Treatments in Conventional Medicine and Their Limitations
Conventional medicine prioritizes sodium restriction and diuretics to control ascites.
- Diet & Diuretics: Sodium intake is restricted to <2g/day, and Spironolactone and Furosemide are used to excrete fluid.
- Paracentesis: Large volumes of ascites are drained directly with a needle if medication fails.
- TIPS: Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt is performed to lower portal pressure in severe cirrhosis.
[Limitations]
Long-term diuretic use can cause electrolyte imbalance (hyponatremia, hyperkalemia) and kidney dysfunction.
Repeated paracentesis increases the risk of albumin loss and infection (Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis). Without improving fundamental liver function, patients often face a vicious cycle of recurrent ascites.
BM's Integrative Solution: Circulatory Improvement Beyond Diuresis
BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic facilitates the natural excretion of fluids by aiding the "Qi Transformation (氣化)" of the Kidney and Bladder and relieving Liver congestion, rather than forcing diuresis.
- Warming Yang to Promote Water Flow (溫陽利水): We use formulas like Jinmu-tang to boost Kidney Yang and promote water metabolism, controlling edema and ascites without electrolyte imbalance.
- Moving Qi to Guide Stagnation (行氣導滯)): For bloating due to gas, we use herbs like Magnolia Bark (Hubak, 厚朴) and Immature Bitter Orange (Jisil, 枳實) to promote gut motility, expel gas, and lower abdominal pressure.
- Preserving Liver Function: For cirrhotic ascites, we combine herbal treatments that protect hepatocytes and inhibit fibrosis to mitigate the root cause of portal hypertension.
Evidence-Based Korean Medicine (Scientific Evidence)
Studies prove that Korean Medicine is effective in improving cirrhotic ascites and functional abdominal distention.
- Effect of Herbal Medicine on Cirrhotic Ascites: A meta-analysis shows that herbal medicine combined with diuretics is more effective in reducing ascites and lowers complication rates compared to diuretics alone.
- Kim S, Lee Y, Cho N, Choi H, Kim K. A Systematic review of herbal medicine in the Treatment of Cirrhotic ascites. Journal of Korean Medicine. 2021;42(4):222-237. doi:10.13048/jkm.21049
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- Acupuncture for Functional Abdominal Distention (Postprandial Distress Syndrome): A large-scale clinical trial demonstrated that acupuncture significantly improves postprandial fullness and early satiety, with effects persisting after treatment.
- Yang JW, Wang LQ, Zou X, et al. Effect of acupuncture for postprandial distress syndrome. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2020;172(12):777-785. doi:10.7326/m19-2880
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- Regulation of Water Metabolism by Goreisan (Wuling San): It has been revealed that Goreisan regulates Aquaporin channels to prevent unnecessary fluid retention and improve ascites.
- Ogura K, Fujitsuka N, Nahata M, Tokita Y. Goreisan promotes diuresis by regulating the abundance of aquaporin 2 phosphorylated at serine 269 through calcium-sensing receptor activation. Scientific Reports. 2024;14(1):29650. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-81324-y
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