Think about Traditional Acupuncture to help you feel better!
Did you know that in Traditional Chinese Medicine there is a condition known as ‘Dampness’ and it is considered to be an external and internal cause of disease?
Heavy-limbed, feeling as if you are wading through water, finding it difficult to concentrate, feeling lethargic and a bit ‘down ‘ or depressed on damp days you may well be experiencing the effects of what is known in Chinese medicine as ‘’Dampness.’’
Basically, it is a disruption in the transportation of our bodily fluids, damp causes it to become sluggish, fluids are heavy and they weigh you down.
Chinese medicine understands how the universe we live in affects us and I think many of us also know that the weather changes the way we feel on a daily basis.
‘It really does affect our health and mood, the heaviness of the rain, the darkness of the sky all brings our energy DOWN.
It is a very common problem in the UK and one I see in practise daily, especially at the moment as those vulnerable to damp are really suffering. It’s not just living in a damp climate that causes injury by damp, living in a damp house, staying by or on water, remaining in wet clothes. Sometimes a diet rich in ‘comfort foods’ is enough to cause this condition.
''Like wading through water dressed in a fat suit with heavy weights attached''
AM I SUSCEPTABLE TO RETAINING DAMP?
• Do you feel worse in damp weather? / better in dry?
• Do you feel muzzy and heavy headed, making it difficult to concentrate?
• Do your limbs / muscles feel heavy as if wading through water?
• Do you easily bloat up in your abdomen?
• Do you suffer with oedema and swollen limbs?
• Do you feel low in energy and lethargic?
• Do you often just want to lie down?
• Other symptoms may include loose bowels and discharges from all over the body?
If you answered yes to more than 3 of these questions you may well be prone to damp.
Acupuncturists often use acupuncture points on the spleen meridian to clear damp, I recently treated a pregnant lady with a famous acupuncture point by the side of her knee and she felt the heaviness in her legs subside.
Some people are more prone to damp than others and once established it requires some effort to move it as it is known for its lingering qualities.
Ways to protect yourself from ‘damp’ may sound like old wives tales but are steeped in truth. They include living in a dry environment, keep your body dry, and drying hair straight away, make sure clothes are dry and aired.
’Why stand when you can sit? Why sit when you can lay down?’’
Don’t bother to go to your local doctor complaining of damp because it is not a condition recognised by the medical profession and neither is it treated by them, but I know that most of my days in my Traditional Acupuncture clinic are spent with people trying to make sense of their symptoms because they suffer with the above conditions.
Talk to your practitioner if this is affecting you
Chinese medicine understands how the universe we live in affects us and I think many of us also know that the weather affects the way we feel on a daily basis.
‘It really does affect our health and mood, the heaviness of the rain, the darkness of the sky all brings our energy DOWN, so lets hope for some sunshine so the warmth can dry us out and lighten our load!