What is Moisture? Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dampness refers not only to a pathological state of water stagnation caused by poor water and fluid metabolism in the body, but also to become a hotbed of many diseases, such as rheumatism and paralysis, spleen and stomach incompatibility, skin eczema, etc., which have a serious impact on people's quality of life.
In particular, dog days are the best time of the year for us to detoxify and rejuvenate our bodies due to their unique climatic conditions.
1. Why are dog days the best time to get rid of dampness?
During the dog days, when yang energy is at its peak and nature is extremely hot, it poses a severe challenge to people's physical fitness, but this period is also the golden time for us to regulate our bodies and remove dampness from our bodies.
The main reason is that during this time, the yang energy in the human body also reaches its peak, especially the digestion and transportation functions of the spleen and stomach are significantly improved. The spleen and stomach are the foundation of the human body, responsible for the transport of water and dampness, and the enhancement of its function provides a channel for the smooth discharge of moisture in the body, which helps to more effectively eliminate the accumulated moisture in the body and restore the freshness and harmony of the body.
In order to maintain a constant body temperature, the human body has to dissipate heat through perspiration.
During this perspiration, the pores of the whole body are fully opened. With the sweat pouring out, not only does it take away the high temperature on the surface of the body, but more importantly, the moisture hidden in the body is also able to flow out of the body and be expelled with the flow of sweat.
Therefore, on dog days, through scientific and reasonable exercise or traditional Chinese medicine physiotherapy, such as cupping, moxibustion, etc., to further promote perspiration, it has undoubtedly become one of the efficient ways to dispel dampness and regulate the body.
In a high-temperature environment, the body's metabolism is significantly accelerated, and the blood circulatory system is more active.
In this process, the blood not only quickly transports oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, but also carries away accumulated waste and excess water, effectively reducing the accumulation of moisture in the body.
The smooth flow of qi and blood significantly improves the body's immunity and establishes a solid line of defense for subsequent dampness removal and conditioning work. In this way, after removing dampness, the body can carry out more in-depth and comprehensive recuperation on a healthier and more stable foundation, so as to restore and improve the overall health level.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) focuses on "curing diseases before they occur", that is, intervening when diseases have not yet occurred or are in an embryonic state, and dog days are the embodiment of this concept.
Many chronic diseases caused by moisture, such as rheumatoid arthritis and chronic gastroenteritis, tend to worsen or recur in winter.
By dispelling dampness during dog days, you can strengthen your physique and improve your body's immunity, thereby preventing the recurrence of these diseases in winter.
In dog days, a combination of methods is required to achieve the best results.
We need to start from diet, exercise, physiotherapy, environment and living habits, etc., to comprehensively regulate the body and achieve the purpose of dispelling dampness and health preservation.
2. What are the causes of heavy moisture?
There are many reasons for the formation of heavy moisture, mainly including the following aspects:
Being in a damp, cold environment for long periods of time, such as a typical rainy southern region or a poorly ventilated basement, people may unconsciously be surrounded by moisture. This environment is a breeding ground for dampness, which silently penetrates into the air, invades the human body through the skin and respiratory tract, and gradually accumulates into diseases.
Summer, the season with the most abundant precipitation of the year, is characterized by its unique climatic conditions, which also exacerbate the accumulation of moisture.
The continuous rainfall leads to a persistently high humidity in the air, making the human body more susceptible to dampness.
The combination of high temperature and humidity not only makes people feel stuffy and uncomfortable, but also makes it difficult for the moisture in the body to be discharged, thus aggravating the problem of heavy moisture.
Diet is also one of the key factors in the formation of dampness, which causes a heavy burden on the spleen and stomach when we consume large amounts of cold, greasy, and high-sugar foods that are difficult to digest.
The spleen and stomach are the core organs of water metabolism in the human body, and once their function is impaired, they cannot effectively convert and transport water and moisture, resulting in water retention in the body, and then forming moisture.
What's more serious is that some bad eating habits, such as overeating, excessive eating, irregular eating, etc., are like adding insult to injury, further aggravating the burden on the spleen and stomach.
These behaviors not only disrupt the normal working rhythm of the spleen and stomach, but also make it difficult for the dampness in the body to be eliminated in a timely and effective manner, which continues to accumulate in the body and eventually cause a series of health problems.
Constant desk work, over-reliance on electronics, and the stress of a fast-paced life make it difficult for modern people to find time for physical exercise.
This sedentary lifestyle quietly weakens the body's source of vitality and quietly cultivates a warm and humid environment for the growth of dampness.
The primary effect of insufficient exercise is the obstruction of qi and blood circulation. Traditional Chinese medicine theory emphasizes that qi and blood are the foundation of life, and they need to flow through the meridians to nourish the internal organs. The continuous static life mode slows down the flow of qi and blood, and even forms blockages in some areas, which in turn affects the normal functioning of the body.
Furthermore, lack of exercise slows down the pace of metabolism. Metabolism is a key process in the conversion of substances and energy utilization in the living body, which is essential for maintaining a healthy balance.
When the amount of exercise is insufficient, the metabolic efficiency is reduced, and it is difficult to effectively eliminate waste and excess water in the body, and gradually accumulate to form dampness, which troubles the body.
Emotional state is also closely related to the dampness in the body, and Chinese medicine believes that emotions are closely related to the function of the internal organs, and emotional fluctuations can disturb the internal organs. Long-term emotional stress such as anxiety, depression, and irritability can easily lead to stagnation of liver qi, which in turn affects the function of the spleen and stomach. The spleen and stomach are the hub of water metabolism, and once blocked, it is difficult for moisture to be expelled and accumulate in the body.
