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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

The Nature of Dampness

We have had incredible rains the past few weeks, the kinds of rains that drench the earth, make small rivers and encourage the growth of green plants and mushrooms everywhere. While everything is very beautiful and expanding with the new moisture, there is a lingering dampness in the air and the ground.
In Chinese medicine, this dampness in excess can become pathogenic.


As the heavens opened last night and the rain seemed never ending... I thought about adding a post on the topic of 'Dampness' from a different perspective. In Chinese medicine 'Dampness' is considered a 'yin evil' meaning that it can create internal imbalances and be difficult to eliminate. The greatest causative factor is living or working in damp climates or conditions. Diet can also cause internal dampness. The organs that are most affected by dampness are the Chinese Spleen and Stomach. Over a prolonged period of time it can cause what is referred to as 'bi-syndrome' or obstruction of the channels.
This pattern may appear in the Summer and appear as a lack of appetite, a feeling of leathery, heaviness in the limbs, poor digestion, oppression in the chest  and mental fogginess.
There are more specific patterns of Dampness that manifest in different ways, differentiated by Heat, Cold, and location in the body.
The past few days I have been giving a lot of moxa in my treatments to offset the dampness in the climate. Next, I will start suggesting some dietary modifications and herbal remedies for this especially moist season.

This morning, as I was taking my walk a white egret flew over my head. It felt like such an amazing gift to see one this far from the water of Accabonac harbor. It was flying over the oak trees! This is truly a beautiful and magic place. The rose in the picture is from Gerard Drive, one of my favorite places during all seasons of the year.



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