In this hot summer, do you feel a faint discomfort in your body? Perhaps, you wake up and find that your face is yellow and your body is heavy; Or, you always feel wet and exhausted during the day. These can be troubled by summer humidity.
A summer conversation
"What's wrong with you, something doesn't look right lately."
"Oh, it's nothing, it just feels heavy and my spirit isn't very good."
"Is it the summer humidity? I've felt this way before. ”
It's a conversation I have with my friends, and it's a conversation that a lot of people have in the summer. Summer humidity can bring a lot of discomfort to our lives, and understanding the characteristics and countermeasures of humidity is essential for our health.
What is moisture
Dampness, as the name suggests, is the smell of moisture and dampness. In TCM theory, dampness is a pathological bodily fluid that is sticky, heavy, and unfluent. It can be caused by an imbalance in the external environment or in the internal organism.
External moisture
External moisture mainly comes from the environment, such as humid weather, wet ground after heavy rain, and staying in a humid environment for a long time. Moisture enters the human body through the skin, respiratory tract and other routes, affecting our physical health.
Inner moisture
Internal dampness mainly stems from the dysfunction of internal organs, such as poor spleen and stomach function, lung qi blockage, etc., resulting in the normal discharge of dampness in the body and gradually accumulating. Long-term irregular diet, emotional stress, and lack of exercise can all aggravate internal moisture.
The effects of moisture on the body are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Affect the flow of qi and blood: Moisture is viscous, which is easy to hinder the normal circulation of qi and blood, resulting in poor flow of qi and blood, dizziness, fatigue and other symptoms.
Affect digestion and absorption: Dampness will damage the function of the spleen and stomach, affect digestion and absorption, and cause loss of appetite, bloating and diarrhea.
Damage to the skin: Moisture will make the skin moist and sticky, which can easily cause skin problems such as itchy skin and rashes.
Affect mood: Long-term dampness can easily lead to low mood, irritability, and even affect sleep quality.
Understanding the formation and effects of moisture can help us better cope with summer humidity. Next, we will delve into the manifestations of heavy humidity in summer and the principles and practical methods of TCM to clear away heat and dampness.
Manifestations of heavy humidity in summer
In the summer, the humidity gradually increases, making it feel hot and stuffy. This manifestation of heavy moisture can be manifested in a variety of ways in the human body, so let's take a look at it together.
1. The skin is sticky and breathable
Heavy moisture can cause the skin to become sticky and airtight. In this case, the skin will appear oily and prone to skin problems such as acne and eczema.
2. Tiredness and weakness, heavy limbs
Heavy dampness can also cause the body to feel tired and weak, and the limbs to feel heavy. People feel uncontrolled when they walk, and the feeling of heaviness when walking is uncomfortable.
3. Depressed mood, irritability
Heavy humidity in summer can also affect mood, making people feel upset, irritable, and depressed. In this case, people are prone to get angry over trivial things and have difficulty controlling their emotions.
4. Loss of appetite and indigestion
Heavy moisture can also affect people's appetite and digestive system, leading to loss of appetite and indigestion. People will feel no appetite in eating, and they are prone to digestive problems such as bloating and diarrhea after eating.
5. Lightheadedness and memory loss
Heavy dampness can also affect the normal function of the brain, leading to conditions such as dizziness and memory loss. People will feel that their thinking is not clear and their memory is reduced during work and study, which affects their life and work efficiency.
These are common signs of heavy humidity in summer, reminding us to take timely measures to regulate and maintain good health.
The principle of clearing heat and dispelling dampness in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dampness is caused by the lack of yang energy in the human body, resulting in the endogenous growth of yin and cold dampness. Therefore, the principle of clearing heat and dispelling dampness is to regulate the balance of yin and yang in the human body, so that the yang energy in the body is enhanced, and the cold and dampness can be dissipated, so as to achieve the effect of clearing heat and removing dampness.
1. Medication to dispel dampness
There are many medicinal materials with dampness dissipation effect in traditional Chinese medicine, such as Poria cocos, Ze Yuan, Atractylodes macrocephalus, etc. These drugs can be decoction, soaking, etc., to play a role in dispelling dampness, regulate the balance of yin and yang in the human body, and achieve the effect of clearing heat and dampness.
2. Diet
In terms of diet, people can choose some foods that have the effect of clearing heat and dampness, such as bitter gourd, winter melon, lotus seeds, etc. These foods can help the body eliminate excess dampness and regulate the balance of yin and yang in the body, so as to achieve the effect of clearing away heat and dampness.
3. Adjust your lifestyle habits
In addition to medication and diet, adjusting lifestyle habits is also one of the important ways to clear away heat and dampness. People can appropriately increase the amount of exercise, promote sweat excretion, and strengthen the yang energy in the body, so as to dispel dampness and achieve the effect of clearing heat and removing dampness.
To sum up, the principle of TCM is to clear away heat and dampness by regulating the balance of yin and yang in the human body, enhancing the yang energy in the body, dissipating cold and dampness, and achieving the effect of clearing heat and dampness. This method has a certain degree of science and practicality, and is suitable for people with heavy humidity in summer.