The internal growth of dampness caused by poor mood becomes more severe over time, and eventually leads to physical discomfort. Therefore, to maintain health, we need to pay attention to emotional regulation, maintain an optimistic attitude, and avoid long-term intrusion of negative emotions.
It is important to note that individuals have significant differences in their physique and sensitivity to moisture. People with congenital weakness of the spleen and stomach, the elderly and those with chronic diseases are more susceptible to dampness. Therefore, according to your own situation, reasonable adjustment of living habits and strengthening health management is a long-term solution.
So, is the moisture in the body excessive, and what physical signals can be glimpsed from?
3. Which 5 types of people are "damp"?
People with heavy dampness tend to experience a specific set of symptoms that not only affect physical health, but also reduce quality of life, the following are the five types of people with heavy dampness and their typical manifestations:
1) Fatigue and lack of energy
In their daily lives, these people often feel as if their bodies are enveloped by invisible pressure, their limbs are weak, and even if they perform simple daily activities, they will quickly feel exhausted, as if their body's energy is invisibly depleted.
Their mental state is also obviously affected, difficulty concentrating, signs of memory loss, often feel sleepy and drowsy, as if they can't sleep enough, these manifestations, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, are due to excessive dampness, which hinders the normal operation of the spleen and yang, which in turn leads to the poor flow of qi and blood, so that the whole body function is inhibited and hindered to a certain extent.
2) Oily skin, prone to acne
People with heavy dampness often have unsatisfactory skin conditions. Skin tends to look greasy and loses its freshness, and pores appear enlarged due to moisture entenuation.
This skin environment can easily become a breeding ground for skin problems such as acne and eczema, which is annoying, because after the accumulation of moisture in the body to a certain extent, it will overflow out of the skin surface, interfering with the normal metabolism and detoxification function of the skin, making it difficult for toxins and waste products to be discharged smoothly, thus forming various adverse symptoms on the skin.
Moisture may also irritate skin nerves, triggering allergic symptoms such as itching, redness and swelling, which can further affect an individual's quality of life and physical and mental health.
3) The stool is not formed, sticky to the toilet bowl
People with heavy moisture often feel unpleasant when defecation, loose or sticky stools, and when flushing, these stools are more likely to adhere to the toilet, and it is difficult to flush them at one time, which makes people feel embarrassed and inconvenient.
The reason behind this is that dampness is at work in the body, which hinders the normal operation of the spleen and stomach, and makes the spleen and stomach dysfunction. The spleen and stomach are important organs in the body to transport dampness, and once its function is impaired, dampness will remain in the body, which will affect intestinal peristalsis and smooth bowel movements.
In the long run, heavy dampness may also cause more serious intestinal problems such as constipation and diarrhea, which poses a greater threat to personal health.
4) The tongue coating is thick and greasy, and the breath is heavy
The observation of tongue coating is one of the key methods in TCM to diagnose dampness in the body, when the dampness in the body is too heavy, the tongue coating tends to thicken significantly, the texture is greasy, and the color may appear yellowish or white, depending on the different biases of dampness and heat.
This state of tongue coating is often accompanied by unfresh breath and even peculiar smell, which is not only a direct manifestation of the accumulation of moisture, but also a deeper reflection of the dysfunction caused by moisture to the digestive system, such as pathological changes such as disharmony of the spleen and stomach, and exuberant stomach fire.
Therefore, by observing the color, texture and accompanying changes in the tongue coating, TCM can accurately determine the condition of moisture in the body, and then take targeted conditioning measures to promote the discharge of moisture from the body and restore the balance and health of the body.
5) Joint soreness, body edema type
People with excessive dampness in their bodies often suffer from joint pain and unexplained swelling of the body.
These symptoms profoundly affect the quality of their daily life, and their root cause is the retention and accumulation of moisture between the joint space and muscle fibers, affecting the normal circulation of qi and blood.
In the long run, the lack of qi and blood will gradually erode people's health, which may promote the quiet breeding of chronic and recurrent diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, bringing more far-reaching and complex health challenges to the body.
What's more, the excessive accumulation of moisture can also leave traces on the external form, such as unexplained edema in the lower limbs and edema around the eyes, which not only affects the appearance, but also is a direct reflection of the imbalance within the body, reminding us that we must take timely measures to effectively drain moisture to maintain the harmony and health of the body and mind.
It should be noted that the above manifestations are not the only or absolute criteria for heavy moisture, and need to be determined in combination with personal physique, lifestyle habits and doctor's diagnosis.
The impact of dampness on human health cannot be ignored, and by understanding the manifestations and causes of dampness, we can more accurately identify our own health conditions, so as to take targeted prevention and treatment measures.
We should take comprehensive measures from multiple dimensions such as dietary regulation, enhanced physical exercise, optimization of living environment, and emotional balance to deal with moisture. With the help of scientific and effective dampness removal solutions, we can not only enhance the body's immunity, but also significantly improve the quality of life, and move towards a new chapter of a more energetic, healthy and worry-free life.
Resources
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4. High Mountain. In Jiangsu health care, moisture is the source of all diseases. 2016(05)
5, Wang Xianen. Traditional Chinese medicine health preservation and dampness treatment are the specialties of traditional Chinese medicine. 2018(06)