Symptoms of fullness

Piman is a symptom of indigestion, which often causes abdominal distension and pain. It has many similarities with chronic gastritis in Western medicine. It can cause poor appetite, anorexia, nausea and vomiting, as well as irregular bowel movements and smelly stools. It can also easily cause dry eyes and mouth, thirst and preference for cold drinks. The stools are prone to becoming dry and sticky.

Symptoms of fullness

1. Suspension of diet

Symptoms: Abdominal distension and fullness, worse after eating, belching and acid regurgitation, nausea and vomiting, anorexia, or irregular bowel movements, frequent flatulence with a foul odor like rotten eggs, thick and greasy tongue coating, and a wiry and slippery pulse. Treatment principle: Digest food and relieve stagnation, promote qi circulation and eliminate abdominal distension. Main prescription: Baohe Pills with modifications. Prescription: Hawthorn, Shenqu, radish seeds, Pinellia, tangerine peel, Poria, and Forsythia.

If the food accumulation is severe, add chicken gizzard lining, barley sprout, and malt; if the abdominal distension is obvious, add bitter orange peel and Magnolia officinalis; if the stool is constipated, add rhubarb and betel nut.

2. Phlegm-dampness blocking the middle part of the body

Symptoms: abdominal distension, stuffiness and discomfort, chest fullness and stuffiness, heaviness in the head, heaviness of the body and fatigue of limbs, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, bland mouth without thirst, difficulty urinating, enlarged tongue with teeth marks on the edges, thick and greasy white tongue coating, and deep and slippery pulse. Treatment principle: Drying dampness and resolving phlegm, regulating Qi and relieving fullness. Main prescription: Erchen Decoction combined with Pingwei San with modifications. Prescription: Atractylodes, Pinellia, Magnolia officinalis, Tangerine peel, Poria, Licorice, Peucedanum, Platycodon, and Citrus aurantium. If the qi is reversed and does not descend, add scutellaria baicalensis and magnetite; if the chest and diaphragm are more stuffy, add Allium macrostemon, Citrus aurantium, and Trichosanthes kirilowii; if the phlegm and dampness are more severe, add Perilla stem and Patchouli.

3. Damp-heat blocking the stomach syndrome

Symptoms: abdominal distension and discomfort, burning and noisy, irritability in the heart, dry throat and mouth, thirst and preference for cold drinks, fever and sweating, dry or sticky stools, short and dark urine, red tongue, yellow and greasy tongue coating, and slippery and rapid pulse. Treatment principle: Clear away heat and dampness, harmonize the stomach and eliminate abdominal distension. Main prescription: Dahuang Huanglian Xiexin Decoction combined with Lianpu Yin with modifications. Prescription: Rhubarb, Coptis chinensis, Magnolia officinalis, Acorus calamus, Pinellia ternata, Phragmites australis, Gardenia jasminoides, and Fermented black beans. If the patient is constipated and upset, add whole Trichosanthes kirilowii and Gardenia jasminoides; if the patient is thirsty and wants to drink, add pollen and Forsythia suspensa. If nausea and vomiting occur, add bamboo shavings, white cardamom seeds and ginger.

4. Liver-stomach disharmony

Symptoms: abdominal distension and discomfort, fullness in the chest and flanks, irritability, sighing, nausea and belching, or vomiting of bitter water, uncomfortable bowel movements, often aggravated by emotional factors, thin white tongue coating, and wiry pulse. Treatment principle: Soothe the liver and relieve depression, regulate qi and eliminate abdominal distension. Main formula: Yueju Pills combined with Zhishu Pills with modifications. Prescription: Cyperus rotundus, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Atractylodes lancea, Shenqu, Gardenia jasminoides, Citrus aurantium, Atractylodes macrocephala, and lotus leaf. If qi stagnation is severe, add bupleurum, curcuma, and aurantium; if qi stagnation turns into fire, add gentian and Chuandongzi; if qi deficiency is obvious, add Codonopsis pilosula and Astragalus membranaceus.

Prognosis

The prognosis is generally good. As long as you maintain a moderate diet, keep a good mood, and persist in treatment, you can usually recover. However, abdominal distension is usually a chronic process, often recurring and not healing for a long time. If the disease is not treated for a long time or is improperly treated, the circulation of Qi and blood will be blocked over time, and phlegm and blood stasis will be generated internally. The pain may develop from no pain or mild pain to painful or severe pain, or from invisible to visible, and turn into stomach pain, accumulation, choking and hiccups. In addition, the fullness becomes more severe day by day, the spleen and stomach are severely damaged, the appetite is insufficient, the Qi and blood are lacking, and the acquired nourishment is malnourished, which may lead to asthenia.