Feeling Damp? Here's a Trick! Acupoint Massage, Dietary Adjustments to Bid Farewell to the "Musty" Feeling
Feeling Damp? Here's a Trick! Acupoint Massage, Dietary Adjustments to Bid Farewell to the "Musty" FeelingIn humid and sweltering weather, do you also feel heavy, have a poor appetite, and even suffer from skin itching, dizziness, and headaches? That's right, dampness is at work! Especially in southern regions, once the rainy season arrives, dampness becomes like an invisible "thief", silently invading our bodies, making us feel trapped in a "sealed can", with a "musty" aura all over.So, how can we get rid of dampness and regain a refreshing and comfortable feeling? Don't worry, today we'll share some simple and easy tricks to help you easily say goodbye to the trouble of "dampness clinging to your body"
Feeling Damp? Here's a Trick! Acupoint Massage, Dietary Adjustments to Bid Farewell to the "Musty" Feeling
In humid and sweltering weather, do you also feel heavy, have a poor appetite, and even suffer from skin itching, dizziness, and headaches? That's right, dampness is at work! Especially in southern regions, once the rainy season arrives, dampness becomes like an invisible "thief", silently invading our bodies, making us feel trapped in a "sealed can", with a "musty" aura all over.
So, how can we get rid of dampness and regain a refreshing and comfortable feeling? Don't worry, today we'll share some simple and easy tricks to help you easily say goodbye to the trouble of "dampness clinging to your body".
I. Acupoint Massage to Clear Meridians, Eliminate Dampness and Detoxify
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the human body is a complex system, and acupoints are the "switches" in this system. By massaging specific acupoints, we can regulate the flow of Qi and blood in the body, promote the elimination of dampness, and achieve the effect of removing dampness.
1. Four Commonly Used Dampness-Removing Acupoints
(1) Yinlingquan (SP9)
Located below the knee, along the inner side of the lower leg bone, at the concave point where it turns inward. This acupoint is the He-Sea point of the Spleen Meridian, and it has the effect of diuresis, reducing swelling, invigorating the spleen, and removing dampness.
(2) Zusanli (ST36)
Located on the outer side of the lower leg, three cun (inches) below the lower border of the patella, one cun (inch) lateral to the anterior edge of the tibia. This acupoint is the He-Sea point of the Stomach Meridian, and it has the effects of invigorating the spleen and stomach, regulating Qi and blood, and enhancing immunity.
(3) Chengshan (BL57)
Located in the middle of the back of the lower leg, at the concave point of the calf muscle when the lower leg and heel are stretched and lifted. This acupoint is the He-Sea point of the Bladder Meridian, and it has the effects of promoting circulation, dispelling wind and cold, and diuresis, reducing swelling.
(4) Fenglong (ST40)
Located in the middle of the line connecting the lateral knee point and the lateral malleolus, then take the midpoint of this line, 1.5 cun (inches) lateral to the anterior edge of the tibia. This acupoint is the Luo point of the Stomach Meridian, and it has the effects of invigorating the spleen and stomach, digesting food, and resolving stagnation, transforming dampness and removing turbidity.
2. Three "Waste Discharge Outlets" to Tap and Clear, Accelerate Dampness Removal
In addition to massaging acupoints, we can also promote dampness elimination by tapping "waste discharge outlets".
(1) Jiquan (HT1)
Located in the armpit, this is an important acupoint of the Heart Meridian, and can be massaged regularly to clear the Heart Meridian's stagnation and relieve chest tightness, palpitations, etc.
(2) Quchi (LI11)
Located on the outer side of the elbow crease, this is the He-Sea point of the Large Intestine Meridian, and it has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and reducing swelling and pain. It can relieve skin itching, joint pain, etc. caused by damp heat.
(3) Weizhong (BL40)
Located in the center of the popliteal fossa (the knee crease), this is the He-Sea point of the Bladder Meridian, and it has the effects of promoting circulation, dispelling wind and cold, and diuresis, reducing swelling. It can relieve lower back pain, lower extremity edema, etc.
II. Dietary Adjustments for Internal and External Treatment to Drive Away Dampness
In addition to acupoint massage, dietary adjustments are also an important means of removing dampness. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that people with heavy dampness can adjust their spleen and stomach function and promote the elimination of dampness in the body through dietary adjustments.
