How can one determine if the body has damp-heat?
If there is excessive damp-heat in the body, the face often appears oily and prone to acne and pimples. Due to the stagnation of damp-heat, one may frequently feel bitter and dry in the mouth. When damp-heat obstructs the Yang Qi, there is a constant feeling of heaviness and fatigue. If heat burns the blood vessels, the eyes may appear red. When damp-heat accumulates, the tongue may appear red with a yellow, greasy coating. Both excessively dry or overly wet stools are manifestations of damp-heat in the body.
If heat is greater than dampness, the stools will be dry and hard; if dampness is greater than heat, the stools will be sticky, and urination may be short and red. How is damp-heat produced? Besides external environmental influences on the body, the most significant cause of damp-heat is personal dietary habits.
Damp-heat most easily arises in the spleen and stomach, and irregular eating habits are one of the primary causes of damp-heat. Excessive alcohol consumption, overeating, consuming overly greasy foods, or irregular eating patterns can easily harm the spleen and stomach. When the spleen and stomach are damaged, they cannot effectively transform food. Rich and heavy foods can generate dampness and contribute to heat; undigested food and moisture will stagnate and obstruct, eventually transforming into heat over time. To address damp-heat in the body, in addition to dietary adjustments, acupoint pressure is also an excellent method for clearing dampness and heat without side effects. Which acupoints can clear damp-heat?
There are approximately 13 acupoints that can eliminate damp-heat. While you may not need to remember all 12 other acupoints, it is essential to remember this one. Why? Because this acupoint can be operated on by oneself, and it is convenient to do so at any time. Which acupoint is it? It is the Quchi (LI11), located at the lateral end of the elbow crease. When the elbow is flexed, it is at the midpoint of the line connecting the Shaoze (LI5) and the lateral epicondyle of the humerus. (See the image below)
How to massage it? Use the tip of your thumb or middle finger to press and knead for 1-3 minutes each time, 1-2 times a day. Regularly pressing this point can help disperse wind, relieve the exterior, and clear heat and dampness. During the massage, it is essential to feel a sensation of soreness and distension, as this acupoint is quite sensitive and easily produces such sensations. Why can the Quchi acupoint eliminate damp-heat?
Because this point is located on the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, which is interconnected with the Lung Meridian, and the lungs govern the skin and hair. This acupoint is at the elbow, a major junction for the flow of meridian Qi, allowing for communication between the interior and exterior. It can clear external wind-heat and drain internal fire pathogens, making it a crucial point for clearing both exterior and interior conditions. It has the function of dispersing wind-heat and resolving exterior pathogens, effectively treating externally contracted febrile diseases, headaches from wind-heat disturbance, sore throat, cough, and asthma caused by wind-heat invading the lungs.
This acupoint not only disperses exterior heat but also clears interior heat, possessing the ability to drain heat toxins, unblock meridians, and relieve pain, treating headaches, toothaches, and eye pain caused by Yangming accumulation of heat.
This acupoint is a meeting point of the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian, belonging to the Earth element, and thus can clear and drain Yangming, clear damp-heat, regulate the Qi and blood of the large intestine, and adjust its function. It treats abdominal distension, pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, intestinal abscesses, and breast abscesses caused by dampness, heat, Qi, and blood stagnation in the large intestine; since the Large Intestine Meridian is interconnected with the Lung Meridian, this acupoint also has the ability to clear heat and detoxify, cool the blood, dispel wind, and reduce swelling and pain, effectively addressing various skin conditions caused by heat toxins obstructing the skin.
This acupoint, belonging to the Earth element, also has the function of clearing heat and transforming phlegm. Additionally, it can resolve exterior heat and drain internal fire, used for treating mental disturbances such as chest fullness, anxiety, and mania caused by phlegm-heat, as well as convulsions from extreme heat generating wind, and headaches and dizziness from wind-Yang disturbance and Qi and blood rushing upwards. This acupoint, located at the elbow, has the ability to open the meridians, regulate Qi and blood, dispel wind-dampness, benefit the joints, and relieve pain, treating upper limb paralysis and other conditions.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it effective for treating the following conditions:
TCM conditions: hemiplegia, shoulder pain, weakness in the arms, elbow pain with difficulty in flexion and extension, redness and swelling of the arms, low back pain; abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, intestinal pain; scrofula, goiter, eczema, erysipelas, scabies, urticaria, dry skin; headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, preauricular pain, red eyes, vision problems, toothaches, neck swelling, sore throat; menstrual irregularities, insufficient lactation; mania, epilepsy, anxiety; chest fullness, cough, asthma; febrile diseases, typhoid fever, residual heat from typhoid, malaria, diabetes, edema, etc. This is a key acupoint for clearing heat and one of the thirteen ghost points, governing all manic disorders.
Western medical practitioners believe this acupoint can treat the following conditions:
Sequelae of cerebrovascular diseases, shoulder periarthritis, elbow arthritis, hypertension, skin diseases, influenza, pneumonia, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, toothaches, styes, mastitis, thyroid enlargement, allergic diseases, etc.
Daily Health Maintenance:
During fever, cold, cough, or asthma, a Gua Sha board can be used for scraping. If Sha is expelled, it can quickly resolve the exterior and reduce fever.
Press the Quchi acupoint vertically with the tip of your thumb every morning and evening for 1-3 minutes to improve symptoms of upper limb paralysis and asthma.
Daily pressing of the Quchi acupoint for 1-2 minutes, allowing the sensation of soreness and distension to spread downwards, can help prevent hypertension.
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