Functional Dyspepsia — Beyond PPIs
Functional dyspepsia produces upper abdominal pain, fullness, and bloating without identifiable structural cause. PPIs help some patients but many continue with symptoms. At Nature’s Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Clinic in Belmont, Perth, Dr. Yang addresses the digestive and constitutional patterns underlying functional dyspepsia.
Do These Symptoms Sound Familiar?
- Upper abdominal pain or discomfort
- Early fullness with eating
- Postprandial fullness or distention
- Reduced appetite
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Belching
- Symptoms worse with stress
- Sleep disturbance from upper abdominal symptoms
- Persistent despite normal endoscopy
Why PPIs Don’t Always Help — The Functional Pattern
PPIs reduce stomach acid — helpful for acid-related dyspepsia but ineffective for the majority where acid is not the primary driver. Prokinetics help motility patterns. The underlying constitutional pattern often persists despite medication.
Classical Chinese medicine identifies four patterns. Most functional dyspepsia involves liver-stomach disharmony, spleen deficiency, or constitutional weakness. Pattern-matched treatment addresses these directly.
Your Treatment Timeline
- Acupuncture 1–2× weekly
- Pattern assessment
- Chinese herbal formula — pattern-matched
- Trigger identification
- Continue PPI/prokinetic if currently helpful
- Postprandial symptoms reducing
- Appetite improving
- Bloating diminishing
- Stress trigger threshold higher
- Formula adjusted
- Underlying pattern resolving
- Reduced medication need
- Long-term dietary patterns
- Constitutional rebuilding
- Periodic maintenance
Supporting Research
- Eat slowly with smaller portions
- Identify and reduce trigger foods
- Stress management practices
- Walk after meals
- Address underlying anxiety or depression
- Large or rich meals
- Eating quickly while stressed
- Alcohol
- Smoking
- Self-prescribed long-term PPI without periodic review
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I have endoscopy first?
Yes for new symptoms or if alarm features (weight loss, bleeding, persistent vomiting). Once organic causes excluded, functional dyspepsia is the diagnosis.
Can I stop my PPI?
Discuss with GP. Many patients can taper PPI as constitutional treatment addresses underlying pattern. Don’t stop abruptly.
How quickly improvement?
Many notice symptom reduction in 2-3 weeks. Substantial improvement 4-8 weeks.
Stress connection?
Strong — many functional dyspepsia patterns are liver-stomach disharmony involving stress.
Diet matters?
Yes — pattern-specific dietary recommendations support treatment.
Will this come back?
Pattern-matched treatment substantially reduces recurrence. Stress management maintains resolution.
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