When people get old, all aspects of the body function gradually decline, especially the spleen and stomach function. Chinese medicine believes that the spleen and stomach are the foundation of the day after tomorrow and the source of qi and blood biochemistry. When the spleen and stomach function is weak and the digestion and absorption function is weakened, the qi, blood and nutrition needed by the human body will be insufficient. At this time, it is particularly important to nurse the spleen and stomach. How should the spleen and stomach of the elderly be nursed back to health? Famous old Chinese medicine practitioners have good strategies!

Spleen and stomach are the "acquired foundation" and the source of qi and blood biochemistry. For the elderly, it is of great significance to keep the spleen and stomach healthy. As early as more than 2,000 years ago, there was a saying in Neijing, a classic of traditional Chinese medicine, that "when the husband is old, he seeks politics" (politics refers to the spleen and stomach), which means that when people are old, their kidney qi is gradually deficient, and their innate nature is declining, so they must rely on the source of the day after tomorrow to nourish them in order to live longer. During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Li Dongyuan devoted his life to the study of spleen and stomach and wrote a book about it. He is a master of the school of mending soil. He believes that "people should be based on the qi of the spleen and stomach" and "all diseases are born in the spleen and stomach". Therefore, regulating the spleen and stomach conforms to the physiological characteristics of the elderly.

1. Significance of regulating spleen and stomach

The theory of spleen and stomach points out that "soil is the mother of all things" and "treating the spleen and stomach will strengthen the five internal organs". He also said: "People who are good at treating diseases are just harmonizing the spleen and stomach." "Lin Yisheng's Pulse Sutra" said: "People mainly focus on the spleen and stomach, and the treatment method is to strengthen the spleen first." "The Origin of Miscellaneous Diseases" said: "Spleen is the foundation of the day after tomorrow, but it is also reliable. When the spleen is ill, it will spread. If the four dirty organs are sick, they will also be raised in the spleen, so their temper is full and the four dirty organs depend on Yu Xu; If you have a bad temper, the four dirty organs can't be born by yourself ... Anyone who treats the four dirty organs can't nourish the spleen. " (Four zang-organs refer to the heart, liver, lung and kidney) "Shenzhai suicide note" says: "If you don't treat all diseases, you will find them in the spleen and stomach, and you will lose nothing. Why, the spleen and stomach are deficient in cold, and the four viscera are lifeless, so the disease lasts for a long time, and everything is born in the soil. It is better to tonify the spleen than to tonify the kidney. This is also called that if the disease is not cured, many people will look for the spleen and stomach. "

All the above arguments emphasize the important role of regulating the spleen and stomach. Because the vitality of the human body is the foundation of health, and the spleen and stomach are the foundation of vitality, the generation of vitality lies in the spleen and stomach, and stomach qi is sufficient to nourish the innate. All the internal organs receive qi from the stomach, which can support them, thus playing the role of storing essence, moistening skin, nourishing blood vessels and strengthening bones and muscles. The five zang-organs are affected by the qi of the six fu-organs, and the six fu-organs are affected by the qi of the stomach. The stomach is the source of the twelve meridians, the sea of water and grain, and the position of the stomach in the five zang-organs is very important, so "a flat stomach is critical." Therefore, it is necessary to fill the stomach with qi in order to make the five internal organs quiet and maintain normal physiological metabolism. Zhang Zhongjing has a saying that "the spleen flourishes at four seasons and is not affected by evil". Li Dongyuan also put forward that "when the spleen is completely peaceful in the stomach, it will be nourished (nutrients), and the four internal organs of the whole body will flourish ... external evils cannot be bullied". The above shows that the spleen and stomach are healthy, full of vitality, and internal injuries and exogenous diseases can be resisted, which is the key to disease prevention and health care.

2. Causes of spleen and stomach dysfunction

1) Internal visceral injury

According to Neijing, when a man reaches 40 years old and a woman reaches 35 years old, qi and blood begin to decline. He also said that when men reach "August 8th" (64 years old) and women reach "July 7th" (49 years old), the kidney qi will fail and the days will be over. Because the biochemistry of qi and blood depends on kidney qi, that is, congenital qi, also known as vitality, which is the driving force to promote human gasification. The maturity and transport of spleen and stomach (referring to digestion and absorption) depends not only on the warm transpiration of kidney yang, but also on the nourishment and moistening of kidney yin. When the kidney yang is warm, the yang of the spleen and stomach can be vigorous, so that the temper can be encouraged to rise; Kidney yin nourishes the spleen and stomach and reduces stomach qi. It can be seen that the power of spleen and stomach ascending and descending comes from kidney yin and kidney yang. Although the age of kidney qi deficiency in Neijing can only be used as a reference, it shows that kidney qi begins to decline after middle age, which will affect the function of spleen and stomach.

