Alaska Institute of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture & Massage Therapy

Peptic Ulcer and Qi Imbalance

1st Part

Stress, fear, anxiety are a constant in our daily life. Most of us live the life doing, achieving, creating a goal, a purpose and we cant put it on hold. We want to be in control. However this constant state of mind, the constant thinking and over thinking has a negative impact on our physical and psychical health or our spiritmindbody. We see ourselves as individual entities running around, tending our daily business and forget the fact the we are all interconnected. To the non-verbal world (plants, animals) doesnt apply the fittest survive motto, but together we stand and flourish. It is a positive, symbiotic relationship and not a dog eat dog world. When one wants to be in control of his or her life happenings is actually being in a constant imbalance with oneself and everything around. Stress is a major factor of this and it has so many aspects that I will not further apprehend in this article. Inadvertently, stress, especially chronic, accumulated for months, perhaps years does have so many negative effects on our health and way of existing. One of this negative health effect is peptic ulcer. What is peptic ulcer? Can it be prevented?

From Western medical approach:

“Peptic ulcers are defects or sores in the lining of the GI tract,” says Dr. Tara Menon, a gastroenterologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. (1)

Peptic Ulcer Disease Drug Pipeline: What You Need to Know

What causes it?

According to the new research the main cause of peptic ulcer is a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori and/or frequent or excessive use of NSAID drugs.
Spicy or highly acidic foods and beverages.
Other medications. Taking certain other medications along with NSAIDs, such as steroids, anticoagulants, low-dose aspirin, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), alendronate (Fosamax) and risedronate (Actonel), can greatly increase the chance of developing ulcers. (2)
There is also a higher risk of developing peptic ulcer among those individuals who are frequently consume alcohol and or tobacco.

However: "Attempts to explain ulcer using H. pylori and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as sole etiologic factors are destined to fail. More than 80% of H. pylori–infected people (and the vast majority of NSAID users) never develop an ulcer, while at least 10%of patients with non–NSAID-related peptic ulcers have no H pylori infection." (3). Experts aren’t sure how H. pylori infection spreads. (4)
In my perspective a person with a balanced bodymind has no need for excessive use of NSAIDs, alcohol and tobacco to begin with.

Symptoms of peptic ulcer :
- Pain in upper abdomen
- Bloated feeling
- Burping
- Lack of appetite or weight loss
- Nausea
- Bloody or dark poop
- Vomiting (4)

Treatment:

Stop or reduce taking NSAID in case that this is the major factor of developing peptic ulcer.
Medicated treatment with PPI's (Proton Pump Inhibitor), which can't kill, but can help fight infection with H. pylori.
Histamine receptor blockers which work by blocking histamine, a chemical in your body that signals your stomach to produce acid. (5)
Antibiotics
Bismuth subsalicylates
Antiacids
Reduced or quitting the use of tobacco and or alcohol.

In my opinion these treatments will work for a while even cause further complications. Although without a beneficial lifestyle change the disease will come back. What is a disease anyway? Its a dis-ease. So one who is not at ease, but in a dis-ease or disharmony.
In Chinese Medicine, peptic ulcers can be associated with seventeen so-called "patterns of disharmony" (6)

From Eastern medical approach:

Peptic ulcers are a problem seen in Chinese Medicine as often involving weakness of the spleen, stagnation of stomach qi and stagnation of the liver which overstrains the stomach. Liver stagnation also causes depression and anxiety, so there can be an emotional aspect to peptic ulcers. (7)

I found the article discussing peptic acid and the seventeen patterns of disharmony very useful and those who want to find out more in dept information about treatment with various herb formulas please consult their webpage. (6)

Treatment:

change in diet
mind-body exercises, such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, tai chi, and regular massage therapy are tools that can help to reduce your stress (8)
ayurvedic treatment (9)
herb formulas (6)
accupressure points (10)
accupunture (11)
essential oils (12)

Massage Therapy and Peptic Ulcer Prevention

2nd Part:

Anger, stress, trauma, frustration are all deposited somewhere in our physical body and if we dont learn to heal ourselves they will continue to fester and eventually cause discomfort and pain.
The gut-brain connection is no joke; it can link anxiety to stomach problems and vice versa. (13) Our digestive system doesnt just process the physical food, but also the psychical ones.

gut-brain-axis | San Clemente Chiropractic

We keep churning negative thoughts, daily life stress, unhappy relations, unresolved childhood traumas etc. in our brain-gut system which eventually will cause an inflamation and if left untreated can develop into ulcer or tumor. A tiny bacteria named H. pylori gets the blame nowadays for peptic ulcers and problem solved with antibiotics and PPIs. Is it so in reality? Can we prevent the development of gastric imbalance with massage therapy and other alternative remedies?

Prevention:

Research has shown that regular massage therapy can lower heart rate and blood pressure, relax muscles and increase the production of endorphins, the body's natural "feel good" chemical. Serotonin and dopamine are also released through massage, and the result is a feeling of calm relaxation that makes chronic or habitual as well as acute or short-term stress much easier to overcome. (14) There are many more components to understanding how therapeutic massage techniques can address the sensitive digestive system and the emotions related to the brain-gut connection. Visceral massage is part of both functional medicine and ancient traditional therapy. (15)

Regular massage therapy and lifestyle changes go hand in hand towards a better gut-brain communication, towards a balanced life, towards a better Qi flow.

However, if peptic ulcer already developed and abdmoinal pain or discomfort is present, the massage therapist has to make sure client is lying in a comfortable position. Light abdominal massage advised.

Author: A. Czimmerman

Student of Oriental Health Institute of Alaska

Text References:

1. https://health.usnews.com/conditions/articles/does-stress-cause-stomach-ulcers

2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peptic-ulcer/symptoms-causes/syc-20354223

3. https://www.aventinomedicalgroup.com/oldsite/documents/Stress_PU_JAMA.pdf

4. https://www.webmd.com/digesdiative-disorders/peptic-ulcer-overview

5. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/peptic-ulcers-stomach-ulcers/treatment

6. https://www.meandqi.com/tcm-education-center/diseases/peptic_ulcers

7. https://asante-academy.com/chinese-medicine-ailments-and-symptoms/pepticulcer/

8.https://www.verywellhealth.com/living-with-peptic-ulcers-1742816

9. https://www.theayurveda.org/ayurveda/herbal-medicine/herbal-remedies-cure-stomach-disease-peptic-ulcers