Tag Archives: digestion

DAMPNESS

Damp, Digestion, Earth Element, Humidity, Oedema, Reproductive, Urination, , , ,

Wet, moist, dripping, sticky, sodden, muggy, close, clammy. These words convey the feeling in the human body of humidity or dampness. This is the climate that resonates with late summer and the Earth Element.

As with the other external climatic factors we’ve looked at so far (cold, wind and heat), dampness can become pathogenic when it invades the body.

Sticky humidity is usually linked in our minds with tropical climates where the humidity is accompanied by heat, creating that sagging, sinking heaviness that makes it hard to move. We perspire, but the sweat doesn’t evaporate in the air which is already full to dripping with moisture. We feel sticky all over; armpits and other creases feel like swamps.

But damp can also be present in cold climates where persistent precipitation drives up the moisture content of the air. I spent my early childhood in the north of England, in Manchester which lies at the foot of the Pennines and where the rain driving in from Ireland is trapped by the hills, and hangs over the city as low, grey cloud and an incessant drizzle. In such climates, clothing never feels dry, bedsheets are perennially damp. There is even damp in the walls of houses, known as “rising damp”.

Living in humid climates, both hot and cold, can lead to invasion of damp into the body. So too can sitting on damp ground or in wet clothes, living in a house that is close to a stream, or working in a damp environment.

As above, so below: people who have dampness within their body are more likely to complain about and be susceptible to dampness outside. This suggests a weakness in the Earth Element and its associated organ/channels of Stomach and Spleen.

As we’ve seen previously, climatic factors injure their corresponding yin organs. Cold injures the Kidney, wind injures the Liver and heat injures the Heart. Similarly, damp invades and injures the Spleen.

One of the many functions of the Spleen is the efficient transportation of fluids throughout the body. When Spleen is weak, fluids accumulate, often in the lower body, producing oedema and a feeling of heaviness and lethargy. Spleen, together with Stomach, is also responsible for transforming food into Qi and circulating that Qi to all the organs. When this transformation process is compromised, Qi is deficient and fatigue and lethargy result.

Certain foods are known to make this transformation process difficult. Sugary foods such as cakes, biscuits and ice cream slow down the Spleen. So too do dairy products and highly refined grains. Greasy, fried food is also hard for Spleen to metabolise. Another challenge to Spleen is cold food or drinks. And all alcohol. All of these foods are said to generate damp within the body.

So, damp shmamp, who cares? Well, consider this: internal damp can travel up the yin meridians of the leg to affect the organs of the abdomen. It can affect the reproductive organs, producing painful periods, vaginal discharges, genital swelling and itching; it can affect the intestines, causing bloating and loose stools; and when damp affects the bladder, it can create difficult, frequent or burning urination and cloudy urine. Other symptoms can include arthritis and swelling of the joints, poor appetite, fullness in the chest or epigastrium, feelings of tiredness and heaviness, fogginess in the head with difficulty thinking, and a sticky white or yellow coating on the tongue.

A full exploration of the many Damp conditions is beyond the scope of this article. But it must be noted that a diagnosis of damp is very common, especially in western countries or other places that have adopted the western diet. Damp can affect Stomach, Spleen, Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Bladder, Kidneys, Gall Bladder, Liver, uterus and the skin. Conditions can derive from external damp invading the body, or internal damp caused by a deficiency in the Spleen.

Points to clear damp

Points to clear damp are many and varied, depending on the organ/channel that is affected. As we are focusing here on external damp invading the Spleen, I’ll focus on these Earth points.

Spleen 3, source point of Spleen, directly balances the organ and influences its functions. Located at the ball of the big toe.

Spleen 6, Three Yin Crossing, treats damp in the Spleen, Liver and Kidneys. (Forbidden during pregnancy.) Located 3 cun (4 fingers width) above the tip of the inner ankle bone and close to the back of the tibia.

Spleen 9, Water point of the Spleen is perhaps the most well-known point for clearing damp. Located in a depression below the inside of the knee at the medial condyle of the tibia.

Stomach 36, our old friend with many functions, clears damp from Stomach and Spleen. Located 3 cun down from the outside of the knee and 1 finger lateral to the tibia.

