Stay Safe During Spring Festival: Avoid Acute Intestinal Obstruction

Title: Stay Safe During Spring Festival: Avoid Acute Intestinal Obstruction Author: Hu Meide, Department of General Surgery, Xiangdong Hospital Affiliated to Hunan Normal University. Introduction: During the Spring Festival, diet changes can cause serious intestinal issues. This article offers dietary advice for maintaining health. Keywords: ['Gut health', 'Diet Management', 'Acute intestinal obstruction'] Main text: The Spring Festival is a peak period for acute intestinal obstruction. The intestines serve as a one-way highway transporting nutrients within the body, and intestinal obstruction results in a severe traffic jam on this highway, preventing contents from passing through normally. This can lead to symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloating in mild cases, while severe cases may result in intestinal necrosis, perforation, and can pose a life-threatening risk. Significant changes in diet and routine during the holiday are the main triggers. Please keep this protection guide handy to safeguard your intestinal health while celebrating the New Year!

Diet Management: Lighten the Load on the Gut, Maintain a Clear Line of Digestion. Core principles: easily digestible, minimally irritating, and preventing clumping. 1. Staples: Prefer soft foods, select sticky and hard foods with caution. Recommended: soft rice, overcooked noodles, millet porridge/yam porridge, steamed buns, sweet rice cake. Carefully choose: products made from glutinous rice such as rice cakes, tangyuan (glutinous rice balls), and zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), as well as unleavened hard breads and corn sticks. 2. Dishes: Choose by color zones for safer eating. Green Light District (Safe to Eat): Steamed fish, minced meat steamed egg, braised soft winter melon/pumpkin, peeled and seeded tomatoes, and tender boiled leafy vegetables. Yellow Light District (exercise caution when eating): Coarse-fiber vegetables such as celery, leeks, and bamboo shoots (must be finely chopped, cooked thoroughly, and chewed well); fruits with coarse fibers like jujubes, persimmons, and hawthorn (do not eat persimmons on an empty stomach, as they can easily lead to stomach stones); whole nuts such as peanuts and sunflower seeds (chew slowly and thoroughly, do not swallow whole). Red Light District (Do not eat): Fried foods, fatty meats, spicy peppers, and a large amount of raw and cold foods. 3. Habits: Chew slowly and thoroughly, and refrain from binge eating. Chew each bite 20 to 30 times until the food is reduced to a paste. Eat smaller, more frequent meals by changing three meals a day into five to six meals, avoiding overeating at any one meal. Focus on eating and avoid talking or laughing while you eat to prevent swallowing too much air. Drink selection: Adequate hydration, avoid intestinal irritation. Core principle: Hydrate to nourish the intestines and avoid stimulating beverages. 1. Drink more: warm water (drink regularly to ensure daily water intake), light vegetable soup, and small amounts of strained apple juice/orange juice. 2. Limit or avoid: alcohol (which irritates the intestines and worsens inflammation and swelling), carbonated drinks (which produce a large amount of gas and exacerbate bloating), and strong tea or coffee. Adjust your daily routine: stabilize your intestinal biological clock to promote normal peristalsis. Core principles: Maintain a regular schedule, avoid lying down or engaging in strenuous activity after meals. 1. Post-meal activities: Sit quietly or take a slow walk for 15-20 minutes to promote digestion; avoid lying down or slouching immediately after eating, and refrain from engaging in intense activities such as playing ball or running right away to prevent twisting of the intestines. 2. Regular Sleep: Avoid staying up late and ensure sufficient sleep to maintain the stability of the autonomic nervous system, which guarantees normal intestinal motility. 3. Scheduled bowel movements: Even if your routine changes, stick to a regular toilet schedule to prevent constipation (constipation is a direct trigger for fecal impaction). Special Population: High-Risk Individuals for Intestinal Traffic Jam, Focus on Protection. This group of people is at high risk for bowel obstruction, and extra care should be taken during holidays. 1. Individuals with a history of abdominal surgery (highest risk): Abdominal adhesions can reduce intestinal activity, making it easy to trigger adhesive intestinal obstruction. It is essential to strictly follow all protective recommendations and avoid overeating. 2. Middle-aged and elderly individuals: With weakened intestinal motility, it is advisable to prepare softer and more easily digestible foods. Including bananas and ripe kiwis, which are sources of dietary fiber that are easy to digest, can be beneficial. Family members should pay close attention to any signs of bloating and gas. 3. Young children: Excessive eating or swallowing of fruit pits and small parts can lead to mechanical intestinal obstruction. Parents should supervise their diet and manage food preparation carefully. 4. For those who are bedridden for a long time or have limited mobility: intestinal peristalsis slows down, so it is important to maintain a light diet, drink plenty of water, and combine this with abdominal massage and passive activities. Emergency Alert: If you experience these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately! If your body shows the following signals, it indicates that your intestines may be paralyzed. Immediately refrain from eating and drinking, seek medical attention right away, and do not take laxatives or painkillers on your own to avoid worsening the condition! 1. Abdominal pain: paroxysmal, worsening colicky pain, or persistent abdominal pain. 2. Vomiting: In the early stages, it consists of gastric contents, while in the later stages, there may be fecal-smelling vomit. 3. Abdominal distension: The abdomen is swollen and asymmetrical. 4. Ceasing to pass gas or stool: the most typical sign of intestinal obstruction. 5. A mass can be seen in the abdomen, or there is a bulge at the site of a previous surgical scar. During the Spring Festival, while enjoying the delicious food, gut health is even more important. By adhering to the core principles of easy to digest, drink plenty of water, and stay active, take good care of your digestive system to ensure a happy and worry-free celebration this New Year! Special Contributor from Hunan Medical Chat: Hu Meide, Department of General Surgery, Xiangdong Hospital Affiliated to Hunan Normal University. Follow @Hunan Medical Chat to get more health science information! (Editing 92)