Do You, or Someone You Know, Suffer From These Symptoms?
“Interior Dampness arises from a deficiency of Spleen-Pancreas and sometimes Kidneys. If the Spleen-Pancreas function of transforming and transportation of Body Fluids fails, these will not be transformed and will accumulate to form Dampness. . . . The tongue will have a thick-sticky coating.” —G. Maciocia
- difficulty concentrating, or thinking clearly
- puffy eyes, face, hands, or ankles
- a feeling that the head and/or limbs are swollen or heavy
- headaches as if the head was wrapped and/ or throbbing
- tender muscles or joints
- lethargy in humid weather
- dry mouth without thirst
- desire to rinse mouth without swallowing
- sore muscles and joints
- excessive saliva, mucus
- edema of hands, feet, face or abdomen
- thick, pasty, nauseated feeling in mouth and/or stomach
- frequent, scanty or difficult urination
- soft or loose stool
The signs and symptoms above point towards a diagnosis of Dampness Stagnation. In Chinese medicine, when body fluids stagnate, accumulation of dampness occurs. Since dampness is denser than Qi, the proper flow of Qi is impeded. When Qi is hindered, the natural homeostasis of the body is affected, and health problems such as those listed above are frequent.
In most instances, interior Dampness arises from Spleen-Qi deficiency. This leads to a dysfunction of transformation and transportation of Body Fluids, and therefore to Dampness accumulation. Many organs can suffer from dampness. In most cases, a feeling of heaviness, lethargy, and fullness are present. Dampness frequently accumulates in structures such as joints and muscles. A headache which is described as “muzzy” and heavy definitely involves Dampness Stagnation in the head.