How long does it take to treat digestive disorders?

There is really no unified standard answer to this question. Most patients with mild symptoms can be significantly relieved in 1-2 weeks if they are adjusted properly. If it has developed into a chronic condition and is tied to emotions or long-term bad habits, it may take 3-6 months or even longer to return to a stable state.

Not long ago, when I was registering cases for teachers in the outpatient clinic, I met a girl who was just entering her junior year. She stayed up all night for a week in advance of the finals, relying on iced milk tea and heavy oil takeout. She suddenly started to suffer from abdominal distension and acid reflux, and she became full after just two mouthfuls. After a gastroscopy, there were no organic problems. It was just ordinary functional indigestion, which is the mildest type of digestive disorder. After she returned home, she honestly stopped drinking iced drinks. She drank millet porridge and steamed eggs for three meals a day, which were easy to digest. She walked slowly for 20 minutes after meals every day. She followed the doctor's instructions and took digestive drugs and probiotics for a week. She came back for a follow-up visit in less than 10 days and said she felt almost no discomfort.

But if you have been suffering from digestive disorders for several months, don't expect to be completely cured in a week and a half. There was a patient in his 40s who worked in sales. He had irregular meals and had to drink with customers every now and then for almost ten years. At first, he only occasionally had diarrhea after eating bad food and didn't take it seriously. Later, it gradually developed to drinking cold drinks. He even had abdominal pain and had to run to the toilet when he was nervous before meeting a customer. After a colonoscopy, there were no problems such as ulcers and polyps. He was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, which is a more stubborn type of digestive disorder. He adjusted much more slowly. First, he drank most of the unnecessary drinks, followed the doctor's instructions to take medicine to regulate intestinal motility and mood, and played badminton three nights a week to relieve stress. It took almost 5 months before he finally didn't have to look for the toilet before going out.

Nowadays, the opinions on this issue on the Internet are quite polarized. Some people say that digestive disorders can be cured by just taking probiotics in three to five days, while others say that this problem is an "incurable disease" that will not be eradicated for a lifetime. In fact, both opinions are quite extreme. You can compare the digestive function of your intestines and stomach to an old-fashioned wall clock at home. Occasionally, you bump it and forget to wind it, so it goes faster or slower. You can twist the winder to adjust the hands and the hands will return to their original position quickly. ； If it is not taken care of for many years, the gears will be worn and chipped. If you want to repair it, you will have to polish the parts bit by bit, which will naturally take several times more effort.

What's more, there are still many people whose digestive disorders are not caused by their gastrointestinal problems at all, but are tied to emotions. I once had a menopausal aunt who suffered from abdominal bloating and hiccups for more than half a year. She had undergone gastroscopy and colonoscopy, but nothing could be found. Even after taking a lot of medicine, the problem was not getting better. Later, the doctor recommended that she go to a psychosomatic department. Only then did she find out that it was a gastrointestinal disorder caused by long-term anxiety and insomnia. After adjusting her emotions at the same time, most of the gastrointestinal discomfort disappeared in less than a month.

In fact, there is really no need to dwell on the result of "how long it will take to get better." The more anxious you are, the easier it will be to burden your stomach and intestines. First, find out what the trigger of your disorder is. Is it because you have eaten too much recently, stayed up too late, or have long-term bad habits or emotional problems. If you make appropriate adjustments, you will naturally avoid many detours.