"Suffocating Epigastric Pain": First Aid and Prevention for Acute Food Retention While Eating

The symptoms of acute food retention, which Donguibogam described as blocked qi flow, can be understood in modern medicine as a state in which the complex interaction between our body's autonomic nervous system and digestive organs is temporarily disrupted. In particular, the vagus nerve is an important nerve connecting the brain and the digestive system, and when this vagus nerve is excessively stimulated during overeating or acute food retention, various systemic symptoms can appear. Sudden gastric dilatation or dyspepsia stimulates the vagus nerve, which can cause a rapid heartbeat, cold sweats, dizziness, and in severe cases, syncope. This is essentially the body's way of sending an emergency signal that food is not being digested properly. When food stays in the stomach for too long due to decreased gastrointestinal motility, gastric acid secretion continues while emptying does not occur, severely irritating the stomach wall and intensifying pain. When the stomach muscles undergo convulsion at this time, we feel the excruciating pain commonly referred to as gastric spasm. A major cause in this entire process is that the pylorus between the stomach and duodenum spasms or shuts tightly, preventing food from passing down. Furthermore, stress in modern people is one of the most common triggers of acute food retention. Under stress, the sympathetic nerve becomes hyperactive, which suppresses digestive system function. Blood supply concentrates in the muscles or brain instead of going to the stomach, digestive enzyme secretion decreases, and gastrointestinal motility slows down. When greasy or cold food is added to this, the digestive system, already weakened by stress, cannot cope and develops food stagnation. Inflammatory responses in the stomach (acute gastritis) or imbalances in pancreatic enzymes can also be causes of these acute digestive diseases. While it is easy to think simply that digestion is poor, in reality, the complex nervous system and endocrine system inside our body are intertwined, signaling an emergency situation.