Dampness is the main energy of late summer. The heat of summer evaporates the liquids and they accumulate in the atmosphere. The atmosphere feels heavy and the rains begin. It is a heavy and "dirty - impure" energy, of Yin nature.

Physical problems that accompany Dampness tend to become chronic, aggravated by seasonal changes. Dampness is very difficult to eliminate. It can be of external origin (climate) or internal (improper diet, incorrect transformation and transportation of the organic fluids).

Characteristics of Dampness

• It is Yin.
• It can be acute or chronic, but in general it develops slowly and progressively.
• It is heavy and viscous.
• It is persistent, difficult to eliminate. Typical in chronic problems.
• It tends to descend toward the lower part of the body: fluid retention, edema, swollen legs and feet.
• It can settle in the upper part of the body: heavy head sensation, blocked nose, yellow sclera, asthma or general edema.
• Externally: Fever and cold, sweating, lassitude, joint pain and general edema.
• Internally: chest discomfort, nausea, vomiting, jaundice.
• Abundant and viscous secretions, which can be difficult to expel: mucus, turbid urine, leukorrhea, pasty stools.
• It blocks the circulation and distribution of Qi: Dampness Bi pain, swelling, tiredness, heaviness, malaise.
• It slows the movement of the limbs and of the thinking.
• It does not consume fluids: absence of thirst.
• Tongue with sticky, tacky coating.
• Slippery pulse.
• Prolonged exposure to damp climate or environment (damp housing, working near water...) favors these problems.
• Element Earth.

External Dampness

External pathogenic Dampness can mix with other factors:

• Dampness - Cold: Aversion to cold, fever, no sweating, heavy body, joint pain, superficial and slow pulse.
• Dampness - Heat: Asthenia, joint pain, low-grade but constant fever (unlike Yin deficiency heat, which gives low-grade fever in the evening and at night), thirst, yellow coating, superficial and rapid pulse. See: Damp-Heat in Spleen, Damp-Heat in the Liver Channel, Damp-Heat in Large Intestine, Damp-Heat in Bladder

Internal Dampness

Spleen Qi deficiency causes the fluids to not be properly transformed and transported, so they accumulate and form internal Dampness, with the characteristics named above. The origin of this Dampness would be especially improper diet. The tongue will then be swollen and with tooth marks. Long-time stagnant Dampness can thicken and become phlegm or phlegm. See: differences between phlegm and dampness.

Being a product of a lack of transformation and transportation of organic fluids, we can think of Dampness as a stagnant lake, that is why it is slow and dirty, it does not move and what is inside rots. If the water mainly exchanges information or resonances, when it stops moving the information that could be there becomes outdated, it does not serve and inside the body the individual becomes slow, there is no energy to move the fluids or blood. We have a person who does not let go of their emotions, they accumulate them in some specific place and logically we say they do not "feed" themselves adequately, that is, their environment can be toxic, society, family, work, etc. Let's think of the earth in a pot, it can have dampness from excess watering or from lack of space or drainage, in any case what it needs is to breathe. Either remove the external factor that waters it in excess (ideas, prejudices, etc.), or make some holes in the pot so that the excess dampness drains and the earth breathes (process of introspection to integrate the emotion or memory stuck inside).

The internal communication between its three Jiao is "blocked". It is necessary to move the Qi, its mental structures, do something different in daily life that moves the body so that the Dampness can also move, drain...

Dampness can block

• Channels: pain and difficulty starting movements, improves after moving for a while. Heavy head (the pure does not ascend).
• Upper Burner: chest oppression, cough, phlegm, asthma.
• Middle Burner: abdominal distension, little appetite, pasty mouth.
• Lower Burner: leukorrhea, frequent urination, pasty stools.
• Limbs: edema.
• Long-term it can produce degeneration of the joints, bone deformities. See: Dampness Bi and Rebellious Bi

Treatment

• The most common acupuncture points for eliminating Dampness are: ST-40, SP-9
• BL-20, BL-21 improve the Spleen-Stomach functions, which may have been weakened by external Dampness or their weakness may be producing internal Dampness.
• Cupping helps mobilize fluids and is suitable for stimulating the elimination of Dampness.
• If the accumulation of Dampness is the product of a Yang deficiency, moxibustion can be used, as long as there is no Heat.