Thousands of years ago, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) mentioned the impact of climate and environmental changes on the body, with "dampness" considered a key factor in triggering and worsening diseases. Under normal circumstances, the human body has a natural ability to regulate changes in external temperature and humidity. However, some people, due to their constitution, illness, or poor lifestyle habits, experience an imbalance in their body's water regulation system, leading to an inability to eliminate excess water and thus affecting their health. Furthermore, modern lifestyles characterized by sedentary lifestyles, overeating, staying up late, and high stress levels can also impair digestive function and disrupt water metabolism. Excessive dampness in the body can cause fatigue, heaviness in the limbs, loss of appetite, cold hands and feet, skin rashes, a sticky and uncomfortable feeling on the face, and even gastroenteritis.
1. The Jiquan acupoint in the armpit is an important acupoint of the Heart Meridian. It can remove stagnant heat and toxins from the heart. You should massage it often to clear this well.
2. Elbow Crease: When you experience symptoms such as sore throat, yellow phlegm, wheezing, coughing up blood, irritability, fever, mouth ulcers, insomnia, or excessive dreaming, you can pat the elbow crease for 5-10 minutes continuously. Different colored toxins may appear, such as blue, red, purple, or black. Doing this once every one to two weeks can keep this "drainage well" clear and expel toxins from the heart and lungs.
3. The popliteal fossa (also known as the knee pit) contains an important acupoint called Weizhong, which is located at the center of the popliteal fossa and is part of the Bladder Meridian. The Bladder Meridian is the body's largest detoxification and dampness-removing channel, and Weizhong is the drainage outlet of this channel. If this area is blocked, dampness cannot be expelled, which may lead to arthritis.
Therefore, you can pat this area for 5 to 10 minutes until bruises and petechiae appear, and do this once every one to two weeks.
Fourth, Yinlingquan is the He-Sea point of the Spleen Meridian. The Qi of the Spleen Meridian, which originates from the toes, penetrates deeper here, which can strengthen the spleen and remove dampness. It is located below the knee, along the inner side of the shinbone, in the depression where it turns inward.
Massage this area with your fingers every day, whenever you have free time, but make sure it's for at least 10 minutes in total. If you have spleen dampness, it will hurt when you press this area, but if you persist in massaging it, you will find that the pain gradually decreases, indicating that your spleen dampness is improving.
5. Zusanli (ST36) is the primary acupoint for treating spleen and stomach ailments, and it's also essential for dispelling dampness. A good way to stimulate it is through moxibustion. Applying moxibustion with moxa sticks before bed each day can assist Yinlingquan (SP9) in dispelling dampness. This acupoint is crucial for dispelling dampness, and excessive dampness in the body easily breeds bacteria, causing edema and various inflammations, including dermatitis and rashes. Furthermore, the spleen is the source of phlegm and governs dampness; if there is too much dampness that cannot be eliminated, it will turn into phlegm.
Therefore, to fundamentally solve the problem of phlegm production, it is necessary to strengthen the spleen, and this can be achieved by consistently massaging the Yinlingquan acupoint daily. Method: Massage the Yinlingquan acupoint for at least 10 minutes each day during your free time. Before going to bed at night, apply moxibustion to both sides of the Zusanli acupoint for 3-5 minutes. It is better to massage the Yinlingquan acupoint for 1-2 minutes before applying moxibustion.
6. Massaging Fenglong (ST40) in conjunction with Zusanli (ST36): Fenglong (ST40) can dispel dampness and resolve phlegm. Fenglong, onomatopoeic, sounds like thunder. Long-term massage can expel dampness from the spleen and stomach like thunder and rain. Locate the knee joint and lateral malleolus on the outer side of the leg, connect them with a line, and find the midpoint of this line. Next, locate the tibia on the leg. Place the point 1.5 cun (approximately two finger widths) lateral to the anterior border of the tibia, level with the midpoint you just found. Press around this point; the area that feels most sore, numb, heavy, or painful is Fenglong (ST40). Press this point for about 3 minutes daily.