In addition, qi disorder is also a manifestation of internal injuries of viscera. The theory of zang-fu organs points out that the main function of spleen and stomach is that spleen governs ascending and clearing, while stomach governs descending turbidity, so that ying and Wei can be coordinated and the five internal organs can be in harmony. But "ascending and descending, no device", such as the release of liver qi, the declaration of lung qi, the warmth of heart fire, the nourishment of kidney water and so on. It is also the lifting of zang-fu organs, but they all take the spleen and stomach as the hub of lifting movement, thus forming a unified whole. Neijing said: "If you don't rise, you will fall. If you don't live, you will grow. If you don't melt, you will melt. If you don't collect, you will hide." Due to the mutual promotion and influence of ascending, descending and entering zang-fu organs, the dysfunction of spleen and stomach is closely related to other zang-fu organs. Conversely, other visceral dysfunction also affects the spleen and stomach, but the key lies in the spleen and stomach.

2) Exogenous pathogens

Exogenous pathogens include six evils and plague. "Six evils" refers to the human body's feelings about wind, cold, heat, humidity, dryness and fire. "Epidemic gas" refers to some highly contagious diseases and pathogens. When the human body's resistance drops or the pathogenic factors are too serious, the pathogenic factors will invade the human body. If it can't be eliminated in time, it will hurt the spleen and stomach, and diseases, such as stomach pain and diarrhea caused by colds, bacterial food poisoning, bacillary dysentery and intestinal typhoid fever, are all caused by external factors. The elderly have weak resistance and are prone to such diseases.

3) improper diet

People rely on diet to nourish the whole body, but when diet enters the stomach, it is necessary to rely on the spleen and stomach to transport essence and blood for the needs of viscera. The spleen and stomach function of the elderly naturally tends to decline, and their dietary intake is not as strong as that of young adults. Eating too much can't be digested and absorbed, and eating less nutrition is not enough. This requires knowing what to nurse. In addition, there is a preference for food, such as drinking, strong tea, or eating cold, smoked, fat and sweet things, especially after dusk, eating greasy products for a long time will inevitably lead to indigestion and other diseases. This is what the so-called "improper diet hurts the stomach" in Neijing means.

4) Seven emotions stimulation

The seven emotions in traditional Chinese medicine refer to seven emotional changes: joy, anger, worry, thinking, sadness, fear and shock, which belong to mental pathogenic factors. Excessive emotional stimulation will affect the function of the spleen and stomach. For example, after a great anger, the liver qi goes against the wind, causing the liver wood to multiply the spleen, causing abdominal pain and indigestion; Excessive thinking and poor qi stagnation lead to abnormal transportation, anorexia and fullness. People are an organic whole, and a dirty qi will affect each other, and the spleen and stomach are the hub of qi, so any excessive emotions will affect the function of the spleen and stomach.

5) Loss of work and rest

Labor refers to fatigue and injury, and escape refers to excessive escape. Injuries in TCM include three aspects: fatigue, labor and housework. Overwork, dark energy consumption, spleen and stomach stagnation, will produce palpitations, insomnia, anorexia, abdominal distension and other symptoms. Overwork, dirty gas consumption, and dark energy consumption will lead to mental fatigue, lack of gas, laziness in speaking, poor appetite, indigestion and other symptoms. As for sexual immorality and fatigue, there will be mental fatigue, backache, dizziness, loss of appetite or abdominal distension, loose stool and other symptoms. Housing labor is often neglected in life, and the kidney qi of the elderly naturally declines. If sexual intercourse is improper, the harm is particularly great, so in order to attract attention, it is specially mentioned.

The qi and blood circulation of human body is not expensive and stagnates. Normal and moderate labor can promote the circulation of qi and blood, stimulate metabolism and promote digestion and absorption of the spleen and stomach. If you are too comfortable, your qi will stagnate, which will affect your spleen and stomach function, hinder your health, and cause symptoms such as listlessness, obesity, palpitation, fatigue, abdominal distension and anorexia.

The above examples show that the spleen and stomach are not only important organs of the human body, but also dirty organs vulnerable to internal and external evils. Although there are many reasons for imbalance, its harm is one. Although the damage of spleen and stomach is not limited to any age, the spleen and stomach of the elderly have declined, and if they are not maintained, they are more likely to be disordered.

