TCM Basic Substances: Body Fluids (Jin Ye)

This is the fifth and last post on the series on basic body substances in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The basic substances are Qi, Blood (Xue), Essence (Jing), Spirit (Shen), and Body Fluids (Jin Ye). I will be sharing some ideas about the Body fluids or Jin Ye, what they are, their functions, symptoms of imbalance and tips on how to maintain their health.

 

The TCM basic substances are those which are essential for health and for life itself as life cannot be sustained if one of them is missing. These substances are not only the building blocks of the physical body but also encompass the human dimensions of the mind, emotions and spirit.

Body fluids are more than just water

Body fluids are pure Yin energy: They are the juice that enables every bodily process to occur and every organ to function. These fluids can be thin and light or thick and nourishing and their composition is much more than just water: Depending on the specific functions of the fluid and its location in the body, it may contain different minerals and nutrients. Body fluids moisten and lubricate every tissue, and provide nourishment to all our cells as well as facilitating the flow of substances throughout the body.

Every single organ, sense organ and tissue of the body needs Body fluids to be able to perform their functions. Without fluids, everything becomes dry and brittle and the body crumbles. Besides this, Jing Ye conform everything in the body that has liquid form such as gastric juices, tears, saliva, semen, vaginal fluids, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and of course the Blood. Just think of any part of the body, it will inevitably need some form of fluid to be healthy or do its job. In addition, Body fluids enable the excretion of waste and toxic products out of the body.

 

FUNCTIONS OF JIN YE

Body fluids are generally separated into Jin – the thinner fluids, and Ye – the thicker and richer fluids. These are two expressions of Yin energy, the difference between them being that Ye fluids are comparatively more Yin and Jin fluids comparatively more Yang. This means that Ye fluids are thicker and more nourishing, work at deeper levels of the body, and if they are insufficient our health will be affected more severely.

The main functions of Body fluids are:

• To moisten and lubricate- These two functions are slightly different from each other. On the one hand, providing moisture prevents dryness and brittleness, on the other hand lubrication is like a coating that prevents friction, provides protection, and facilitates the smooth passage of substances and food. Thus, the skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments and sensory orifices are mostly moistened while the internal organs, hollow tracts, joints, the spine and brain are mostly lubricated. Moistening is mostly done by Jin – the lighter more Yang fluids, while lubricating is done by Ye- the richer more Yin fluids.
• To nourish- Body fluids provide the deep nourishment that organ tissues need to be healthy and perform their functions. This includes the brain and the sense organs. Severe deficiency of Body fluids can result in poor organ function, cognitive impairment, and decline in our ability to see, hear, smell. This doesn’t mean all of these things will happen at once. The affected areas will depend on different factors such as our constitutional make up, our lifestyle, environment, and the level of the deficiency of Body fluids.
• To transport- Body fluids provide the transporting platform for many substances from nutrients, neurochemicals and hormones to waste products.
• To conform the Blood- Body fluids conform the liquid part of the Blood, which could be likened to Plasma.

 

BODY FLUID PRODUCTION

Body fluids depend on a healthy diet

Body fluids originate in the digestive system. A healthy digestive system will break down everything that we eat and drink and convert it into Qi, Blood, and more Body Fluids. Body Fluids are the substances least spoken about but they are actually the most essential. The reason for this is that without plentiful Body fluids the digestive system cannot perform its functions of transforming food and drink into Qi, Blood and Body fluids and transporting these substances throughout the body. Qi and Blood are the resources that we use up every single day when we perform our daily activities. These substances depend to a large extent on a healthy digestive system which in turn depends on plentiful Body fluids – which are also produced by the digestive system.

While the digestive system can continue working relatively well when we are Blood deficient, and can still somewhat function when we are Qi deficient, without enough Body fluids its ability to process food and drink will be impaired. As a result, there will be a decline in Qi, Blood and Body fluid production. This vicious cycle can rapidly spiral down and create systemic dysfunction. 

In relation to Qi and Blood, Body fluids are the most Yin substance. For this reason, Qi deficiency is much easier to treat than Body Fluid deficiency, and the latter implies a more severe level of depletion.

 

BODY FLUID DISHARMONIES

Not having enough body fluids results in dryness and poor organ function anywhere in the body. Just think of what happens when things dry out: eyes become sore and unable to be used without their natural moisture, a dry mouth is unable to facilitate the passage of food down the upper digestive tract, a dry throat is unable to swallow and doesn’t allow us to speak fluidly, a dry stomach can become painful and acidic, dry intestines cannot move the stools, dry joints become painful and stiff.

Everything starts in the Stomach and Spleen. When the Body fluids of the Stomach reach a level of deficiency, the impact of this deficiency can be transferred to different parts of the digestive system- the mouth, oesophagus, intestines. If the deficiency is not corrected and becomes more severe, it can start to impact other internal organs to eventually reach the Kidneys, the Heart and the Brain. The increasing lack of Qi, Blood and Body fluids resulting from a deficient Stomach will eventually manifest at a systemic level with symptoms such as low immunity, low energy, hormonal imbalances, poor organ function or organ failure, and neurological symptoms. Having worked for decades with people with immune and neurological conditions, I have very often seen how the severe systemic issues were rooted in a severe Body fluid deficiency of the digestive system.

