What does Piman mean?

Piman is a term in traditional Chinese medicine, which refers to dysfunction of the spleen and stomach, which often leads to symptoms of abdominal distension. It has some similarities with chronic gastritis in Western medicine, such as superficial gastritis or atrophic gastritis. The main clinical manifestation is indigestion, and symptoms of gastroptosis may occur easily. Belching, hiccups, poor diet and other symptoms often occur. Let’s find out.

Etiology and pathogenesis

The spleen and stomach reside together in the middle burner. The spleen is responsible for raising the clear, while the stomach is responsible for lowering the turbid. They are responsible for the transportation and absorption of food and water. If the clear rises and the turbid falls, and the transportation is normal, the stomach Qi will be smooth. If the spleen and stomach are damaged, the ascending and descending functions are disrupted, and the stomach qi is blocked due to various reasons such as improper diet, phlegm and dampness obstruction, emotional imbalance, or spleen and stomach weakness, then distension and fullness may occur.

1. External pathogens enter the interior

When exogenous pathogens invade the skin surface and the treatment is inappropriate, and the internal purgatives are used excessively, the spleen and stomach are damaged, and the exogenous pathogens take advantage of the opportunity to penetrate into the interior and accumulate in the stomach, blocking the Qi flow in the middle burner, causing dysfunction of ascending and descending functions and stagnation of stomach Qi, thus causing fullness and distension.

2. Food stagnation

Or overeating, or eating raw, cold, rough and hard food, or being fond of fatty, sweet and greasy food, or being addicted to strong tea, strong liquor, spicy and hot food, can damage the spleen and stomach, resulting in indigestion of food, obstruction of the stomach, dysfunction of ascending and descending, and stagnation of stomach qi, which leads to fullness and distension.

3. Phlegm-dampness blockage

When the spleen and stomach are not healthy, water and moisture cannot be transformed, which leads to phlegm and turbidity. Phlegm and Qi are blocked in the stomach, causing dysfunction of ascending and descending functions, stagnation of stomach Qi, and fullness.

4. Emotional disorders

Thinking too much will cause qi stagnation, being angry will cause qi reversal, sadness and worry will cause qi depression, being frightened will cause qi disorder and so on, causing qi disorder and dysfunction of ascending and descending, resulting in fullness and distension. Among them, liver depression and qi stagnation, which invade the spleen and stomach and cause stomach qi stagnation and result in fullness and distension, are the most common.

5. Drug-induced injuries

Misuse and abuse of drugs, or long-term and excessive use of extremely cold, hot or toxic drugs for other diseases can damage the spleen and stomach, generate endogenous cold and heat, block the Qi flow in the middle burner, and cause dysfunction of ascending and descending, thus resulting in fullness and distension.

6. Weak spleen and stomach

The spleen and stomach are weak, the vital energy is insufficient, or there is an uneven hunger and fullness, irregular diet, or long-term illness has damaged the spleen and stomach, resulting in dysfunction of absorption and transportation, imbalance of ascending and descending, and stagnation of stomach qi, which can cause fullness and distension. In short, gastric distension is located in the stomach and is closely related to the liver and spleen. The basic pathogenesis is spleen and stomach dysfunction, ascending and descending disorders, and stomach qi stagnation. The pathological nature is nothing more than the two ends of deficiency and excess. Excess means that the excess evil (food accumulation, phlegm and dampness, qi stagnation) blocks the body internally, while deficiency means that the spleen and stomach are weak (qi deficiency or yin deficiency). If deficiency and excess are mixed, both exist.