Post Date December, 03 2023
Come and test your spleen dampness?
1. When washing in the morning, check your complexion and tongue coating
Is there a puffy eyelid in the morning? When looking in the mirror, did you notice a plump tongue or obvious tooth marks on the edge of the tongue? Do you have thick and greasy tongue coating?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Review: The most accurate way to confirm whether the spleen is damp is to observe the shape of the tongue. Healthy people can develop the habit of regularly observing their tongue condition. By comparing pictures of traditional Chinese medicine tongue diagnosis, they can discover clues to their health problems. In summer, people with damp spleen often feel sticky in their mouths, with a dull and yellowish complexion.
2. When eating, check your appetite
When it's time to eat, there's no feeling of hunger and you don't want to eat anything? Do you feel bloated in your stomach after eating a little? Do you have a faint feeling of nausea during the meal, as if the food you eat is pushing itself up?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Review: The Five Elements Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the spleen has the characteristic of "soil", and soil is easy to absorb water, so moisture entering the body is most likely to damage the spleen. Self checking the function of the spleen and stomach can reveal whether your spleen is damp. The main function of the spleen is to digest and absorb various foods and fluids that we eat into the body, convert these substances into nutrients that can be utilized by the human body, and provide energy for cell metabolism. Most people experience a decrease in appetite and digestive function in hot and humid summer environments. But there are also some people whose appetite is not affected and they have a strong sense of hunger, but after eating, they immediately feel full and bloated, which is a manifestation of strong stomach and weak spleen, and also a sign of spleen dampness.
3. When working, check your mental state
Do you feel chest tightness and want to take a long breath to feel comfortable? Feeling heavy on limbs or body, or even feeling sore all over? Is the body particularly tired and lazy to exercise? Does the joint feel tight during activity, as if it is not flexible? Have a feeling of dizziness and unclear mind? Is it prone to drowsiness and sometimes memory loss?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Review: The ancients said that "when the spleen is weak, the lung qi disappears first", indicating that the functions of the spleen and lungs are interrelated and mutually influenced. When the spleen is weak to a certain extent and the lung loses its nourishment, it is easy to experience symptoms of lung qi deficiency such as shortness of breath, lack of qi and lazy speech, and shortness of breath when moving.
4. Feel your posture
Eat and rest the same as before, but gain significant weight? Joint stiffness and soreness when waking up? Lower limb edema?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Review: People with heavy dampness may also gain significant weight in the short term, and exhibit signs of obesity. More severe cases may experience lower limb edema and other problems.
5. When going to the toilet, check for bowel movements
Is the stool loose and shapeless? Is the stool basically formed but relatively soft, and there will always be some sticking to the toilet that is difficult to flush after defecation? Do you always feel like you can't fully discharge your bowel movements?
Traditional Chinese Medicine Review: One of the most convenient ways to confirm whether the spleen is damp is to look at the stool. Normal stool is a banana shaped strip with moderate softness and hardness. And if the appearance of soft and sticky stools, like overripe bananas, is a sign of spleen dampness, indicating abnormal digestive function in the body. When there is excessive moisture in the body, urination often manifests as not urinating much, or even having very little or unclean urine. Some women have a high amount of vaginal discharge, which is also a manifestation of moisture.
What symptoms are easily confused with spleen dampness
Spleen dampness can be divided into cold dampness and damp heat. Among them, cold dampness and stagnation of the spleen refer to the cold dampness syndrome characterized by excessive cold dampness, stagnation of spleen yang, and loss of warm circulation in the spleen. The main manifestations are dizziness, bloating, loose stools, and body weight. Its clinical manifestations include full abdominal distension, greasy and numb mouth, desire to vomit, light but not thirsty mouth, abdominal pain and loose stools, heavy head and body drowsiness, short urination, swelling of limbs, yellowing of body and eyes, dark complexion, or a large amount of vaginal discharge in women, light and fat tongue, smooth or greasy tongue coating, and slow or thin pulse. The dampness heat accumulation in the spleen refers to the dampness heat syndrome, which mainly manifests as abdominal distension, numbness, fever, heavy body, and loose and uncomfortable stools. Its clinical manifestations include abdominal distension and tightness, nausea and vomiting, sticky in the mouth, limited thirst, loose and unpleasant stools, short and yellow urine, heavy body fatigue, or lack of body heat, sweating and heat release, bright yellow complexion, or itching of the skin, red tongue, greasy fur, and smooth or slippery pulse
Reduced diet, bloating, loose and thin stools, greasy food, and diarrhea are often caused by improper diet, leading to asthma syndrome.
Tired and weak, with short breath and lazy speech, low language, thick phlegm, light tongue, thin or white fur, and soft pulse.