As Body fluids conform the liquid part of the Blood, the two substances have a strong influence on each other. Generally speaking, the Blood has to do with nourishing the substance of the body such as the muscles, the heart muscle, the brain mass itself, etc; while Body fluids have more influence on the actual function of the organs and systems. However, because of the close relationship between the two substances, a severely deficient Blood will quickly create Body fluid deficiency and vice-versa.

The table below, shows symptoms that may appear in different parts of the body as a result of Body fluid deficiency based on how Body fluids are regarded in Jing Fang Classical Chinese Medicine. The treatment for all of these will invariably involve a nourishing diet consisting of easy to digest foods (such as soups and stews), plenty of rest and sleep and an adjustment of the level of daily activity to the level of available energy. Beside this, specific herbs to nourish the Stomach and the specific area of the body that is affected can be used:

 

ORGAN	BODY FLUID DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS
BRAIN	Low cognitive function: Difficulty learning, inability to focus or concentrate. Bleak mood, no motivation. Feeling as if the brain is empty Note: The Blood nourishes the brain mass and has an effect on memory and sleep
SENSORY ORIFICES	Dryness/malfunction: Severe dryness of the eyes, mouth, ears, nose. Loss of smell, taste, hearing, eyesight Note: The Blood nourishes the eyes but not so much the other orifices
LUNG	Dryness and low function: Severe dryness, inability to breathe, shortness of breath, weak voice, dry tight chest, organ failure
HEART	Low function: Irregular heartbeat, weakness, organ failure Note: Blood disharmony will affect the strength of the heartbeat and can cause pain
STOMACH	Low function: Low or no appetite, inability to digest with pain/bloating after eating, poor absorption, organ collapse Dryness: low gastric juice production, tightness in epigastrium, acid reflux/nausea/pain on an empty stomach
INTESTINES	Low function: Forceless stools, multiple stools per day, severe constipation, diarrhoea with indigested food, watery stools, waking at night to pass stools, organ failure  Note: The Blood has some effect on moistening the stools
KIDNEY BLADDER	Low function: Easily getting UTIs from not drinking enough, not able to pass urine due to weakness, need to press abdomen to empty bladder, nocturia several times per night, organ failure
GENITALS	Milder effect on quantity of Blood and Sperm quality.  Blood disharmonies have a strong effect on menstruation, reproduction, and sperm quality and quantity
EXTERIOR	JOINTS: pain worse for movement, dry joints, loss of cartilage LIGAMENTS: shrinking, tightness, hyperextension, weak and easily injured/inflamed  Note: The Blood impacts the muscle mass, muscle strength, and bone density

Excess of Body fluids is often mentioned as a type of disharmony. However, given that the fluids that we refer to as basic substance are only the pure, refined, nutritious type of fluids, I would argue that what is normally seen as excess Body fluids is nothing but Damp. Dampness refers to an accumulation of turbid fluids of varied consistency which are a result of either poor metabolism – i.e. an inability of the digestive system to transform food and drink into usable substances which results in an accumulation of unprocessed matter- or poor diet- the consumption of foods that are considered damp forming such as processed foods, excessive dairy, gluten, refined sugar, etc. Damp is therefore what may result from a digestive system that is deficient in Qi and/or Body fluids. Having an abundance of the healthy Body fluids in our body would translate as more health and vitality rather than constitute a disharmony causing ill health.

 

HOW BODY FLUIDS BECOME DEFICIENT

Body fluids can become deficient when the body doesn't produce enough, we use up more than we have, or when there is excessive leakage. The main sources of deficiency are:

• Not enough Body fluids being created by the digestive system: This can happen for various reasons including:

-        Not consuming enough food and drink for our needs – this can happen because there isn’t enough food available, there is an eating disorder, or our level of activity is very high and our consumption of food and drink is not high enough to cover our needs.

-        Consuming food and drink that are not nutritious, have a high level of toxicity, or are difficult to digest: this includes poor quality food, processed foods, food that is too rich, high in sugar, high on harmful chemicals, excessive dairy and wheat, excessive alcohol consumption.

-        Constitutional weakness in the digestive system. Qi or Yang deficiency of the Spleen/Stomach

• Excessive physical activity:  This means doing more physical activity than our body’s resources can afford to do- i.e. an optimum amount of rest and nutrition cannot restore the internal resources needed for long-term health. An example of this is the activity performed by professional athletes: Studies such as this one from Poland and this one from Harvard University, have shown that their increased expenditure of energy leads to accelerating aging which is a manifestation of Body fluid deficiency.
•  

  

  Over sweating depletes the Body fluids

  Leakage of fluids: When the normal and necessary excretion and secretion of fluids become uncontrolled and large amounts of fluids continuously leave the body, the internal production cannot keep up and the result will be a depletion of internal Body fluids. There are “five leakages” that affect the Body fluids. To these we can add excessive bleeding as this can cause severe Blood depletion which will in turn deplete the Body fluids. The five leakages are:

           Excessive sweating: When we frequently sweat profusely

           Excessive crying: Crying often and profusely

           Excessive urination: Copious urination over 8 x day and 2 x night

           Excessive drooling: Constant drooling, excess salivation

           Excessive runny nose: Constantly losing water through the nose

When there is excessive leakage of any fluids, the treatment priority becomes to stop the leakage. This can be done by the intake of specific herbs as well as acupuncture and moxibustion on specific points depending on the particular leakage. Once the leakage is under control, treatment will focus on restoring the lost Body fluids and addressing the internal imbalances that led to the leakage in the first place.

