I. Traditional Chinese Medicine's Understanding of Cholecystitis and Cholelithiasis

I. Traditional Chinese Medicine's Understanding of Cholecystitis and Cholelithiasis

<!-- translated-chunk:12/16 -->

The four major symptoms of cholecystitis and cholelithiasis—pain, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice—can generally be categorized under traditional Chinese medicine terms such as "hypochondriac pain," "bile distention," "jaundice," and "chest obstruction with yellowing." These conditions primarily arise from factors like emotional stagnation, dietary indiscretion, external pathogenic factors, parasitic interference (such as roundworms), and local environmental conditions, leading to impaired liver-gallbladder function and bile stasis. The gallbladder is one of the six fu organs, characterized by its role in transporting and transforming substances without storing them; thus, it is inherently full but cannot be completely filled. Consequently, the gallbladder functions best when it remains unobstructed. If bile becomes stagnant due to blockage from gallstones, it results in a condition of gallbladder fullness and dysfunction. Therefore, the pathogenesis of acute cholecystitis and cholelithiasis is marked by gallbladder fullness and obstruction. When obstruction occurs, pain ensues; since bile drainage is impeded, qi inevitably rises upward, causing nausea and vomiting. Bile stasis leads to damp-heat that permeates the skin, resulting in jaundice. Over time, if liver-gallbladder function remains disordered, wood energy overcomes spleen (stomach) earth, disrupting the spleen-stomach's ability to transform and transport food, which manifests as abdominal distension, poor appetite, belching with acid regurgitation, heartburn, and irregular bowel movements—these are the clinical manifestations of chronic cholecystitis. It should be noted that, due to the prolonged course and recurrent episodes of chronic cholecystitis, the disease often presents with alternating deficiency and excess patterns, mixed cold and heat syndromes, and concurrent qi-blood disorders, making treatment challenging. Clinically, diagnosis and treatment must focus closely on the pathological changes in the liver, gallbladder, spleen, and stomach.