We often hear people say they're "getting too much internal heat," but Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes there are many types of internal heat. Internal heat can be categorized as internal heat, and different problems in different internal organs can trigger symptoms of internal heat. Below, we'll help men check which part of their body is experiencing internal heat.
Traditional Chinese medicine classifies internal heat into several types: heart fire, lung fire, stomach fire, liver fire, and kidney fire.
Heart fire: It is divided into two types, deficiency and excess. Deficiency fire manifests as low-grade fever, night sweats, irritability, dry mouth, etc.; excess fire manifests as recurrent oral ulcers, dry mouth, dark and scanty urine, irritability, etc.
Lung heat: The main symptoms are dry cough without phlegm, blood in phlegm, sore throat and hoarseness, night sweats and hot flashes.
Stomach fire: There are two types, deficiency and excess. Deficiency fire manifests as mild cough, poor appetite, constipation, abdominal distension, red tongue, and little coating; excess fire manifests as upper abdominal discomfort, dry mouth and bitter taste, and hard stools.
Liver fire manifests as headache, flushed face and red eyes, dry mouth and sore throat, pain in the hypochondrium, yellow urine and constipation, and even vomiting blood.
Kidney fire: The main symptoms include dizziness, tinnitus, hearing loss, hair loss, loose teeth, restless sleep, hot flashes in the palms, soles, and chest, emaciation, and soreness in the lower back and legs.
Fire can be divided into excess fire and deficiency fire. Excess fire refers to the syndrome of excessive yang heat. It is most commonly seen in the liver, gallbladder, stomach and intestines. Symptoms include high fever, headache, red eyes, thirst with a preference for cold drinks, irritability, abdominal distension and pain, constipation, yellow urine, red tongue with a dry yellow coating or prickles, rapid and forceful pulse, and even hematemesis and epistaxis.
What to do if you have internal heat? Traditional Chinese medicine suggests that acupressure is a good way to relieve it.
Liver "heat" - Taichong acupoint
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the liver's main function is to "regulate the flow of Qi and regulate its movement." The movement of water depends on the propulsion of Qi. When the liver is diseased, the Qi flow becomes disordered, leading to Qi stagnation and water retention. Excessive liver fire often manifests as dry mouth and tongue, dizziness, irritability, unstable sleep, feeling hot, and a thick tongue coating.
Massaging the Taichong acupoint can reduce liver fire. The Taichong acupoint is located on the dorsum of the foot, in the depression 1.5 cm above the gap between the big toe and the second toe. It is an acupoint on the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian. Before massaging this acupoint, soak your feet in hot water for about 10 minutes, then use your thumb to push and rub upwards for 3 minutes.
Lung "heat" - Hegu acupoint
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "the lungs govern the flow of water." If the lungs are not healthy, it is easy to produce phlegm, dry mouth, etc. Lung "heat" often manifests as toothache, nosebleeds, sore throat, tinnitus, red and swollen eyes, constipation, etc.
Massaging the Hegu acupoint can reduce lung heat. The Hegu acupoint is located on the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming, at the web between the first and second metacarpal bones on the back of the hand. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the Large Intestine and Lung are internally and externally related; clinically, many patients with lung heat often experience significant therapeutic effects from massaging and acupuncturing the Hegu acupoint.
Heart is "heaty" -- Pericardium Meridian
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that after the lungs have purified and descended the body's fluids, the heart is still needed to propel them through the meridians along with the vital energy. If the heart fire is excessive, common symptoms such as dry mouth and tongue, depression, irritability, insomnia, and a red tongue tip may occur.
Massage, cupping, or scraping along the pericardium meridian can all clear heart fire. The Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian is one of the twelve meridians of the human body, also known as the pericardium meridian. Its course starts from the Tianchi acupoint above the left breast, ascends to the armpit, then runs along the midline of the inner side of the arm to the Zhongchong acupoint at the tip of the left middle finger.
Spleen "getting too hot" -- Neiting acupoint
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the spleen is responsible for the transformation and transportation of fluids. When water enters the stomach, the essence is transported to the spleen and then distributed throughout the body to nourish it. When the spleen is hot, the distribution of fluids is affected, leading to symptoms such as bad breath, constipation, dry skin, sore throat, toothache, and abdominal distension.
Massaging the Neiting acupoint can reduce "spleen fire." The Neiting acupoint is located on the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the spleen and stomach are internally and externally related. Massaging this acupoint 100 times with your thumb every morning and evening can clear heat and moisturize dryness.
