Damp Heat

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This, like Wind Damp is another Yin pathogen and Yang pathogen

combination. Damp is a Yin Evil; Heat is a Yang Evil. (For those

new to TCM, Yin is cooling, calming, and moisturing in nature. Yang

is heating, activating, and drying in nature.)

 

" Damp-heat, a combination of the two single pathogens damp and heat,

is both a cause and a result of pathological processes.

 

" Taking the latter point first, some pathological mechanisms which

can result in damp-heat are as follows:

 

" 1. A damp pathogen can invade the body, accumulate internally and

produce heat which then combines with the damp to form damp-heat

 

2. Pathogenic fire or heat can build up and dry fluids into damp,

which then combines with the heat to become damp-heat

 

3. Cold-damp can fail to be transformed by normal yang qi but rather

becomes pent-up and turns to heat. The remaining damp then combines

with newly-formed heat to make damp-heat. " (Fluid Physiology and

Pathology in Traditional , Steven Clavey, p. 243.)

 

1. Damp can invade the body from the outside (damp weather

conditions, excessively damp house, wet clothes, too much swimming,

etc.). Once inside, one of the things Damp can do is to block Qi

ciruculation. Qi that does not flow can trigger heat. It's a

pressure-type thing. Think of a pressure cooker. Or gas laws from

chemistry class. Increase pressure and temperature will increase

(all other things being held constant). Pressure cookers increase the

heat of the foods inside them by putting the contents under pressure.

 

2. Pathogenic fire or heat can build up not only from Qi Stagnation

but from a number of things. Like a person consuming too many herbs

and foods with warming energy.

 

3. A good example of this is what can happens when a person has a

cold or the flu. Or, Cold-Damp-Wind arthritis. The nature of Cold

is to constrict. This includes the pores of the skin. Cold by

itself or in combination will cause pores to close. The Exterior

Evils Cold, Wind, and Damp invade. As the Cold invades, it causes

pores to close. The Evils no longer can escape from the body.

Trapped inside, it transforms under pressure into Heat and even the

Fire of pneumonia. Or, the arthritic joints become hot and show the

characteristic redness of Heat. (Note: Most colds are due to Wind

Cold, but Wind Heat also can result in a cold.)

 

Interior Cold - be it from Exterior Excess Cold that has invaded or

Interior Excess Cold that has arisen from the person consuming too

many foods and herbs with cooling energy or Interior Deficiency Cold

from Yang Deficiency - can block Qi flow in the body and trigger Qi

Stagnation. Cold, like Damp, can interfere with the proper flow of Qi.

 

" If the pathogenic damp-heat is not eliminated quickly, but instead

gathers within the body, it can lead to a series of pathological

changes and symptoms, and thus become a cause of disease. " (Clavey,

p. 243.)

 

The first part of this post deals with some of the things that can

cause Damp Heat. In this, it is a result of other Evils. But once

Damp Heat forms, it can go on to cause a number of other problems.

Damp Heat can be both cause and affect.

 

" Damp-heat is also a syndrome. Zhang Jing-Yue, in the Jing Yue Quan

Shu ('The Complete Works of Jing Yue'), points out: 'Although damp

syndromes are numerous, in the main they are two: differentiate first

whether it is damp-heat, or whether it is cold-damp, and the rest

will be clear.' " (Clavey, p. 243.)

 

Victoria