In Chinese medicine, dampness is one of the six pernicious influences or external factors that provoke correlating conditions within the body. Like external dampness, internal dampness is a physical, mental, and even emotional condition associated with a feeling of heaviness, fatigue, and excess fluid.
What is “dampness” in Chinese medicine?
In Chinese medicine, the term “dampness” can refer to any excess fluids, fat, or mucus that clog up the system and prevent our bodies from functioning optimally. Dampness can come from eating certain foods (like dairy products and fried foods), a lack of physical activity, the environment you live in, or even the constitution you were born with.
What is dampness?
What is "dampness?" The TCM approach suggests that there are certain foods that make our internal systems "damp", or phlegmy, clammy, sluggish, swollen, groggy, or cold , says Jill Blakeway, DACM, a doctor of Chinese medicine and Well+Good Councilmember.
How can acupuncture help with dampness?
Acupuncture can help us eliminate the dampness in the body by helping promote circulation as well as supporting the body’s digestion center (spleen and stomach in Chinese medicine). The heat from moxibustion can also help to dry dampness. Many people who suffer from heavy dampness in the body lack exercise.
How does dampness affect the body?
Dampness often affects the lower body but can manifest in the lungs when first contracted. It’s associated with sticky secretions in the body, water retention, indigestion, and diarrhea. A person with dampness will have a hard time in humid situations and often has difficulty losing weight.
How do you get rid of dampness in Chinese medicine?
Acupuncture. Acupuncture can help us eliminate the dampness in the body by helping promote circulation as well as supporting the body's digestion center (spleen and stomach in Chinese medicine). The heat from moxibustion can also help to dry dampness.
What causes internal dampness?
Internal dampness may originate in irregular eating habits, such as over-consumption of cold, raw, greasy or sweet foods, or alcohol. Or simple over-consumption itself, as this impedes digestion. Impeded digestion means that accumulation of semi-transformed food and fluids occurs, which becomes dampness.
What is internal dampness?
Meanwhile, internal dampness is mostly a pathological state caused by dysfunctioning of the spleen and stomach as well as stagnation of moisture in the body. In the course of diseases, both external and internal dampness affect each other.
What does dampness mean in Chinese medicine?
Dr Lee, what is dampness? To put it simply, dampness simply refers to water retention. Health in Chinese medicine hinges on striking a balance between all the elements in our body. A high proportion of water in the human body is a source of illness.
How do you drain dampness from your body?
In addition, sunbathing and exercising are great ways to get rid of dampness because sweating can enhance spleen, kidney and lung function as well as provide qi for the body. This gives the organs more energy to work, resulting in better fluid metabolism.
What foods are good for dampness?
Foods to incorporate to decrease dampness:Lightly cooked vegetables.Whole grains (brown rice, barley, rye, oats)Bitter, sweet, pungent and aromatic spices. ... Legumes (kidney beans, pinto, red lentils)Meat, poultry and fish in small quantities.Small amount of whole fruits and lemons.Sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds.More items...•
Is Avocado a damp food?
Smoothies are typically ice-cold, which have the tendency to put out digestive fire. Typical smoothie ingredients are also fairly cooling and damp, such as banana, avocado, coconut, protein powders, dairy, and nut butters.
How long does it take to get rid of dampness in the body?
"It depends on how severe your symptoms are. But people with mild dampness and dryness will notice a benefit within 4 weeks, while people with more severe symptoms may need 6 months," Dr. Blakeway says.
Does coffee cause dampness?
The problem with coffee is that it also adds heat to the body, and while it can drain dampness, it also drains the beneficial yin fluids in your body at the same time.
Are eggs good for dampness?
Eggs in general, due to their moisturizing properties, are damp. If you tend to have nasal congestion, ear congestion, a heavy feeling in the limbs and/or edema, you may tend towards dampness, which means eggs would not be your best choice.
Do oats cause dampness?
Oats are traditionally said to be soothing and restorative to the nervous and reproductive systems. They supplement Qi and Blood, strengthen nerves, muscles, and sinews, and dispel dampness. This makes oats suitable for pretty much everyone.
How do you stop damp on internal walls?
You can also take other steps to halt damp on internal walls, including:Open the windows and air your property regularly.Heat every room evenly.Make sure air can circulate freely around your property and avoid putting furniture and other items against walls.Check pipes and guttering regularly and unblock if needed.More items...•
How do you fix an internal damp wall?
How to repair a damp internal wallLocate the cause of your damp walls and fix this before continuing.Buy or hire a dehumidifier to completely dry out the room. ... Use a stain blocker to prevent future staining.Replaster your walls.Redecorate using paint, tiles or wallpaper.