3. Harmfulness of spleen-stomach imbalance

In life activities, all tissues and organs of the human body are constantly moving, and the energy of their activities is mainly maintained by nutrients. Shui Gu enters the stomach, and after being digested by the stomach, the subtle substances in it are absorbed by the spleen, transformed into nutrients with different properties such as nutrition, health, qi and blood, body fluid and body fluid, and transported to the whole body for physiological activities. It can be seen that the spleen and stomach play an extremely important role in the human body. If the spleen and stomach are damaged and the vitality is insufficient, it is not enough to maintain the physical and mental activities inside and resist the invasion of external pathogens, which will lead to many diseases, so Li Dongyuan said: "All diseases are born in the spleen and stomach."

The result of spleen-stomach imbalance is the qi of clearing yang, which cannot be applied (all over the body); The essence of the day after tomorrow cannot be returned to Tibet (nourishing the viscera); Diet essence, no reason to enter; Waste and turbid things cannot be discharged; Many diseases occur. Clinically, if the temper does not rise and Shui Gu is too subtle to be lost, there will be symptoms such as mental fatigue, loss of appetite, bloated food intake, thin stool and edema of limbs. If the stomach qi does not fall or rise, constipation, abdominal distension, hiccups, vomiting and other symptoms will occur.

Diseases of the spleen and stomach also affect the upper heart and lungs and the lower liver and kidney. If the spleen and stomach are weak, the vitality is insufficient, the heart is full of fire, and the blood is deficient, then heart disease will occur; Weak spleen and stomach, inability to concentrate on the liver, or soil stagnation (abdominal distension, stagnation of liver qi) can cause liver disease; Spleen and stomach weakness, soil does not produce gold (spleen and stomach can not lose essence in the lungs), lung dystrophy, can cause lung disease; If the spleen and stomach are weak, the water will overflow if the soil does not make water (the spleen and stomach can not transport water, and it is wet and swollen), which can cause kidney disease. This is due to the dysfunction of spleen and stomach, which causes pathological changes of other viscera.

It must also be pointed out that the spleen and stomach are not only the source of qi and blood biochemistry, but also the place where pathogenic factors are produced inside the human body. As far as phlegm-dampness is concerned, the formation of phlegm-dampness is due to the fact that the digestion of food changes the normal metabolism and the body fluid (body fluid refers to normal body fluid) stagnates. The main reason of stagnation is that the spleen loses its health, the metabolism of body fluid is damaged, and it stagnates into phlegm, so there is a saying that the spleen is the source of phlegm. Dampness is also a damp disease caused by spleen-qi failing to transport water and dampness, water-liquid metabolism being blocked, and retention, so there is a saying that "dampness is full and belongs to spleen". This shows that water dampness and phlegm retention is a disease, although it is related to other viscera (lung and kidney), but the key is spleen. Phlegm dampness can also cause vomiting, cough, fullness, pain, swelling, asthma, palpitation and dizziness. From the occurrence of phlegm-dampness and its great harm to human body, we can see that spleen and stomach play an important role in the pathogenesis of human body.

Spleen and stomach dysfunction is particularly harmful to the elderly. Some common diseases of the elderly, such as obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, chronic heart failure, chronic bronchitis, chronic gastritis, constipation, anemia, atrophic gastritis and so on. From the pathological analysis of traditional Chinese medicine, it is related to the dysfunction of spleen and stomach, especially the elderly, whose vitality is insufficient and they cannot enjoy their natural life without nurturing.

4. The principle of regulating the spleen and stomach

The principle of regulating the spleen and stomach was summarized by Ye in Qing Dynasty as "Ascending the spleen should be healthy, descending the stomach should be harmonious, Taiyin (spleen) gets wet soil, Yangming (stomach) gets dry soil, and Yin gets quiet", which is the general principle of regulating the spleen and stomach that has been used in clinic so far (getting yang is warm medicine, getting yin is cool and wet medicine).

As for the conditioning method, it should be considered according to the physiological characteristics of the spleen and stomach and the elderly. Generally speaking, drug conditioning should be based on strengthening the spleen and nourishing the stomach yin, so that the middle energizer can rise and fall in an orderly manner. However, medication should be cautious, the tonic should not be too greasy, the attack should not be too excessive, the cold should not be too biased, and the heat should not be too dry. Seize the opportunity of good health and beware of hurting the stomach. In diet, we should be moderately hygienic, such as five flavors, sometimes the diet should be cold and hot, light and cooked, and all spicy and hot fried foods should be eaten less. It is still necessary to warm and cool, prevent evil injuries, regulate the mind, soothe the liver and regulate the spleen, exercise regularly to help the stomach digest food, prevent fatigue and nourish the temper, and maintain stomach qi everywhere, so that the acquired foundation can play an important role in health and longevity.

Cao Tingdong, a famous health care practitioner in Qing Dynasty, said: "It is more important to regulate the spleen and stomach in later years." The significance of strengthening the spleen and regulating the stomach of the elderly is highly summarized, which is concise and profound, and can be used as the motto of prolonging life.