 

HOW TO PREVENT BODY FLUID DEFICIENCY

 In order to have plentiful Body fluids we need to:

•  Look after our Body fluid production, which means taking care of our digestive system, keeping it strong through the regular intake of appropriate food and drink and as free from toxic burdens as we possibly can. More information on how to do this can be found in my previous post about diet and nutrition according to TCM and the post about the main organ of digestion in TCM.
• Make sure we don’t over spend our Body fluid resources by resting and sleeping enough in relation to our energy expenditure. Generally speaking, we will know that we need more rest when we feel exhausted or weak as a result of our normal activities.
• Take time to recover after illness before increasing physical activity. This has become more obvious since the Covid 19 pandemic as many people have become chronically ill after returning to normal activities and exercise too soon following an infection with this virus. We need to be vigilant of our strength and energy levels before returning to normality.

 Once the Body fluid deficiency becomes severe, changes in the diet and lifestyle will not be enough to restore health. Although changes will be necessary to avoid worsening the situation, only treatment that strengthens organ function and nourishes the Body fluids will be able to reverse the situation. Moxibustion and Chinese herbal medicine are often important parts of this process.

Our Body fluids are the most essential substances for our vitality, health and longevity. In addition, they are the juice behind our creativity, our ability to be in the world with full perception and our capacity to learn and be productive. Looking after them is the best way to ensure we can enjoy life and good health into the last stage of our lives.

TCM Causes of Disease: Damp

In Chinese Medicine theory, it is understood that each part of a whole plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the whole. What constitutes the “whole” depends on the context, it could be the planet, a specific ecosystem, or an individual living organism. When we take the human body as the “whole”, this concept means that all of the organs, tissues, fluids and systems in our body work in conjunction with each other in order to maintain the balance and health of the whole body. At the same time, anything that happens to one part of the body, can eventually affect other parts, and even the whole system.

This also works at a bigger scale. As we are ourselves part of larger system which is nature, we are under the influence of the environment we live in and our bodies are in constant interplay with its changing qualities, while at the same time our environment is affected by how we interact with it. Simply put, the elements, seasons, and climate as well as the pollution and toxicity in our environment influence the workings of our bodily systems.

In Chinese medicine, we identify specific pathogenic factors that result from our interaction with our environment. These are referred to as 6 External causes of disease which consist of natural climatic and environmental factors that can become pathogenic and cause disease when they “invade” the body. I gave a brief account of each of these pathogenic factors in a previous post which you can read here. 

In this post, I am going to focus on the Damp pathogen, which I have found to be one of the the main factors contributing to symptoms during my 20 years of practice in the UK.

 

DAMP

Mould growth is a result of Damp

According to the publication  Indoor Environmental Quality and Health Risk toward Healthier Environment for All, indoor dampness is related to the growth of mould and bacteria and chemical degradation of building materials, and it is a risk factor for respiratory symptoms and infections, asthma, rhinitis, lower lung function, dermatitis, a host of non-respiratory symptoms, sensory effects, irritation of the mucous membranes and inflammation. 

I have seen all of the issues mentioned above, and more, in my clinic as a result of Damp pathogens. To understand how Damp affects our bodies, let’s start by defining the characteristics of Damp as we observe it in nature:

• It tends to penetrate matter and eventually cause its decay
• It produces heaviness, swelling, and puffiness- like the doors that we can’t get to close, the walls with blistering plaster, the soggy ground when it's very humid
• It is pervasive and easily becomes stagnant and mouldy- where there is damp, there is that smell that seems to never go away no matter how much ventilation we give to a place. Oh, and those mouldy patches in our Victorian houses which always seem to come back no matter how much we clean them
• It tends to sink- unless everything is so soaked that it has nowhere else to go or something is blocking its way causing it to move upwards instead, dampness tends to go downwards because of its heaviness.

