Doctor Explains When You Shouldn’t Fast, and When Chest Pains May Be Due to Stomach Problems

Not everyone can intermittent fast

Short-term use of NSAIDs is associated with heart failure in individuals with Type 2 diabetes.fizkes/Shutterstock

More and more people have gastrointestinal problems, sometimes with symptoms patients don’t recognize are related to their gastrointestinal systems. Besides seeing the doctor for the right medicine, some food can also help improve the symptoms.

Dr. Lai Jui-Hsin, director of Hanmingtang Clinics of Taipei, noticed that there are more and more patients with gastrointestinal problems in the clinic. She said that some of these symptoms are detected by the patients themselves, while others are difficult to detect.

Gastrointestinal symptoms that patients are conscious of include flatulence, hiccups, stomach pain, acid reflux, a burning sensation in the stomach, constipation, and diarrhea.

Gastrointestinal symptoms that are hard to detect include chest tightness, chest pain, palpitations, or sleep and mood disruption.

Dr. Lai said that many patients in the clinic have chest pain and palpitations caused by the stomach, such as acid reflux. When the acid reflux reaches the middle part of the esophagus, which is in the chest, it will erode the mucous membrane of the esophagus and cause discomfort in the chest for a long time, making the patient think that there is a problem with the heart.

Stomach inflammation and a bloated stomach will also cause chest tightness. As the diaphragm is above the stomach and above the diaphragm is the chest cavity, heart and lung symptoms will be triggered when the pressure of the stomach pushes upward to the chest cavity.

Fasting and Coffee

Diet is the most direct cause of gastrointestinal problems.

The main causes of gastrointestinal problems are eating under pressure, eating too fast, eating too much, and fasting for too long.

For example, business or work pressure, or irregular meal times of service industry workers tend to result in over-hunger. Some people are hungry for too long, and they tend to eat too much food in the next meal.

In addition, intermittent fasting is a popular diet method. Dr. Lai believes that fasting is a great burden on the stomach and intestines, because the fasting time is typically long.

“I actually do not recommend fasting,” Dr. Lai said, “unless your stomach is very healthy.”

Take for example the practice of 16/8 intermittent fasting, which involves limiting your intake of foods and calorie-containing beverages to a set window of 8 hours per day. In this practice, Dr. Lai suggested that it be best to go to bed early after dinner so as not to be hungry for too long. However, many people eat dinner before 8 o‘clock, and they stay up until 1 or 2 o’clock in the middle of the night before going to bed. This would result in abnormal stomach acid secretion.

“For those who plan to lose weight, I think adjusting the diet is better than fasting,” she said.

Types of food that tend to stimulate the stomach are baked foods, fried foods, spicy foods, iced foods, meals that are too oily or greasy, and drinks with too much caffeine.

You don’t need to completely avoid these foods, but eat in moderation. For example, a small amount of chili pepper added to the meal can add to the taste and help metabolism. People with cold and deficiency syndrome can eat a little chili pepper to improve their gastrointestinal problems. However, if people often eat very spicy or heavily salted meals, the body will lose its balance.

Licorice root. mirzamlk/Shutterstock

7 Types of Food to Nourish the Stomach

“Patients will ask me what to eat more of, and I will say, ‘What to eat less of,’” Dr. Lai said. Below, the doctor recommended seven foods that are easy on the stomach, intestines, and spleen, and suitable for any body type. But, she cautioned, even good food should be eaten in moderation.

Licorice root: Neutral in nature and sweet in flavor, it can regulate the functions of the stomach and relieve the discomfort of the spleen and stomach. Many Chinese herbal decoctions contain licorice as it can reduce the side effects and irritation of other herbs that are irritating to the stomach and intestines.

Licorice tablets can be taken directly with hot water or used as herbs in stewed soups.

Four-herbs soup: The four major herbs used in the soup are: yam, poria mushroom, fox nuts (makhanas), and lotus seeds, all of which are very mild and safe with the effect of tonifying the spleen and stomach, suitable for the whole family.

Okra: This and other mucilaginous foods and herbs—slimy or gelatinous foods—have a stomach-nourishing effect because foods with mucus can protect the mucous membrane of the stomach. Chinese medicine has a herb called hyacinth orchid, which gives a mucilaginous feeling when bitten and is mostly used in the treatment of ulcers. Okra has a similar effect as hyacinth orchid.

Japanese yam: Yams can nourish the lung yin and the stomach yin. Raw Japanese yam has more mucilaginous fluids and has better stomach protective effects than normal yams.

Black and white wood ear mushrooms: They are both neutral in nature with a little cooling effect, but the cooling impact is not significant. The fungus has a gelatinous quality that can nourish the stomach, but gout patients should eat less. In addition, black fungus is good for the kidney, while white fungus can lubricate the lungs and improve lung dryness.

Barley tea: Barley can improve the functions of the spleen and stomach, but you shouldn’t be drinking tea in place of your daily water intake.

Lukewarm boiled water: Drinking warm boiled water every day is good for the stomach and intestines. It can maintain the normal peristalsis of the stomach and intestines, and also helps to eliminate body waste. You don’t have to drink very hot water; the water temperature and body temperature can be about the same. In summer, you can drink water at room temperature; in winter, when room temperature gets too low, you need to add some hot water.

Dr. Lai pointed out that the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract extends upward to the mouth. So even if you contain ice water in the mouth until it becomes warm and then swallow it, it will also affect the gastrointestinal tract.

2 Tea Recipes

Below are two Chinese herbal teas to improve stomach pain and abnormal bowel movements.

For people who are usually prone to stomach pain, or whose stomach and intestines are affected by stress, there are two Chinese herbal teas that can help improve the situation.

Stomach Pain Relief 

Ingredients: American ginseng, white peony root, and licorice root, in the ratio of 3:3:1 or 2:2:1.

The combination of these three herbs can improve stomach cramps, intestinal peristalsis, and other related conditions.

Stress Relief

Ingredients: Chinese patchouli (also known as Indian mint), dried tangerine peel, and peppermint, in a ratio of 3:3:1.

Emotions and stress can easily affect the stomach and intestines, which in turn can lead to many diseases. In Chinese medicine, “liver” is related to emotions, and Chinese patchouli, dried tangerine peel, and peppermint can improve the function of the liver.