Summer is a season when dampness prevails, just like a machine rusts easily in a humid environment, the human body also needs to prevent “dampness.” During this season, people often feel loss of appetite and extreme fatigue, which is due to the influence of “dampness”. To identify if there is dampness in the body, understand the harm of dampness to health, and how to prevent it, we can draw on the wisdom of traditional Chinese medicine and take the following methods to deal with it.
### Method of Slight Sweating to Remove Dampness ### Traditional Chinese medicine theory believes that slight sweating can help eliminate dampness in the body. It is not necessary to exercise vigorously until sweating profusely, but to maintain slight sweating throughout the body is optimal. After sweating, avoid drinking cold drinks immediately or being directly exposed to air conditioning. Let the sweat evaporate naturally, which helps to expel dampness faster. For symptoms like itchy skin, rashes, etc., they can also be alleviated through methods of slight sweating therapy, using specific Chinese herbal formulas to promote smooth sweating, accelerating the expulsion of damp evils.
### Diluting and Draining Dampness through Urination ### Damp evils belong to Yin and easily combine with heat to form damp-heat. When treating, one can choose drugs with a light and thin nature, such as Reed Rhizome and Poria peel, to remove damp-heat through urination. Medicinal formulas like Wu Ling San and Si Ling Tang are commonly used methods to drain dampness, suitable for cases of internal accumulation of damp-heat.
### Strengthening the Spleen and Stomach to Eliminate Dampness ### The spleen and stomach act as the “water pump” of the body, responsible for the metabolism of water. If the function of the spleen and stomach is weak, dampness tends to accumulate. Therefore, enhancing the function of the spleen and stomach is the key to fundamentally solving the problem of dampness. By nurturing the spleen and stomach, enhancing its “water pumping” ability can effectively reduce the accumulation of dampness in the body.
### Summer Health Tips ### Summer is often rainy and humid, making the spleen vulnerable to influence, so attention should be paid to removing dampness during this season. Maintain a low-salt diet, avoid overconsumption of raw and cold foods, choose warm water baths over saunas, and take appropriate naps, all of which help reduce dampness in the body. In addition, proper dietary adjustments are crucial, such as using therapeutic foods like Red Bean and Coix Seed Soup, and White Atractylodes and Poria Drink, which can invigorate the spleen, drain dampness, and enhance the body’s resistance to dampness.
### Dietary Recommendations – Heat-Clearing and Dampness-Removing Soup: Cook together Poria, Pueraria, Red Adzuki Beans, Adzuki Beans, and Tangerine Peel, helps clear heat, detoxify, remove dampness, and invigorate the spleen. – Red Bean and Coix Seed Soup: Simply combine red beans and coix seeds for diuretic and anti-edema effects, tonifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea. – Strengthening the Spleen and Draining Dampness Soup: Cook together Chinese Yam, Poria, and Coix Seeds, especially suitable for those with poor spleen and stomach functions.
By using the above methods, combined with reasonable lifestyle habits and dietary adjustments, you can effectively combat the invasion of dampness in summer and maintain good health.