 

 On the whole, pathogenic Damp shares the exact same characteristics of environmental dampness as outlined above:

• It can penetrate matter: Damp can be found practically everywhere in the body: the skin, the muscles, the joints, the organs, the mucus-lined tracts throughout the body, the sensory organs. It can cause decay: In long term Damp-related skin conditions, we can easily see how the stagnant fluids stop blood circulation to the external layers causing them to become scaly and eroded.
• It produces heaviness, swelling, and puffiness- heavy feelings, bloating, puffiness, and swelling are common signs of Dampness 
• Long term Damp is difficult to get rid of: though not impossible, it can take root in places we can’t imagine, and when it has been present for a long time, it can become stuck, thick and pervasive
• Damp tends to sink- the most common symptoms of Damp manifest in the lower part of the body- bowels, urinary tract, and lower limbs. However, just like in nature, it can rise to the chest and head when there is an excess of it in the lower and the is no room for more Damp, or if there is a blockage that doesn’t allow it to sink, causing it to move upwards. We can see this in people who develop symptoms of Damp in the upper body (cough with phlegm, mucus in the nose, blocked ears) as a result of constipation or after eating excessively and clogging up their digestive systems.

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL DAMP

According to Chinese Medicine, there are two types of pathogenic Damp: External and Internal. This post was meant to discuss External Damp but it’s impossible to talk about it without discussing Internal Dampness as well.

Damp can appear in the body as a result of a relentless exposure to External Damp as well as Internal production of it coming from either the excessive consumption of damp- or mucus-producing foods and/or a propensity for the body to accumulate it due to an impairment in the digestive process. Once in the body, Damp can obstruct the flow of substances including the blood, disrupt organ function, produce inflammation, and - if left over a long period of time- become thicker and even solidify into soft lumps and nodules.

 External Damp

The UK is an area of high humidity which makes us prone to developing symptoms which in TCM are classified as Damp-related. We are painfully familiar with damp walls and ceilings, the smell of damp clothes which never seem to dry properly, and mouldy basements and cellars. Damp environments easily breed fungus and this is why we often see mould and mildew growing over all sorts of materials and plants that have not had the opportunity to dry out for a long time.

Frequent rain is a form of External Damp

When External Damp invades the body, it will affect at least one of the superficial layers of the body: skin, muscles, joints, ligaments or tendons. Damp will cause puffiness, inflammation, heavy feelings, skin conditions with fluid-filled eruptions, stiffness in the joints, achy feelings. It may be that our symptoms are better when we are outside moving around, and worse when we have been static for a long time. The joint stiffness, headache, and foggy head we can experience when we wake up, and which clear up as we move around, are often due to pathogenic Damp. Damp-related symptoms can be exacerbated by rainy days and damp environments, by certain foods, and may become chronic and difficult to shift.

Just to make it more confusing, Internal Damp can affect the superficial layers of the body if it has nowhere else to go, and cause the same symptoms as External Damp. This is often the case in children with eczema who are intolerant to dairy. Their inability to digest dairy can cause an accumulation in their digestive systems that the body eventually starts to send upwards and/or outwards resulting in chest or ear infections and skin conditions. For this reason, it is common for these children to experience childhood asthma and eczema at the same time. This kind of pattern can also be seen in adults and it is common to see people in clinic whose conditions involve both Internal and External Damp creating and exacerbating each other.

Internal Damp

Internally, Damp manifests as an accumulation of fluids of varied thickness and viscosity such as water retention, excess mucus, and phlegm. This can occur in any area of the body: in the digestive or respiratory tracts, the urinary tract, the reproductive system, the head and sense organs, etc. The famous candida overgrowth and all the different types of bacterial overgrowth causing digestive, Small and Large intestinal issues, and urinary issues are all manifestations of Damp in the interior.

The main underlying cause of internal Damp lies in the digestive system. There are two main ways in which this happens:

1. Depletion of the digestive organs, the Spleen and Stomach, resulting in an inability to process correctly all the food and fluid that we ingest. There may be sluggishness in the digestion which creates a back-log of undigested food and/or undischarged waste products. These accumulations can clog up the system, further impairing the digestive function, resulting in further accumulation and in an unhealthy cycle of worsening digestive power and increased accumulation.

The excess accumulation is initially stored inside the digestive tract but, as it increases, it can seep through other areas to affect the urinary and reproductive systems and also start to creep up to the chest and head, and even outwards to affect the joints and skin, thus producing systemic symptoms. As an example of this: I have treated several people who, despite having no appetite and eating very little, continuously put on weight and felt heavy and sluggish with headaches, foggy head, achy muscles and joints. This is what we would call Damp accumulation which is rooted in depletion. As the body becomes more depleted, more Damp accumulates until eventually it affects different parts of the body. The treatment involves warming and strengthening the body and encouraging the body to expel excess Damp using acupuncture and herbs, supported by a diet consisting of nutritious foods that are easily digested.

When our system is healthy, the excess Damp is expelled through the urine and stools. Thus, how we are excreting may show us the presence or absence of Internal Damp.

Damp forming foods can affect our health

2. The second main cause if Internal Damp is an excessive intake of Damp-forming (the same as mucus-forming) foods. It may be that our Spleen and Stomach are strong, but our diet consists of foods that are difficult to process. Our digestive organs may be overwhelmed by this after a while, resulting in an accumulation of Damp. This eventually can cause difficulty to the digestive organs as they cannot process or excrete efficiently, making them lose energy and become depleted. This means that long-term, this type of pattern ends up becoming the first type involving depletion of the digestive organs.