How do you stop rising damp on internal walls?
The most common and effective way to treat rising damp is to install a remedial damp proof course by injecting a water repellent damp proof cream into the mortar bed joint of affected walls.
What is the goal of dampness and dryness?
Ultimately, when it comes to dampness and dryness, the goal is to be neither. Or as Blakeway says, “In middle is good health and balance”.
What are some foods that are damp?
Bananas and egg yolks are really damp.". A ccording to Dr. Axe, the list of damp-inducing foods includes a nything made with refined sugars or sugar substitutes, wheat products, baked goods and cereals, dairy products (especially milk, cream, and cheese), processed foods, and fatty meats.
How do you know if something is dry?
Usually, you can guess if a food is damp or dry by thinking about the food's consistency , she says. "For example: Cheese is damp. Chips are greasy and damp. Bananas and egg yolks are really damp."
What is considered dry food?
On the other end of the spectrum, traditionally "dry" foods include whole grains like brown rice and oatmeal, beans and lentils, animal meat, roasted vegetables, nuts and seeds, as well as anything spicy, says Dr. Axe.
Why do some people become dry?
As with dampness, some people have a higher propensity to become dry than others —based on factors such as genetics and the climate where you live—but it's something anyone can become. "It's rare for Americans to suffer from dryness. But it becomes more common as we get older," says Dr. Blakeway.
Is dryness better than dampness?
Dampness comes with so many "thank u, next" downsides that it's easy to assume that dryness is better. But don't get it twisted. "Dryness is the other side of dampness, but f or our bodies to function properly, we need to maintain homeostasis—which is somewhere in the middle," explains Dr. Axe. (For the people in the back: Everything in moderation!)
How Do I Know if I Suffer from Dampness?
Apart from the presence of any of the conditions mentioned above, perhaps the easiest way to diagnose Dampness is to look at your own tongue in the mirror. There are two main ways Dampness manifests on the tongue:
How is Dampness Treated in Chinese Medicine?
This depends on whether it is Damp-Cold or Damp-Heat. Chinese Medicine is very versatile and offers a number of different ways to treat a given condition.
What are Symptoms of Dampness in the Body?
Although symptoms will vary from person to person, there a few symptoms that are dead giveaways that an individual is suffering from a damp condition. Below is a small list of the most common types of symptoms related to dampness in the body.
Why does my tongue have a white coating?
Research shows that white coating on the tongue (often associated with damp conditions) is a sign of a candida overgrowth, or candidiasis ( 1 ). Furthermore, SIBO has been associated with chronic diarrhea as well as memory problems ( 2 ) ( 3 ). Lastly, poor digestion and bloating has also been shown to be an obvious sign in those dealing with SIBO ( 4 ).
Why is it important to eat seasonally?
Typically, foods that are available with the seasons and that grow in tune with natures natural cycles are extremely beneficial for preventing damp conditions. This is why eating seasonally and local foods is highly advisable for anyone dealing with an overabundance of dampness.
What is the best diet for candida?
The best diet for combating candida and SIBO, and effectively removing dampness from the body, is a diet centered on traditional foods. This means removing all processed foods, sugar, and sweets, and introducing more nutrient dense foods into the diet.
What is dampness in Chinese medicine?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, “dampness” is often described as the inability to rid the body of excessive amounts of moisture. It simpler terms, the body has literally become water logged. There are many factors that can contribute to an excessive amount of dampness in the body.
What is the best food for the gut?
High quality animal foods that are organic and grass-fed are extremely beneficial for rebalancing the gut and providing the necessary materials that your immune system can use in order to fight off any pathogenic overgrowths. It also provides the necessary amino acids so that the body has the necessary materials for growth and repair ( 5 ).
Why should grains be dropped all together?
Furthermore, grains should be dropped all together since they contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid which can increase intestinal permeability ( 9 ).
What is dampness in Chinese medicine?
Dampness is one of the Chinese medicine syndromes in the body that gives rise to the “heavy” and “turbid” nature of symptoms and signs of the body. I tend to liken dampness to the idea of mud. Think of your nutrients as water, and dirt as waste, when you mix them together it becomes this heavy, lethargic, turbid mud that we call dampness.
What causes internal dampness?
Internal dampness may originate in irregular eating habits, such as over-consumption of cold, raw, greasy or sweet foods, or alcohol. Or simple over-consumption itself, as this impedes digestion. Impeded digestion means that accumulation of semi-transformed food and fluids occurs, which becomes dampness. Even without this over-consumption, accumulation can occur in the constitutionally weak spleen and stomach (2). The spleen and stomach in Chinese medicine play a main role in digestion, so when they are weak, the function of digestion and distribution is weak or slow.
