Springtime in southern China is characterized by humid, chilly, and unpredictable weather, especially during the "return to spring" period when humidity can reach 100%. At this time, people are more prone to accumulating dampness in their bodies. Many people then ask, how do you determine if you have excessive dampness? What are the symptoms? And what methods can be used to remove dampness?

Six common symptoms of excessive body dampness

1. Head: When dampness first invades the body, the head is often the first area to show symptoms. When dampness initially attacks the body, symptoms may include a heavy, dizzy head, as if wrapped in a cloth; a feeling of heaviness in the body, especially in the limbs; general discomfort, as if carrying a heavy weight. Other symptoms may include fever, slight chills and aversion to wind, and a runny nose. Eliminating dampness and strengthening the spleen are popular topics among women and the elderly in winter.

2. Joints: If the body has already eroded the joints, certain symptoms will appear. Poor blood and qi circulation can lead to soreness and heaviness in the limbs and joints, and difficulty in bending and straightening the joints.

3. Digestive effects: Dampness troubles the spleen, impairing its normal digestive function, which can manifest as chest tightness, abdominal distension, poor appetite, reduced food intake, and undigested food. When "internal dampness" is caused by spleen deficiency and poor digestion, there are often symptoms of qi deficiency and dampness, such as a bland or sticky taste in the mouth, thirst but no desire to drink water, and fatigue.

4. Symptoms include urination and vaginal discharge in women, and loose stools: Dampness also tends to "descend," easily affecting the lower body. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes strengthening the spleen to "resolve dampness." Symptoms such as cloudy urine, loose stools, excessive vaginal discharge in women, and vaginal itching are relatively classic.

5. Tongue coating: A thick, greasy tongue coating is a classic sign of dampness-related illnesses, often appearing before the body shows any other prominent signs of disease. The most accurate time to examine the tongue coating is in the early morning upon waking.

6. Loose stools: Long-term loose stools definitely indicate the presence of dampness in the body. If some stool always sticks to the toilet bowl and is difficult to flush, this is also a sign of dampness, as dampness has a sticky characteristic. People with dampness in their bodies will need several sheets of toilet paper after a bowel movement, not just one.

Four ways to remove dampness

1. Dietary therapy

Many common foods can help remove dampness, such as Job's tears porridge and Chinese yam soup. Job's tears have the effects of promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, strengthening the spleen and removing dampness, relaxing muscles and relieving numbness, and clearing heat and draining pus; red beans have the effects of strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, and promoting diuresis and reducing swelling. Eating Job's tears and red beans cooked in water can promote urination and remove dampness. Alternatively, you can add red beans, poria cocos, Chinese yam, and codonopsis to soup ingredients to make porridge or boil it in water; this can promote urination and remove dampness, and is especially effective for people with edema. Both of these methods have a diuretic effect and are not suitable for people who urinate frequently.

2. Exercise

Exercise not only relieves stress but also accelerates the elimination of dampness from the body. Running, brisk walking, and swimming help activate blood circulation and enhance the body's water metabolism. People with excessive dampness in their bodies are often those with oily diets and lack of exercise. These individuals often feel heavy and weak, making them reluctant to move. However, the less they exercise, the more dampness accumulates in their bodies. Over time, this dampness will inevitably invade the spleen, leading to damp-heat syndrome. Those with excessive dampness can regularly perform these three exercises:

Forward leg press: Just like people stretching their thighs during morning exercise, find a balcony or something, put your legs up, but the difference is that your upper body should also lean forward, so that the bladder meridian and the Governing Vessel in the upper body can also be stretched.

Side leg press: Find an object about half your height or slightly higher, such as a balcony, place your leg sideways on it, and press your body to the side. This stretches the inner thigh and side of the body, which can stretch the kidney, liver, and gallbladder meridians, open up the leg meridians, strengthen the waist and knees, and expel turbid qi and dampness from the body.

Stretch your abdomen: See the camel pose in yoga. However, doing this continuously can be tiring. You can lean your upper back against a chair, simply by placing the chair diagonally under your back. Hold each pose for 4 to 5 minutes. This stretches the chest muscles, reduces cerebral ischemia, and improves skin and facial muscles. This posture is called the camel pose.

3. Light diet

The digestive system is crucial for nutrient and water metabolism. The best way to protect it is through a light, moderate, and balanced diet. Rich, greasy foods are difficult to digest and can easily cause bloating and inflammation. Sweet and fried foods produce peroxides in the body, exacerbating inflammation. Raw and cold foods, ice cream, or cooling fruits and vegetables can hinder digestion and absorption and should not be consumed frequently. When cooking raw vegetables, salads, watermelon, cabbage, bitter melon, etc., it's best to add scallions and ginger to reduce their cooling properties.

4. Seasonings to remove dampness

Ginger, scallions, and garlic are not only common seasonings in the home, but also have irreplaceable medicinal value. For example, we can try boiling a bowl of hot ginger soup at home to expel dampness from the body. After sweating, the symptoms will be relieved. This method is also suitable for preventing colds after being caught in the rain.