How long does it take to treat digestive disorders?

There is no unified recovery timetable for the treatment of digestive disorders. Mild cases can be basically relieved in 1-2 weeks if the adjustment plan is in place. Those with a long course, combined with anxiety or poor eating habits often require 3-6 months or even longer long-term intervention to stabilize the condition.

Not long ago, I met a newly graduated Internet intern. He had been working on a project for more than 20 days in a row, relying on iced milk tea and fried skewers every now and then. Suddenly something went wrong. He became bloated and burped after just two bites. His acid reflux made his throat hurt. He went for a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy, but there was no problem. The diagnosis was a transient digestive disorder. After she returned home, she followed the doctor's instructions and drank soft porridge and noodles for a week. She went to bed at ten o'clock and even gave up the iced milk tea she had been drinking for several years. After 10 days, she told me that she was able to eat tomato pot with her friends normally.

But if you've been suffering from recurring gastrointestinal discomfort for several years, don't pursue a "quick cure in a week." Lao Chen, who runs a small restaurant downstairs in his home, is a typical example. He works in the kitchen all the time, and his meals are always separated from the customers. In his free time, he likes cold beer and braised meat. He has had diarrhea on and off for almost three years, and he always thought it was a minor problem. It eventually developed into stomach cramps when he was nervous to receive customers, and he had to go to the toilet immediately. After a colonoscopy, there were no ulcers or polyps. He was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, a chronic digestive disorder. It took a lot of effort for him to adjust. First, he had to forcefully change his irregular eating habits all year round, then slowly adjust his intestinal sensitivity with a low-FODMAP diet, and occasionally do some emotional counseling. It took him almost five months to finally carry half a pack of toilet paper without going out.

Nowadays, everyone's understanding of the treatment of this disease is quite polarized. Some people think that it is not an organic disease anyway, and it is good to take some digestion-promoting and anti-diarrheal medicine to suppress the symptoms. Others think that the medicine is three parts poisonous, and there is no need to take any medicine, and it is enough to rely on food supplements. In fact, both of these ideas are a bit extreme. Mild symptoms when symptoms first appear are indeed mainly based on lifestyle adjustments. If necessary, use some medicine to relieve discomfort and get better quickly. ； But if it has become chronic, taking medicine without changing bad habits is equivalent to tearing down walls while mending holes. Symptoms will always recur. However, if you insist on not taking medicine and only rely on nutrition, many people's intestinal flora has become chaotic, or their gastrointestinal motility is so poor that they cannot digest anything they eat. Dietary adjustments alone are too inefficient and tend to prolong the disease longer.

It’s quite vivid to say that our digestive axis is like a small clock that follows the rhythm of your life. Either the parts are broken, or it has been used incorrectly all year round and is a little off track. When you first find that it runs slowly, dial it twice to correct it. It will run normally soon. If you let it run off for three to five years and the gears become slippery, you must slowly run in and calibrate it. There is no rush. Oh, by the way, there is another point that many people ignore. Digestive function is closely related to emotions. The more anxious you are to force yourself to get better, the easier it is to put extra burden on your stomach and intestines. Calm down and adjust slowly, and you will eventually get over it.