 The diet now prevalent in our society consists mostly of Damp producing foods:

Dairy products (milk and all its derivatives), wheat products, refined sugar, processed foods, chemical additives, alcohol. Think of the common UK diet of cereals (usually processed and full of refined sugar) with milk for breakfast, a sandwich and piece of cake for lunch, and pasta, pizza or something microwaved for dinner. To this we add snacks of milk chocolate bars, cereal bars, or biscuits, the fizzy drinks charged with additives and sugar, the teas and coffees with milk and sugar and the alcohol to relax in the evenings. With a diet like this, the constant consumption of mucus producing foods will eventually clog us up and prevent the digestive system from processing anything at all. We may think this is not doing us any harm but it’s just a question of time before we start to develop at least some of the symptoms outlined below.

 

SYMPTOMS OF DAMPNESS

The heavy, clogging, puffing, nature of Damp accounts for a variety of common symptoms that range from allergic reactions and inflammation to digestive difficulties, menstrual issues, and chronic headaches.

Below, there is a list of some of the possible symptoms that can be caused by Damp. Some of these symptoms may also be caused by other pathogenic factors or disfunction of the organs so this is not meant to be a diagnostic aid but just an informative list:

General:  Heaviness, fatigue, pain that is improved with movement and worsened by being still and by humid weather, numbness, water retention, oedema, stiff puffy joints, rashes particularly those with fluid-filled eruptions.

Digestive: Bloating, sluggish digestion, abdominal discomfort and fullness, nausea, loose stools, rumbling stomach, acid, mucus in stool, excess saliva, poor appetite.

Urinary: Frequent, difficult, urgent, painful, interrupted urination, night time urination.

Respiratory: Chest oppression, wheezing, cough, panting, rattling sounds, phlegm in the chest or throat.

Head: Nasal discharge, eye discharge, post nasal drip, blocked ears, sinus issues, headaches- particularly frontal ones

Mental/Emotional: Brain fog, depression, low motivation, feeling disconnected, excessive worry, anxiety, confusion, lack of concentration.

Skin: Rashes, itching, scaling, fluid-filled eruptions, some types of hair loss.

Damp-related symptoms often get worse when it’s rainy or humid outside or after we have consumed too much bread, dairy, sugar, alcohol.

Damp Heat

Just as it happens in nature, where stagnant water eventually starts to putrefy and becomes thick, slimy and smelly, long-standing Damp accumulation in the body can eventually heat up and turn thicker, turbid, and even putrid. This is called Damp Heat and it can present with the same symptoms as Damp but they will be more severe with the addition of thick, yellow, smelly discharges that become infectious, with pus, inflammation, hot sensations (including fever), and pain. Damp Heat is a development from Damp towards more severe conditions which are more difficult to treat.

In addition to the foods that create Damp and mucus, which will also contribute to Damp Heat if it is present, someone presenting this pathogen will need to avoid or reduce heating practices and foods including spicy food, alcohol, smoking, and sweating excessively.

 

 PREVENTING THE EFFECTS OF DAMPNESS IN THE BODY

In the UK, it is difficult not to be exposed to environmental Dampness. In addition, the fact that there is so much Exterior Dampness can eventually make us prone to develop Internal Dampness. I have seen this when treating people who were originally from drier climates like Spain, Greece, and Somalia. In these countries, the traditional diet contains a lot of Damp-forming foods such as wheat, dairy products, and large amounts of oil. In their original setting, these ingredients caused no issues as they help the body retain moisture, thus counteracting the effects of excessive dryness on the body. In Bristol, however, eating this diet resulted in weight gain, digestive issues, chest issues, and allergies. The type of weight gain I have seen mostly affects the middle and lower parts of the body with evident water retention and often a kind of wobbliness that resembles a water-filled balloon. This is the accumulation of Dampness that is sinking from the middle (the digestive system) into the lower abdomen, hips, legs, and feet.

I myself started to develop mild respiratory allergies to different agents, skin rashes, and wheezing after living in my house in Bristol for 3 years. I wasn’t sure why this was happening since I am always careful with my diet and lifestyle. Eventually, I discovered that mould was growing behind my bedroom furniture and that the V-shaped roof of my house was creating an accumulation of damp in the ceiling. I had to get rid of some of my furniture and constantly clean my walls and ceiling as well as getting a dehumidifier. Short of moving house, some heavy building work finally saved the day and after getting rid of all the materials that where completely water-logged and half rotten, I got to breathe freely again. I also developed a pattern where I would get clogging in my nose and ears just a few hours after eating bread. This was showing me that my digestive system had become very sensitive to Dampness as a result of overexposure to External Dampness, Herbs, acupuncture and reducing to a minimum the consumption of Damp-forming foods helped me restore my balance.

The experience I had in my house made me highly aware of the impact of External Dampness on our health. I recommend to everyone displaying severe Damp symptoms with no known cause, to do the following:

• Check of mould and damp walls in your home
• Any sign of Damp? – get a dehumidifier and then get a builder to check if anything needs to be done to fix it
• Ventilate your home as much as possible
• If there is Damp already, don’t dry your clothes on radiators and, if possible, not in the house. I use a dehumidifier to dry my clothes, although I get told off for over using it!

