Many people use "Sanfu" plasters during the hottest days of summer to prevent diseases. Can these plasters help eliminate dampness?
Can "Sanfu" plasters eliminate dampness?
Sanfu period is the hottest time of the year, and during this time, the skin pores are relatively open, making it easier for dampness and coldness to be expelled. For people with dampness and coldness in their bodies, this is the best time to eliminate dampness and coldness.
This period is also the best time for "treating winter diseases in summer". Seizing this opportunity, whether it is for people with heavy dampness, coldness, or poor constitution; or for those who frequently suffer from cough, asthma, allergic rhinitis; or for those who often experience joint pain, they can all take advantage of this time to eliminate dampness, regulate their body constitution, and make their bodies healthier.
Where to apply "Sanfu" plasters to eliminate dampness
Tiantu Acupoint
Location: On the midline of the front chest and neck
Main treatment: Cough, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, etc.
Shanzhong Acupoint
Location: The midpoint of the line connecting the two nipples on the front chest
Main treatment: Chest pain, abdominal pain, cough, asthma, etc.
Lung Yu Acupoint
Location: Below the 3rd thoracic vertebrae spinous process on the back
Main treatment: Diseases of the lung meridian and respiratory system, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, etc.
Gaohuang Acupoint
Location: Below the 4th thoracic vertebrae spinous process, on the inner side of the scapula, pressing it will cause pain.
Main treatment: Cough, asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis, etc.
Formula for "Sanfu" plaster for rheumatoid arthritis
Ingredients: Ligustrum lucidum, Ledebouriella divaricata, Caulis Millettiae, Caulis Aconiti Kusnezoffii, Rattan, Sinapis alba, Astragalus, Corydalis yanhusuo, Rhizoma Gansui, Asarum, Cinnamomum, equal amounts of each mixed and ground into a fine powder, mixed with ginger juice.
Acupoints: Dazhui, Mingmen, Shenzhu, Quchi, Zusanli, Waiguan, Yanglingquan.
Treatment method: Grind the above-mentioned medicine into a fine powder and mix it with fresh ginger juice for later use. Apply the plaster during the Sanfu period in summer, and then place the medicine cake on acupoints such as Quchi, Zusanli, Waiguan, Yanglingquan, and fix it with adhesive tape for about two hours. The local skin will feel burning and become red but not blistered. Remove the plaster when this happens. Apply the plaster once during each Sanfu period, with three years as one course of treatment.
Other methods to eliminate dampness
Eating lamb
According to traditional Chinese medicine, although the weather is hot during the Great Heat period, the human body is prone to invasion by heat, dampness, and evil. Nutritionists have also conducted in-depth research on this. The results show that lamb has the highest nutritional value during the Sanfu period. During this time, when the body accumulates heat, drinking lamb soup and consuming chili oil, vinegar, and garlic will cause profuse sweating, which can carry away accumulated heat in the five organs and eliminate toxins from the body, which is extremely beneficial to health.
However, "eating lamb" is not suitable for everyone. People with hot constitution, susceptible to fever, and prone to "boils and carbuncles" are not suitable for "winter diseases treated in summer" including "Sanfu supplementation". Do not try it casually.
Eating ginger
According to traditional Chinese medicine, ginger is a warming ingredient. Since ancient times, Chinese medicine has had the saying "a man should not be without ginger for a hundred days". Ginger contains volatile gingerol and ginger phenol, which have the functions of promoting blood circulation, dispelling cold, eliminating dampness, and inducing sweating. Ginger also has the functions of promoting bile, strengthening the stomach, preventing vomiting, eliminating fishy and foul smells, and reducing edema. It is beneficial for liver disease recovery when used with honey.
Cupping therapy
Cupping therapy can eliminate cold and dampness, dredge meridians, remove stasis, promote blood circulation, reduce swelling and relieve pain, and detoxify and relieve heat. It can adjust the balance of yin and yang in the human body, relieve fatigue, and enhance physical fitness, thus achieving the goal of nourishing the body and eliminating evil to cure diseases. Therefore, cupping therapy can be used to treat many diseases.
What worsens dampness when using "Sanfu" plasters
1. Craving for coldness: Eating too many cold foods such as ice cream can increase the coldness in the body and create opportunities for the invasion of "damp evil".
2. Poor sleep: Many people like to stay up late, but from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, insufficient sleep is a symptom of spleen deficiency, indicating excessive dampness in the body.
3. Wearing too little: "Style over warmth" can easily allow "damp evil" to invade the body.
4. Sitting for long periods: Sitting for a long time can result in insufficient blood supply, exacerbating fatigue and muscle soreness, and affecting the elimination of dampness.
5. Drinking alcohol excessively: Beer and barbecue are popular ways to cool down for many people, but don't forget that alcohol promotes "damp evil", so it's best to consume them in moderation.
6. Poor ventilation: Not paying attention to room ventilation can worsen humidity.
7. Facing the air conditioner: After sweating heavily from outdoor activities or exercise, blowing cool air from the air conditioner can allow dampness to enter the body through open sweat pores, damaging yang qi. Nowadays, it is rare to see patients with real colds in winter, but it is common in summer. This is because the sweat cannot evaporate and accumulates in the body due to the use of air conditioning.
8. Sleeping with wet hair: In summer, people tend to take showers more frequently, and some people sit in air-conditioned rooms with wet hair, or even go to bed without drying their hair, causing "damp evil" to invade the body unknowingly.
