Inside Dampness & Phlegm
Dampness and phlegm are accumulations that happen within the physique that will make us really feel ‘phlegmy’ or simply heavy and drained. When our weight-reduction plan is out of sync with our physique, our thoughts is working additional time, or when the climate could be very damp and humid, we are likely to grow to be stagnant with damp and phlegm.
Dampness is usually thought of a thicker/heavier viscosity than phlegm, nonetheless could also be much less apparent in bodily indicators. Dampness is sensed within the heaviness of the physique and fogginess of pondering, and will be seen within the tongue coat.
Phlegm is thinner and manifests in a runny nostril or moist kind of cough.
Signs of Dampness & Phlegm
· Foggy head
· Poor reminiscence
· Problem waking up within the morning
· Low power, particularly after consuming
· Unfastened Stool
· Poor focus
· Leucorrhoea
· Moist-pustulent pores and skin situations
Indicators of Dampness & Phlegm
· Swollen tongue with tooth marks
· White coating on tongue
· Runny nostril, particularly after greasy/dairy meals
· Slippery pulse
One of many indicators of dampness is a thick tongue coating and swelling of the tongue physique. Typically the coating of the tongue could be very thick and white, particularly in people who eat a whole lot of dairy reminiscent of yoghurt and milk. These individuals usually additionally scrape the coating of their tongue as it’s so thick! This does not deal with the foundation of the damp downside, simply removes one of many indicators.
Damp and phlegm accumulate for just a few totally different causes. We will initially break the causes down into 2 classes: Inside and Exterior routes.
Internally damp/phlegm might accumulate on account of:
1. Overthinking/stress resulting in a deficiency of the spleen qi (digestive power) which might’t deal with all of the damp meals being ingested, thus resulting in a sluggish digestion.
2. Poor weight-reduction plan. An excessive amount of dairy, greasy, oily, fatty, candy, chilly, uncooked and wealthy natured meals.
Externally damp/phlegm might accumulate on account of:
1. Humid atmosphere. Tropical climate. Air-conditioner blasting on you throughout a sizzling day for lengthy intervals of time.
2. The 2 weeks between every season change, and particularly the tip of summer time which is taken into account the ‘late summer time’ or ‘damp’ time of the 12 months once we anticipate dampness to build up.
Chinese medication is predicated on the 5 component concept. Fireplace, Earth, Metallic, Water and Wooden.
Every component pertains to a season, organ, emotion and perform and so on. Dampness relates most carefully to earth. The earth component pertains to late summer time, and the organs of the spleen and abdomen.
The job of the spleen and abdomen is to transform meals and water to power and the remaining to waste. Nevertheless, generally when this method is run-down and cannot convert issues correctly, on account of a wealthy weight-reduction plan for instance, there may be an extra residue left over that may’t be disposed of effectively known as dampness. Chinese medication additionally states that when the dampness over flows from the earth component, it’s contained within the metallic component; this being the lungs and massive gut. This could clarify why generally we eat greasy fish and chips or a milk shake and get a runny nostril, cough or diarrhea.
Dampness is heavy and likes to empty down and out. Typically it will possibly’t do that because it will get blocked and gluggy. There are just a few methods we eliminate damp. First we need to scale back the meals which can be including to the issue. Then we need to use herbs and acupuncture to both open the pores of the pores and skin to disperse via sweat, purge via the stool or drain via urination. Then we’ll strengthen the digestion utilizing a bland weight-reduction plan, train, herbs and acupuncture.
Matter and Power
A great way to elucidate Chinese medication and what we name ‘digestive fireplace’ is thru fundamental physics ideas.
Matter and power. The 2 basic points of nature are fireplace and water. We will refer to those 2 parts as matter (water) and power (fireplace). Every little thing is a type of matter and power, matter being a extra condensed kind with much less vibration and power as a extra dispersed and insubstantial kind that has extremely vibrational electrons and protons.
This stated, the 2 are interchangeable; life and nature are at all times transferring and altering. We’re made up of matter and we’re pushed by ardour, emotion, will and love, on this case we will say that is the ‘power’ or fireplace that’s life. Thus, we’re made up of matter, pushed by power. However what fuels this power? Meals, air and water. So we have now life, or this ‘interior fireplace’, and we need to add gasoline or wooden. What sort of wooden would we add to a campfire?
What burdens the digestive fireplace?
Once we need to make an excellent fireplace, we’d like good, gentle and dry wooden; like kindling. We discover once we put inexperienced sticks on the hearth it smokes and dulls the hearth. Likewise, if we put a big log of moist wooden on the hearth, we’re prone to extinguish it completely.
The spleen and abdomen like dry, gentle meals. Thus heavy, oily, greasy, uncooked and dense meals will not be the type of factor to strengthen an already weak digestion. It’s like throwing an enormous heavy moist go browsing a small fireplace. Goodbye fireplace!
We have to begin with simply digestible grains and meals which can be cooked properly and not overly processed. That is our kindling.
Meals to scale back dampness & return digestive fireplace
Cooked entire grains: Rice, Oats, Barley, Rye, Millet, Quinoa, Pearl Barley, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Corn
Veggies: Beans (for those who can tolerate from the fuel), celery, pumpkin, turnip, alfalfa, leafy greens
Meat/Protein: Small quantities of properly cooked (even gradual cooked/stewed) are good and damp draining. Beef, Lamb, Hen.
Spices/Herbs: Ginger is nice to heat the digestive fireplace, particularly in congee. Cardamom, cinnamon, fennel, paprika, cumin and pepper are all warming to the digestion.
Meals to keep away from that enhance dampness & scale back digestive fireplace
Mainly, an excessive amount of uncooked, chilly, candy, oily or mucous-forming meals.
Too many uncooked fruits, vegetable, sprouts, juices, chilly meals from the fridge, salad, sushi in extra.
Late evening consuming
Over consuming
Not chewing correctly
Processed meals reminiscent of pastries, pork, duck, salads, wheat grass, avocados, bananas, tofu, soy milk (soy is 50% fat and oils), eggs, chocolate, ice cream, smoothies, iced water, lassies, dairy.
A uncooked meals or salad weight-reduction plan sounds nice and cleaning however might not be helpful for everybody. An individual who could be very sizzling, crimson confronted with a powerful structure will profit so much, nonetheless a thin, pale, drained individual will grow to be worse. That is all on account of their situation, digestive fireplace, and weight-reduction plan.
Additional bettering digestion and lowering extra weight
When the digestive fireplace is lowered and we put in additional of the incorrect meals, we get a left over residue. That is what we name dampness. This dampness is power that has grow to be extra substantial, matter. This left over matter could also be deposited as fats or flip into extra stable matter reminiscent of cysts.
The way in which to scale back this occurring is:
Lowering damp accumulating meals
Restoring digestive fireplace
Develop into energetic and train day by day
Clearing your thoughts with meditation and rest respiratory
Chris Eddy Dr of Chinese Medicine
Source by Chris Eddy