 

Diet and Lifestyle

Because Dampness is so sticky and it can hide inside the body for a long time sneakily clogging up the system and impairing our organ function, it can be difficult to get rid of it. By the time symptoms show and we seek treatment, we may need long term assistance to expel the accumulated Damp and help the organs recover their normal function. Cutting down or even out completely all Damp-producing foods from the diet is the simplest way to support a system that is getting congested with Dampness. 

The main Damp and mucus producing foods that a person displaying symptoms of Dampness needs to avoid are: 

All wheat products, cow’s milk and all its derivatives, refined sugar and all processed sugars and sweeteners, all processed foods, all refined fats, alcohol, and chemical additives.

 In addition, excessive amounts of raw and cold foods, and drinking fluids straight out of the fridge are considered practices that can conduce to Damp formation in the body. You can find out more on healthy eating according to Chinese Medicine here.

Regular stretching of the whole body can be helpful to improve flexibility and encourage the movement of stuck Dampness away from joints and muscles and to promote digestive function. Moderate exercise is often recommended, taking into account that the right type and right amount of exercise will depend on each person's condition. A way to know if the exercise we are doing suits us is to observe how we feel a a few hours later and the day after exercising. If we feel exhausted or our symptoms increase, this is a sign that we are doing too much or the wrong type of exercise. You can find more on health cultivation and the essentials of health here.

 Acupuncture and Chinese herbs are very effective at treating Dampness and its symptoms. With acupuncture, we can treat the most External manifestations of Dampness such as swelling, stiffness and pain. Internal Dampness that is not too severe, manifesting as respiratory, digestive and urinary issues can also be effectively treated with acupuncture and moxibustion. More severe, chronic, and stubborn Damp symptoms can be addressed with Chinese herbal medicine, often combined with acupuncture and moxibustion. Treatment can help the organs expel the excess Damp and also strengthen body as a whole to prevent excessive Damp from accumulating so easily in the future. 

Phlegm is a more congealed type of Dampness, it is originated in the same way and it is considered to be the cause of many illnesses in Chinese Medicine. Preventing Damp and Phlegm formation in the body can be regarded as essential to prevent chronic illness and improve our chances of a healthy mind and body in our mature years. 

 

 

 

The essentials of health

Everyone wants to be in good health. At least we tend to assume so as it would be crazy to wish sickness and unhappiness upon ourselves, wouldn’t it?  Yet, although most of us have some idea of what we need to do in order to be healthy, many of us fail to give ourselves even the minimal care. Worst of all, we seem to wait for sickness to strike before we even start thinking about staying healthy. How come we say we want to be healthy but actively make ourselves sick?

This may be due to a combination of different factors: the ever growing list of activities and responsibilities populating our lives, our own laziness about adopting healthy habits which are often perceived as requiring loads of effort, wanting instant results and quick fixes for everything, and our complacency about the ability of doctors to cure all illnesses. What happens in many cases is that we end up getting forced to adopt healthy habits after a lifetime of mistreating our bodies renders us unable to cope with even the slightliest indiscretion, and our hope of existing cures for everything turns into despondency when we find out that we may have done irreparable damage to our bodies and there is no easy or short term cure for our symptoms.

In addition to this, we have grown increasingly confused about what is healthy and what is not. This is a result of the information overload about these subjects which drives us to keep on trying every new cure-all remedy, supplement, exercise regime, and diet under the sun. This has only contributed to taking us further away from understanding our common needs as members of an animal species and part of the natural world, and our individual needs that result from the fact that we are all born with our own specific constitutional traits. These needs hold the key to our personal health maintenance.

Health = balance

Chinese medicine refers to a state of health as one where there is balance. This balance is understood to be happening between Yin and Yang, the two opposing qualities that lie at the root of everything that exists, making life possible. Where Yin is moist, cool, dark, heavy, and tends to contract and be still; Yang is dry, warm, light, airy, and tends to expand and move. In terms of the body, Yin has more to do with structure and Yang with function. However, as these are not absolute energies but in fact "contain" each other, there is nothing that is purely Yin or purely Yang as illustrated by the Yin Yang symbol.

When we are in a state of balance, the body is strong and all its functions occur naturally and without interruption. This can only happen if there is plentiful nourishment and moisture to provide substance to the organs, body structures, and fluids (Yin); and there is enough warmth, movement, and energy to fuel the activities and functions in the whole body (Yang).

The idea of balance is not exclusive to Chinese medicine. The same concept is referred to in Biology as Homeostasis, which is understood as "the ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes". Homoeostasis is chiefly achieved through the nervous and endocrine systems and has an effect on the functioning of every cell. Hormones and other chemicals (Yin) are the most important messengers in this process as they activate and de-activate different functions as the need appears (Yang). This need is informed by a feedback mechanism that constantly checks if different conditions and substances are at an optimum level. When levels are too high or low, a series of actions are triggered by this feedback that will attempt a return to the optimum levels so that ideal conditions are restored. 

