Information sheets

Have you ever eaten a large meal and felt an intense, painful fullness, as if the food is just sitting there like a rock? This is a classic, acute pattern in Chinese Medicine called Retention of Food, or Food Stagnation. It's like jamming a garbage disposal by overloading it—the system simply grinds to a halt.

Key signs of this pattern include:

• Severe fullness and distention in the stomach.
• Discomfort that is noticeably relieved by vomiting.
• Sour belching, nausea, and intense bad breath.

This is almost always caused by overeating, eating too fast, or consuming a meal that is too rich and greasy. Our acupressure treatments aim to unblock the system and relieve nausea. The immediate lifestyle advice is to rest the stomach completely, then reintroduce simple foods, while the long-term fix lies in adopting mindful eating habits to prevent it from happening again.

Is your stomach pain a severe, sharp, stabbing feeling that stays in one fixed spot and feels worse with pressure? This is the hallmark of a serious Chinese Medicine pattern called Stomach Blood Stasis. It occurs when a long-term digestive issue progresses to a point where the Blood itself congeals and gets stuck in the Stomach.

Key signs of this pattern include:

• A fixed, stabbing pain in the stomach.
• Pain that is worse with pressure.
• In severe cases, vomiting of blood or passing black, tarry stools.

Vomiting blood or passing black stools is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY requiring immediate hospital care. Our acupressure therapy is a supportive treatment for this pattern only after a serious medical condition like a bleeding ulcer has been diagnosed and managed by a doctor. Our approach focuses on gently invigorating circulation and providing dietary advice to soothe the stomach lining.