What causes dampness in the body?
External invasion of dampness can result from over-exposure to water, rain, or damp living or working conditions, when the dampness of the external environment is more than can be dealt with by the body (2).
Why is damp considered heavy?
Damp is described as 'heavy' because the symptoms to which it gives rise usually include sinking, heavy and sore sensations, which often occur in the lower body, while 'turbid' refers to the murky unpurified state of the substances that accumulate to form damp, demonstrated in signs such as greasy tongue coat, cloudy urine, loose stool and leucorrhoea (2).
Why is damp bad for you?
As damp is sticky in nature, it can obstruct the smooth flow of blood, fluids and other vital nutrients in the body. This leads to lethargy, heaviness and distension as the substances sit in the one area and other areas of the body aren’t optimally nourished.
Why is Chinese medicine holistic?
This is because of the interrelationship between the body systems and the organ functions. Dysfunction of one aspect can cause a chain reaction of health issues in other areas or systems of the body.
How to reduce stress on digestive system?
Eating slower and more mindfully will put less stress on your digestive systemLimit eating dairy products, cold/raw foods, and foods that are overly rich in oils, grease, fats and heavy spices to put less stress on the digestive and distributive function of your digestive system
Why do we need to follow a healthy diet to avoid dampness?
Many of the symptoms we suffer as a result of dampness can be avoided by maintaining a healthy diet and by being mindful about what you eat and how you exercise. Let’s take a look at some of the most common causes of dampness in the body
What is the TCM view on dampness heat?
It is believed that a person’s Yin and Yang combine to cause too much dampness, and therefore cause a health ailment.
How can dampness negatively affect a person’s health?
As has been mentioned, dampness can cause a variety of health conditions and can affect people differently . Let’s take a look at five specific ways damp heat can negatively affect the human body:
What are the most common causes of dampness in the body?
Food: The food we eat is a major cause of dampness in the body. To maintain good health, avoid fast foods with high levels of saturated fats, and ensure you incorporate all of the essential food groups into your balanced diet.
How do I prevent dampness?
This involves eating nutrient-rich foods from all essential food groups and regularly exercising to ensure good mental and physical health. Other people find regularly attending the sauna helps greatly, as well as other treatments like acupuncture.
What are the benefits of dampness diet?
The benefits of following a dampness diet include: Reduced fatigue: You will stop feeling bloated and tired and will feel more energized during the day. Improved appetite: Instead of feeling constantly hungry or full, you will enjoy food again and strike a nice balance.
Why do people live in hot and humid environments?
People who live in particularly hot and humid environments suffer many of the symptoms of dampness. Internal factors: As well as the environment, dampness can be caused by internal imbalances in the body, and regular exercise and other healthy practices can help prevent dampness from negatively impacting our lives.
How to get rid of dampness in the body?
Acupuncture. Acupuncture can help us eliminate the dampness in the body by helping promote circulation as well as supporting the body’s digestion center (spleen and stomach in Chinese medicine). The heat from moxibustion can also help to dry dampness. Lifestyle.
What is the underlying cause of achy joints and limbs?
What is "Dampness" in the Body? The term “Dampness” is used in Chinese medicine and can be the underlying cause of many conditions such as achy joints and limbs, headaches, many digestive issues, sluggishness and depression, and skin conditions such as acne. The Chinese believe that both the external environment and your body‘s internal environment ...
Why do Chinese people feel dampness?
If you are experiencing all the rain that the Midwest has been getting, you may feel the dampness in your body when you wake up. You are slower to move, your hands and other areas are achy ...
What foods help with Qi?
Foods to improve the condition include cooked : asparagus, barley, red beans, oat, brown rice, roasted meats, carrot and green tea. Eat more onions, ginger, garlic and other aromatic spices to promote the movement of digestive Qi. Sauna. Visit a low heat sauna to gently promote a light sweat.
How to tell if food is damp?
(Hint: You can tell that the food is Damp by its texture ; soft and sticky for instance cheese, bananas, pastries, fried food after it cools.)
Can saunas cause yin?
High temperature saunas, which encourage heavy sweating, can be damaging to the body’s yin. Use caution. Chinese Medicine and Cupping. Chinese Medicine to clear dampness; Cupping therapy can be used to: remove cold and dampness, open the meridians, eliminate stasis, help promote qi and blood circulation, reduce swelling and pain, ...
