How long does it take for digestive disorders to get better?

There is no unified standard for the recovery time of digestive disorders. Most mild symptoms caused by short-term diet and work and rest disorders can be significantly improved in 1 to 2 weeks. Chronic patients with a disease duration of more than half a year and accompanying emotional problems such as anxiety and depression often require 3 to 6 months or even longer long-term intervention to stabilize and improve. Of course, what we are talking about here is to rule out functional problems such as gastritis, ulcers, gastrointestinal polyps and other organic diseases. If you have underlying gastrointestinal diseases, the pace of recovery must follow the treatment of the underlying disease.

Not long ago, I met a college student who had just graduated. He stayed up for more than 20 days and nights in a row in order to rush for his defense. He relied on iced milk tea and spicy takeout to satisfy his hunger. During that time, he would either not have a bowel movement for two or three days, or he would have diarrhea as soon as he drank something cold. His stomach was so bloated that he couldn't even wear a tight-fitting T-shirt. After a gastrointestinal endoscopy, everything was normal, which is a typical short-term functional disorder. When I came back, I listened to advice and stopped all iced drinks and heavy takeaways. I ate three meals a day at the same time, only eating 70% full for each meal. I stood for 10 minutes before sitting down after meals, and rubbed my belly clockwise for 5 minutes before going to bed. It took only 11 days. He came for a follow-up consultation and said that the flatulence was basically gone and he could defecate once a day.

In clinical practice, we often encounter two extreme perceptions. Some people think that this is not an organic problem anyway, and it will get better on its own within a few days, without any adjustments. Others think that it must be cured by medication, and that it can be completely cured by taking medicines that promote gastric motility and stop diarrhea for two days. In fact, both of these ideas are prone to detours.

Think about it, the gastrointestinal tract is a well-known "emotional organ". Not only what you eat will affect it, but also work and rest, stress and even mood swings will affect its state. Just like you usually use a spring, occasionally pull it twice beyond the elastic limit, and it will bounce back quickly if you loosen your hand. If you pull it every day for several months, the spring will be deformed. How can it be restored to its original shape immediately after loosening it?

I once met a 34-year-old Internet operator who stayed up late all year long to work on projects, missed all three meals on time, and was infected with Helicobacter pylori. He suffered from recurring digestive disorders for almost three years. He suffered from stomachache and diarrhea whenever he reached the point where he had to hit KPIs. He had taken a lot of medicine before, but every time it was relieved, he would go back to stay up late and eat late-night snacks, but he still couldn't get rid of the problem. Later, I first killed the pylorus, adjusted my diet and rest for more than three months, and also took time to practice yoga three times a week to relieve stress. Only then did I slowly reduce the frequency of attacks. It has been almost half a year now, and I have basically not had any attacks.

In fact, you really don’t have to worry about how long it will take to get better. You can feel the changes in the first three or four days after you start adjusting. For example, you used to feel nervous after eating, but now you feel comfortable even if you are seventy percent full. You used to have acid reflux when you eat something cold, but now you don’t feel uncomfortable when you drink room temperature water. This is a sign of improvement. Just stick to this rhythm. Don’t give up after just two or three days of adjustment without seeing any obvious results, and go back to eating and drinking and staying up late. It will definitely heal slowly.