How to Get Rid of Dampness in the Body
Introduction to Dampness:
Dampness is one of the climatic factors in nature. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon says, "Above the Taiyin meridian, dampness dominates." Dampness can be harmful to the body, as it is sticky and heavy, and can easily damage the Yang energy.
Nowadays, people eat too much meat and consume contaminated food, resulting in a lack of exercise and an imbalance of Yin and Yang in the body, leading to the accumulation of dampness. This is why their bowel movements are not normal. Why is there so little formed stool? According to traditional Chinese medicine, loose stools are a sign of weak spleen function. Chinese people should consume a variety of grains and cereals as their main diet, but nowadays, meat is the main component of their diet, which is detrimental to the spleen and stomach. Therefore, the lack of formed stool indicates spleen weakness and the presence of dampness in the body.
Dampness is the Source of Various Diseases
Among the six pathogenic factors in traditional Chinese medicine, namely wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire, dampness is the most feared.
Dampness is the most easily penetrable. Dampness never fights alone; it always conspires with other pathogenic factors. When dampness combines with cold, it becomes cold-dampness. Just like in winter, no matter how cold it is, as long as the weather is dry, people can tolerate it. However, if there is a heavy presence of dampness, people will feel uncomfortable. Winter in the southern regions of China is more uncomfortable than in the northern regions because the dampness is heavier and the cold-dampness attacks people.
When dampness combines with heat, it becomes damp-heat. This is like a sauna in summer, with both heat and humidity, making it difficult to breathe and not as comfortable as a hot and dry day.
When dampness combines with wind, it becomes wind-dampness. It is relatively easy to dispel wind, but once it becomes wind-dampness, it often becomes a chronic disease that is difficult to cure in a short period of time. When dampness accumulates under the skin, it leads to obesity, which is also a difficult health problem to deal with.
Signs of Excessive Dampness in the Body
People with excessive dampness in the body are mostly those who consume greasy food and lack exercise. At the same time, they often feel heavy and weak in their limbs due to the heavy dampness in their body. This creates a vicious cycle where the less they exercise, the more dampness accumulates in their body. Over time, this will inevitably lead to the invasion of dampness into the spleen, causing a series of severe conditions.
Excessive dampness in the body can cause fatigue, heaviness in the limbs, loss of appetite, cold hands and feet, skin rashes, uncomfortable greasiness on the face, and even gastrointestinal symptoms such as gastritis. Tongue coating is usually thick and white. This may be related to emotional stagnation, excessive fatigue, overeating (especially fatty and sweet foods), and excessive intake of cold foods.
Poor gastrointestinal function, low energy, heaviness in the limbs, skin rashes, and worsening freckles are the most typical signs of excessive dampness in the body.
