Gastritis is a general term for a group of conditions with one thing in common: Inflammation of the lining of the stomach. The inflammation of gastritis is most often the result of infection with the same bacterium that causes most stomach ulcers or the regular use of certain pain relievers.
The usual symptoms include:
- nausea, abdominal pain,
- loss of appetite,
- burning sensation in the stomach,
- unexpected fullness after eating,
- weight loss, vomiting.
Gastritis is due to various causes such as:
- Stomach infection from a common bacterium, called
Helicobacter pylori (Helicobacter pylori) - Medication such as aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Reflux of bile from the duodenum into the stomach (alkaline gastritis)
- Autoimmune gastritis
- Stress
- Chemotherapy
In some cases, gastritis can lead to ulcers and an increased risk of stomach cancer. For most people, though, gastritis is not serious and can improve quickly with treatment.
Acupuncture, in combination with nutrition and lifestyle change protocols, produce excellent results in resolving gastritis and healing the stomach wall.
References
- Gu W, Hu QC. [Clinical observation on acupuncture for treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2009 May;29(5):361-4.
- Liu CC, Chen JL, Chang XR, He QD, Shen JC, Lian LY, Wang YD, Zhang Y, Ma FQ, Huang HY, Yang ZB. Comparative metabolomics study on therapeutic mechanism of electro-acupuncture and moxibustion on rats with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). Sci Rep. 2017 Oct 30;7(1):14362.
- MacPherson H, Tilbrook H, Agbedjro D, Buckley H, Hewitt C, Frost C. Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: 2-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial. Αcupunct Med. 2016 Mar 15. pii: acupmed-2015-010854
- Zhang J, Huang K, Zhong G, Huang Y, Li S, Qu S, Zhang J. Acupuncture Decreases NF-κB p65, miR-155, and miR-21 and Increases miR-146a Expression in Chronic Atrophic Gastritis Rats. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2016;2016:9404629