Thanks to this process, all our bodily functions and the necessary conditions for life - temperature, blood pressure, pH, glucose concentration, etc – are maintained at a constant level.

Although all mechanisms of the body are involved in the maintenance of health and balance, they will only be achieved if the body’s basic needs are met.  These basic needs constitute what I would call the “essentials of health”, they are the necessary requirements for optimum functioning of the body.  When we do not fulfill any one of these requirements over long periods of time, this may result in the impairment of specific bodily functions which may in turn lead to disease and the development of chronic, often incurable, conditions.

The essentials of health are: Nutrients, fresh air, water, sleep, movement, and relaxation.

Nutrients

Note that I say nutrients, not “food”.  These two words should really be understood as the same thing but in our society not everything that is classified as “food” does actually provide any nutrients.

A nutritious diet is the single most important requirement for our body to perform its functions and for us to be in health, as it will provide us with plentiful Yin (nutrients that become substance of the body) and Yang (physical energy).

Our bodies make over 10 million new cells every second to replace those that have reached the end of their cycle and need to be discarded. The raw material used by the body to make all these cells comes from the food and drink that we consume. So, in order to maintain our health more successfully than we are currently doing, we need to put into our psyche these two equations:  

Nutritious food= healthy cells= good health
Nutrient-poor food (the stuff that has been processed in any way) = unhealthy cells= ill health

It really is that simple.

The lack of understanding of this basic fact is what lies at the root of the epidemic of obesity paired with malnutrition that seems to be spreading around the world.  What we are seeing is that malnutrition does not happen only to people who have no food to eat but can in fact be a result of eating things that are empty of nutritional value.  In effect, the same thing will happen in both types of malnutrition: whole systems of the body will stop working properly, there will be the onset of ill health, lethargy, and exhaustion and, if long term, organs will be damaged beyond repair. The difference is that those malnourished due to starvation will waste away while those who eat nutrient-free processed stuff will instead accumulate toxicity that the body will not be able to discard, resulting in a host of other problems. This is corroborated by an expert report from the World Health Organisation which pointed out that improving nutrition globally is one of the best ways to prevent chronic diseases which are rapidly increasing in the whole world (1).

Chinese medicine theory explains that the body makes Qi (vital energy) and Blood from the food that we consume. Qi and Blood are two of the essential substances of the body as the function of all systems of the body depends on plentiful Qi and the nourishment and lubrication of all cells and tissues depends on a steady supply of Blood. As the quantity and quality of our Qi and Blood depend on the quantity and quality of the nutrients we consume, what we eat is a direct precursor of how well our body works.

To find out about more about food and eating in a way that supports our health, visit my posts on what real food is, the TCM concept of a healthy diet, and the TCM basic substances Qi and Blood 

Fresh Air

The human body can only survive a few minutes without Oxygen as it is the fuel that enables the function of every single cell in the body. Oxygen is not only necessary for cell growth and energy production but it is also part of the basic process of toxin elimination at cellular and systemic levels. 

Fresh air nourishes us

Just as we have grown used to being “under-nourished” by virtue of consuming foods that are high in toxicity but which contain little in the way of nutrition, we have also become habitually under-oxygenated not only because of air pollution but because we have forgotten how to breathe. 

Respiration is so essential for our survival that it is a function that happens automatically. However, if we want to go beyond survival level, counteract the damaging effects of our polluted environment and life-style, and actually feel well and full of energy, we require much more oxygen than this automatic function can provide us with. Accessing fresh air in open spaces will not only help us do this but has countless benefits to our health (2). As well as breathing purer air, we would also benefit from re-learning how to breathe through the practice of breathing exercises. To find out more on this, visit my post on conscious breathing.

In Chinese medicine, air is a necessary ingredient for the making of vital energy or Qi. In the cycle of Qi production, the Lungs extract nourishment from the Air and this nourishment gets combined with that extracted from the food and drink by the digestive system. This results in Zong Qi – chest Qi – which fuels the functioning of the Heart and Lungs and which gets further refinement to become the particular type of Qi that will provide strength to all organs and protect us from disease.

Water

We hear this all the time:  water constitutes more than 60% of the human body. Not only does water make up the largest part of the blood, but it is also necessary for the transport of important chemical messengers and nutrients throughout the body, for excretion of waste products, for temperature regulation, digestion of food, and the lubrication of all bodily tissues. Amongst the many benefits of drinking enough water (3), we can have improved digestion and elimination, healthier looking skin (due to enhanced toxin elimination and increased moisture), and even improved brain function (4).

Although the amount of fluids that we need does vary from one person to the next, we all need to have enough in our diets in order to be healthy. Water is the only fluid the body really needs, we should drink it either as pure water (preferably drunk warm or at room temperature), herbal infusions, and home made fruit/vegetable juices as well as the water contained in fresh fruits and vegetables. Other fluids, like alcohol and soft drinks, can actually fill our systems with toxins and unwanted chemicals or even rob us of water as it is the case with tea, coffee and all caffeinated drinks which promote urination and take water out of the system. 