1. Identify the Type of Dampness Syndrome and Treat Accordingly
The manifestations of heavy dampness are mainly divided into two categories:
(1) Cold Dampness
Symptoms: Pale tongue with white coat; fear of cold, prone to abdominal distention and diarrhea after eating cold food or being exposed to cold; poor appetite, bland taste, reluctance to drink water; easy fatigue, severe cases may have edema, such as swelling of hands and feet, puffy eyes.
Dietary Therapy: When stewing soup or stir-frying vegetables, it is advisable to add warming ingredients like ginger slices, peppercorns, tangerine peel, and sand ginger, which can have the effect of bitter warming and drying dampness. People with cold dampness often have spleen and stomach coldness, so they can add some spleen-invigorating herbs, such as Poria cocos, Dioscorea opposita, and Codonopsis pilosula.
(2) Heat Dampness
Symptoms: Bitter mouth, dry mouth, thick and yellow tongue coating, drowsiness and fatigue, always feeling sleepy, more secretions in the pharynx, constipation with sticky stools, irritable and restless.
Dietary Therapy: If the internal heat is not severe, you can use relatively cool herbs like Smilax glabra, Coix lacryma-jobi, etc. for soup making. If there is heat dampness with both heat and dampness being severe or heat being more severe than dampness, you can use relatively cold herbs like Artemisia capillaris, Taraxacum mongolicum, and Achyranthes bidentata.
(3) Intermediate Type
Dietary Therapy: If you can't really distinguish between cold and heat, you can use herbs with relatively neutral flavor for soup making or porridge, such as Euryale ferox seed, Poria cocos, Dolichos lablab, and Dioscorea opposita.
2. Common Dampness-Removing Ingredients
In addition to the ingredients mentioned above, there are many other ingredients that can help remove dampness, such as:
- Coix lacryma-jobi: Sweet and bland in taste, it can invigorate the spleen and eliminate dampness, and is a commonly used ingredient for removing dampness.
- Red Azuki Bean: Sweet and flat in taste, it can drain water and reduce swelling, and can be cooked into porridge with Coix lacryma-jobi.
- Winter Melon: Cold and sweet in taste, it can drain water and reduce swelling, clear heat and detoxify, suitable for use as soup ingredients or stir-fried dishes.
- Mung Bean: Cold and sweet in taste, it can clear heat and detoxify, drain water and reduce swelling, and can be cooked into soup or made into desserts.
- Yam: Flat and sweet in taste, it can invigorate the spleen and Qi, and can be cooked into soup or stir-fried dishes.
- Poria cocos: Flat and sweet in taste, it can invigorate the spleen and eliminate dampness, and can be cooked into soup or porridge.
III. Exercise to Perspire, Stimulate Yang Qi, and Drive Away Dampness
Exercise can accelerate blood circulation, promote metabolism, and eliminate toxins in the body, thereby achieving the effect of removing dampness.
1. Choose Suitable Exercise Methods
When using exercise to eliminate dampness, you can choose low-intensity exercises like jogging, walking, or practicing the Eight Brocades, etc., with a slight sweat being ideal. It is not advisable to exercise to the point of excessive sweating, because excessive sweating and failing to dry or change clothes in time may also lead to dampness invading the body or wind invading the body and causing a cold.
2. Pay Attention to Exercise Time and Intensity
It is not recommended to exercise at night or early morning. These times are when fog is heavy, not only is it not helpful for dampness removal, but it can also easily attract external dampness.
IV. Life Details to Prevent and Eliminate Dampness, Maintain Health
In addition to the above methods, it is important to pay attention to the following details in daily life to better prevent and eliminate dampness:
- Keep the indoor environment well-ventilated and dry, avoid humid and stuffy environments.
- Wear loose and breathable clothing to avoid excessive sweating followed by catching cold.
- Avoid excessive cold, try to eat less raw and cold foods, especially for people with spleen and stomach coldness.
- Maintain good sleep habits, avoid staying up late, and ensure sufficient sleep.
- Drink more warm water, which can promote blood circulation and help eliminate dampness from the body.
Conclusion
Heavy dampness is not to be taken lightly, but there is no need to worry too much. Through acupoint massage, dietary adjustments, exercise to perspire, and improvement in life details, we can easily bid farewell to the "musty" feeling and regain a refreshing and comfortable life!
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