Understanding Stomach-Qi Stagnation: The "Stuck Stomach" Pattern
What is "Stomach-Qi Stagnation"?
In Chinese Medicine, the Stomach is responsible for receiving food and, crucially, for directing the energy (Qi) of digestion downwards. This downward movement is essential for food to continue its journey through the digestive tract.
When you have Stomach-Qi Stagnation, this downward flow is blocked. The Qi has become stuck. Think of it like a blocked pipeline in the very center of your body. Nothing is moving smoothly. This creates a feeling of pressure, fullness, and distention right in the stomach area. Because the Qi can't go down, it may even start to "rebel" upwards, leading to belching, hiccups, or nausea.
What causes this pipeline to get blocked? The two most common culprits are:
- Emotions: Worry, pensiveness, and overthinking are the emotions that directly affect the digestive system. Eating while stressed, worried, or angry is a primary cause of Stomach-Qi Stagnation.
- Dietary Habits: Eating too quickly, not chewing properly, overeating, or eating at irregular times can overwhelm the Stomach, causing its function to seize up and stagnate.
The key signs of Stomach-Qi Stagnation are very distinct:
- A feeling of distention and fullness in the stomach area. This is the hallmark sign. It often feels worse after eating.
- Epigastric pain, which is typically distending in nature rather than sharp or burning.
- Frequent belching, hiccups, nausea, or even vomiting.
- A poor appetite because the stomach already feels "full" of stuck energy.
- The symptoms are often noticeably worse during or after periods of emotional stress or frustration.
Your acupressure treatment was designed to begin unblocking this pipeline, encouraging the downward flow of Qi, and soothing your digestive centre.
Lifestyle Advice: Getting Things Moving Again
The strategy is simple: we must move the stuck Qi and address the habits and emotions that cause the blockage.
1. Focus on *How* You Eat:
For this pattern, your eating habits are even more important than the specific foods you choose.
- Sit Down and Relax: Never eat while standing, walking, driving, or working. Your body cannot digest properly in a state of stress.
- Chew Thoroughly: Digestion begins in the mouth. Chewing your food well takes a huge burden off the Stomach.
- Eat Mindfully: Put away your phone and turn off the TV. Pay attention to your food. This signals to your body that it's time to digest.
- Don't Overeat: Stop eating when you are 70-80% full. Overloading the Stomach is a direct cause of stagnation.
2. Adopt a "Qi-Moving" Diet:
Choose foods that are easy to digest and have a gently moving quality.
- Eat Lightly: Favour simple, cooked meals. Avoid very large, heavy, greasy, or rich meals that are hard to move.
- Use Aromatic Spices: Cardamom, fennel, marjoram, and citrus peel (like orange or tangerine peel) have a wonderful ability to move stagnant Qi.
- A Gentle Walk After Meals: A slow, 5-10 minute walk after eating can help to encourage the downward movement of Stomach Qi.
3. Acupressure at Home:
Here is a crucial combination to unblock your stomach and soothe rebellious Qi.
- Conception Vessel 12 (Zhongwan - "Middle Epigastrium"): The front-alarm point of the Stomach.
- Location: On the midline of your abdomen, halfway between the bottom of your breastbone and your navel.
- How to: Place your palm over the area and rub in slow, gentle clockwise circles for 2-3 minutes. This directly addresses the local distention and encourages Qi to move.
- Pericardium 6 (Neiguan - "Inner Gate"): The master point for calming the Stomach and subduing rebellious Qi.
- Location: On your inner forearm, three finger-widths up from your main wrist crease, between the two prominent tendons.
- How to: Apply firm pressure for 1-2 minutes. This is the best point to relieve nausea, vomiting, and belching, and it also calms the mind.
By consciously changing your eating habits and managing stress, you can effectively clear this digestive traffic jam and restore comfort and flow.