Functional dyspepsia

Key Points

First, what cannot wait

Understanding the Condition

In plain words: the endoscopy shows nothing wrong, yet after meals you feel full, blocked and vaguely sore — that is functional dyspepsia. The problem is not tissue damage but a glitch in how the stomach works.

Unlike an organic disease, it reflects a brain–gut axis disturbance: delayed gastric emptying, heightened sensitivity to distension, and abnormal interdigestive motility, so food seems to "sit" in the stomach.

Why It Keeps Coming Back

Because triggers hide in daily habits: eating too fast, fatty meals, coffee and strong tea, late-night eating, plus stress and anxiety beyond H. pylori — acid suppressants alone often ease only part of it.

Chronic tension amplifies gut discomfort through the brain–gut axis, and many people feel more bloated the more anxious they get, a self-reinforcing loop.

Our Pattern-Based Approach

TCM names it "stomach duct pain" or "pi man" (fullness-obstruction), reading patterns rather than the label. Common ones: spleen-deficiency with qi stagnation — post-meal bloating and fatigue; liver–stomach disharmony — bloating and belching that flares with emotion; spleen–stomach cold-deficiency — dull pain relieved by warmth and pressure.

Acupuncture aims to restore the middle-jiao pivot: mainly Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), Neiguan (PC6) and Taichong (LR3), plus diet and emotional regulation. We promise no "one-session cure", only the change in symptom frequency over weeks.

Common patterns and treatment directions

Patterns are determined in person. This list is for orientation only and is not a self-diagnosis tool.

The Evidence

• The 2003 WHO report lists "epigastric pain (peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, gastrospasm)" among conditions for which acupuncture has proven efficacy; the upper-abdominal symptoms of functional dyspepsia overlap closely and are commonly treated.
  — WHO, Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials

What to expect: first visit to follow-up

1. First visit · about 40 minutesBring prior tests. We take a full history, read pulse and tongue, and establish a pattern diagnosis, first checking whether yours suits acupuncture and herbs; red flags mean we refer for endoscopy first.
2. Plan discussion · same dayWe explain the pattern, planned points and frequency, when the first review happens, and which cases need a gastroenterologist.
3. Weeks 1-4One to two sessions per week, focused on reducing post-meal fullness and dull pain; you keep the diary at home.
4. Week 4-6 · first reviewDiary data before and after guide whether we continue, adjust points, or move to a longer maintenance interval.

Course of care and follow-up

• Assessment usually runs in 4-6 week cycles
• Once symptoms ease, care may shift to maintenance every 2-4 weeks
• Pattern diagnosis is re-assessed yearly or on symptom change
• We work alongside your gastroenterologist: never stop prescribed drugs on your own

When to Seek Care

Before your visit:

• Keep a food-and-symptom diary (what you ate, when it bloated, mood)
• Eat regularly, chew slowly, avoid fatty food and late-night meals
• Cut caffeine and carbonated drinks; learn basic stress management

Consider an in-person consultation if:

• New dyspepsia after age 40 with no prior endoscopy
• With weight loss, anaemia, dysphagia or black stools (see warnings below)
• No clear improvement after more than two weeks of acid or prokinetic drugs

Supportive Care

• Smaller, more frequent meals; stop at about 70% full
• Reduce spice, fat, strong tea, coffee and cold foods
• Walk after meals rather than sitting or lying down
• Manage mood: anxiety-linked bloating needs "coursing", not "suppressing"

FAQ

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Prepared by licensed TCM physicians · Updated 2026-09

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