Digestion is the basis of life. Without food, the body cannot function, and when digestion is disturbed, a variety of complaints arise. In Chinese medicine, this is often referred to as damp used. Dampness is a metaphor that can be compared to waste or excess fluid in the body. These can interfere with digestion and cost energy. For good treatment, it is therefore important to determine to what extent someone is affected by this.
Chinese medicine originated from natural philosophy. Nature was used as inspiration to understand processes in the body. The five elements are known: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. These describe fundamental processes that shape life together. In western terms, you could compare this with laws of nature in a philosophical sense.
In addition to these five elements, Chinese medicine has six so-called pathogenic influences: wind, cold, damp, heat, drought and summer heat. These are external factors that can unbalance the body.
What is Damp?
Damp can be compared to fog. In the body, this appears as an accumulation of fluid and waste products. This accumulation can be both a cause and a consequence of digestive disorders. Damp obstructs the flow and costs the body energy. That is why it is important to recognize and reduce this factor.
Complaints that may indicate Damp include:
- Difficult to get started in the morning
- A languid, heavy or drooping feeling in the body
- Heavy arms and legs
- A feeling of “cotton wool in the head”
- Digestive complaints
- Oedema
How are wastes created?
There are roughly three ways in which the body can deal with excess damp:
- Exposure to a humid environment or climate
- Food that forms Damp
- Impaired or inefficient digestion
In practice, nutrition and digestion are particularly decisive. Damp-forming food is often heavy, greasy or sticky and therefore difficult to digest. Examples include:
- Dairy products such as milk and cheese
- Fried products
- Peanut Butter
- Bananas
- Candy, chocolate and simple sugars
What does this mean for the body?
When the digestive system is burdened by this food, this has several consequences. The body gets less energy and nutrients from food, the digestive organs themselves become weakened and a relatively large amount of waste is created. All of this takes energy. The result is often tiredness and a feeling of heaviness in the body.
What can you do with Damp and digestive disorders?
At Damp, it is important to support and strengthen the digestive system. This can be done in various ways.
Adding heat to the diet helps digestion. Think of using ginger or cinnamon and drinking warm water. Heat supports digestion and helps remove waste.
Movement is also essential. The lymphatic system, which is responsible for removing waste, only works well when the body is moving. Daily exercise, light stretching exercises and conscious breathing support this process.
Nutrition also plays a major role. Preferably opt for easy-to-digest meals. Homemade soups are a good example of this. They are warm, easy to digest and suitable for adding supporting ingredients. Eat a varied diet, with plenty of fresh vegetables, and avoid excess fat, dairy and sugar.
To support waste disposal, Chinese medicine often uses millet (Job tears) and aduki beans, for example once or twice a week.
Summarized
Damp makes you feel heavy and languid and costs the body energy. In case of related complaints, it can help to:
- To be moderate with Damp-forming food
- Hot water to drink
- Use ginger and cinnamon in moderation
- Eat soups regularly
- Daily exercise
Want to know more about this? Then contact us, we are happy to help you.
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