Location of Spleen 3, 6 & 9

Completing a Cycle

Blood, Digestion, Earth Element, Knee problems, Menstrual disorders, Oedema, Reflux, Tiredness, Transitions, xi-cleft points, , , , ,

Here we complete the year-long series of blogs on the xi-cleft points. Under the microscope today are the Earth points of this category. If you are puzzling over why I’m considering the Earth Element in the late winter in the southern hemisphere, it is because we are now in the 18-day transition phase between winter and spring. For those in the northern hemisphere, the transition is between summer and autumn, namely the late summer, that is more usually associated with Earth. The previous blog looked at how the dates of these transitions are calculated.

The xi-cleft points, sometimes known as accumulation points, are places where the Qi of the channel accumulates and dives more deeply down. They are known to treat acute conditions of the organ.  They are also known to treat stagnation, both in the organ and in the corresponding emotion.

Stomach 34 ~ Liangqiu ~ Ridge Mound

The mound here refers to the rectus femoris muscle of the thigh, which is adjacent to this point. There are many acupoints with mound in their names. Mounds are raised places where we can see further and find greater perspective. Liangqiu can support us in finding balance and perspective around nourishment, both in what food we eat, how we eat, as well as the nourishment we get from relationships and other influences that we let into our lives. One of the ways that Earth can be thrown off its axis is when there is an imbalance between receiving nourishment from others and giving of ourselves to others. Another translation of Liangqiu is “Beam Mound”. A beam provides both support and balance, and this point brings both of those qualities to this issue of nourishing self and others.

Stomach 34 is known for treating a wide variety of stomach related conditions including epigastric pain and swelling, and rebellious Qi conditions such as regurgitation, acid reflux, nausea and vomiting. It treats swelling, stiffness and pain in the knee, difficulty with flexion and extension of the knee, and coldness in the knee and leg. It is also used to treat stagnation in the breasts, which lie higher up the Stomach channel. Mastitis, swelling, pain and abscesses in the breasts can be addressed.

Location of Stomach 34

2 cun above the top of the lateral border of the patella, in a depression between rectus femoris and vastus lateralis. The height of the patella, top to bottom, is considered to be 2cun and so can be used as a guide.

Spleen 8  ~ Diji ~ Earth Pivot

The name of this character, Diji, has many translations: Earth Pivot, Earth Cure, Earth Crux, Earth Motivator, Earth Basket.

Earth Pivot echoes the name of Stomach 25, Celestial Pivot. Indeed, the ancients saw three Earth points as representing the upper (SP 21), middle (ST 25) and lower (SP 8) aspects of the human body, corresponding to Heaven, Human and Earth respectively. Thus, Diji treats conditions of the lower body. The 16th century physician Yan Zhen-shi went so far as to claim, “There is no condition of the lower region that cannot be treated with Diji.” Big call!

The xi-cleft points of the yin meridians are famous for treating blood disorders, especially blood stasis. Since the Spleen is responsible for producing blood and for regulating the distribution of blood and fluids, it can be deduced that Spleen 8 will be particularly useful for blood issues. Any menstrual irregularities therefore respond to this point. This includes irregular, painful or scanty periods. It treats pain and distension of the abdomen, diarrhoea, leucorrhoea, oedema and difficult urination.

If we consider the alternative name of Earth Motivator, we can see how it can be used to energise the Earth Element, clearing stagnation, and resolving damp and its accompanying sensations of feeling drained and lethargic. It supports the healthy quality of Spleen that provides upward lift. One of the problems that can occur when Earth is out of balance is that of inertia. Inertia is often interpretated as doing nothing, an inability to get moving. However, it really refers to things continuing in their current state, so it equally applies to the person who can’t stop moving. This point therefore supports appropriate rest and movement.

This last thought makes me think of the tussle that occurs in the transition from late winter to early spring. One day we are pulled to outside activity on a bright sunny day, only to be driven indoors the next by a cold and rainy day. This back and forth between winter and spring can make for some frustration, so I’ll be using Spleen 8 in the next week or so to help me through this transition. Let’s see if it works.

See you again in our southern spring when I’ll be starting a new round of season-related blogs.

Location of Spleen 8

5 cun below the knee crease on the inside of the leg. Divide the distance between the knee crease and the ankle into three parts. The point is one third down from the knee and on the back border of the tibia bone.