In Chinese Medicine, water is seen as the main component of Jin Ye (body fluids) which is an essential substance made up of water and nutrients extracted from the food and drink that we consume. Jin Ye have the function to moisten, lubricate, and help cleanse all bodily tissues; as well as being the watery component of Blood.

Sleep

Not enough is ever said about the importance of sleep. However, many of us have experienced how lack of sleep can affect us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Studies have linked sleep deprivation to low immunity and higher risks of developing diabetes and heart disease (5). More recently, a team of worried scientists from several top universities gave a warning that our societal inclination to ignore our sleep needs is contributing to the development of severe illnesses, including cancer (6).

In terms of Chinese medicine, enough sleep is an absolute necessity to the body. It is during our sleep that the energies of Yin and Blood can grow and nourish the body at the deepest level, toxins and waste products get removed, and the mind and emotions get soothed and settled. Lack of sleep has a direct impact on the Heart and can affect Heart functions including Blood circulation, mental acuity, and emotional balance. It may ring bells to many who have experienced the mental fog, anxiety, impatience, and snappiness that often result after a bad night sleep.

Sleep is particularly important when we have a hectic pace of life as the more we do and the faster we do things, the more Qi and Blood we use up. I often treat people who have gone too long doing too much with too little sleep to compensate for it. What tends to happen in these cases is that we get into “override” and become so wired that even though we feel exhausted, we cannot attain deep restful sleep. This takes us into a downward spiral so that the more tired we get, the less we can sleep, and is a common pathway to the development of chronic health issues. This inability to switch off is regarded in TCM as a reflection of the Yin and Blood of the body becoming extremely depleted.

Movement

Moderate exercise is best

I say movement here because at the word “exercise” our minds often recall pictures of half marathon runners  and fitness enthusiasts with pumped up muscles sweating away at the gym, making many of us feel immediately overwhelmed and put off.  

Although there is no denying that our bodies need movement, the type and amount of exercise that each of us require depends on our individual condition and constitution.This is often disregarded in favour of the belief that the more exercise we do the better we will feel, which results in obsessive running, training, and fitness cultivation which can end up depleting our systems to the point of making us sick. Contrary to this common belief in fact, too much cardiovascular exercise can be detrimental to your health (7). It should stand to reason that if our energy and immunity are depleted and we are struggling to cope with the amount of daily activity that we perform, heavy training sessions are never going to be conducive to health and balance. 

From a balance point of view, the chief reasons behind the idea of regular moderate exercise are:

• To optimise oxygenation – as we move – especially outdoors- we get more air into our Lungs and this strengthens Lung function and the production of vital energy
• To enhance the circulation of blood and fluids – movement makes Blood and Qi move more freely increasing oxygenation to every part of the body, aiding the removal of waste products, preventing stagnation of fluids, encouraging digestion, and helping out the Heart so it doesn’t have to work so hard.
• To settle the mind and emotions – provided we are focusing on the task at hand, exercise can also help busy minds and unstable emotions become calmer.  Gentler types of movement, such as Qigong and Yoga are more powerful at this as they involve deep breathing which in itself has great calming qualities

Relaxation

Relaxation is literally the opposite of tension and is a term used to describe techniques that allow the release of tension at physical, mental, and emotional levels. Such techniques have become a necessity in a society where one in four people experience at least one diagnosable mental health condition (8).

Previous generations never had the concept of relaxation as necessary for health. This may be because they didn’t have the 24 hour, forever-on-the-go existence that we have nowadays. We have grown to regard as normal our being perennially on the move, forever plugged into a phone or device, high on caffeine and sugar, and spending our down time being further stimulated by rapidly moving images, loud noise, and the mental/emotional activity that these stimuli produce within us.

In the same way as sleep deprivation can result in a pattern of feeling exhausted but too wired to sleep, overstimulation of our mind and emotions can make us anxious, depressed, and unable to control the mind and emotions.

There are a many relaxation techniques available these days, the most common ones amongst them are all the different types of meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, and visualisation. The most important thing is to find something that works for us, allowing us to go into a space in which we become deeply calm. This is the space where our bodies can truly renew themselves and where healing from illness of any kind can be possible.

Becoming aware that we need an adequate amount of good quality nutrients, fresh air, water, sleep, movement, and relaxation is the first step towards a more balanced, healthier life. We can then start to make better choices and learn more about our individual needs. This takes some effort and involves taking responsibility for ourselves and our wellbeing, but ultimately each of us may get to enjoy the consequences of our better lifestyle choices in the form of health and vitality.



References

1. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2003/pr32/en/
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/tk-ways-fresh-air-impacts_0_n_5648164.html
3. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water?page=2
4. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2366353/How-drinking-glass-water-make-brain-14-faster.html
5. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131023183908.htm
6. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27286872
7. http://www.universityherald.com/articles/10935/20140816/exercise-cardiovascular-deaths-heart-heart-attack-physical-activity-walking.htm
8.  http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/UK-worldwide/