, heartburn, and a burning sensation in the upper abdomen.
Common lower gastrointestinal diseases include irritable bowel syndrome, which is a disease with a long course, recurrent abdominal pain, and accompanied by abnormal bowel movements or changes in bowel habits. These diseases all belong to the category of "spleen and stomach diseases" in traditional Chinese medicine.
Modern medicine believes that the occurrence of digestive system diseases is related to factors such as the destruction of gut microbiota, decreased protective function of gastrointestinal mucosa, and dysfunction of the brain gut axis.
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that emotional factors such as excessive tension and stress, as well as dietary factors such as irregular meal times, excessive intake of spicy foods, meat, etc., may affect digestive function and trigger spleen and stomach diseases.
What should I do if I get abdominal pain when I feel nervous?
Some people are prone to symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea when they are nervous or anxious (such as preparing for exams or interviews), often caused by nervous emotions leading to autonomic nervous system disorders, causing gastrointestinal muscles to contract or spasm.
At this point, by massaging the bilateral Zusanli acupoint (located on the outer side of the calf, 3 inches below the Calnose acupoint, one horizontal finger away from the anterior tibial crest, and connected to the Calnose acupoint and Jiexi acupoint) or applying local hot compress, nerve sensitivity can be reduced, gastrointestinal muscle peristalsis can be slowed down, and pain can be relieved.
Can stomach diseases be contagious?
There is a contagious stomach disease caused by Helicobacter pylori infection.
According to relevant data, the infection rate of Helicobacter pylori in China is about 50%, and most of them are familial and clustered infections.
Helicobacter pylori often parasitizes in the gastric mucosal tissue. In the early stages of infection, clinical symptoms generally do not appear, and some patients may experience symptoms such as bad breath and stomach pain; In the later stage of infection, patients may develop chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and other diseases.
The main detection methods include gastric mucosal tissue biopsy, carbon-13 or carbon-14 urea breath test, etc. Combination biopsy of gastric mucosa requires the collection of gastric mucosal tissue under gastroscopy to detect Helicobacter pylori infection, and can also observe the presence of lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract. However, this procedure is costly and can be painful for patients; The carbon-13 or carbon-14 urea breath test is currently recognized as the "gold standard" for detecting Helicobacter pylori, which is simple and safe.