Yesterday, someone in the group mentioned being troubled by phlegm-dampness and seeking medical help without success. Today, I would like to discuss how we can determine if we have a phlegm-damp constitution.
We can observe the following four dimensions comprehensively, in conjunction with modern lifestyle characteristics, for self-assessment:
⭐️1. Observe Body Shape: Excessive Qi and Dampness
1. Body is overweight with a soft abdomen like a cotton bag.
The abdomen is soft and sagging, lacking elasticity upon touch, with fat accumulation primarily around the waist and abdomen.
Ancient Text Reference: The “Dan Xi Xin Fa” states: “Fat and pale individuals often have phlegm-dampness,” while the “Jing Yue Quan Shu” describes “a body of rich food, with an abdomen like a sagging bag.”
2. Limbs feel heavy.
Upon waking, it feels like carrying sandbags, with heavy legs dragging, and the body feels heavier after prolonged sitting, slightly lighter after activity.
Ancient Text Reference: The “Huang Di Nei Jing” mentions symptoms of “caused by dampness, feeling wrapped up, damp-heat not dispelled.”
⭐️2. Examine Facial Features: Turbid Evil Manifestation
1. Oily face.
Waking up with a shiny face, prone to acne (with no obvious pus), pores enlarged like orange peel, and oily shine returns within 2 hours after washing the face.
2. Swollen eyelids.
Waking up with slightly swollen lower eyelids resembling sleeping worms, afternoon swelling in the lower limbs, and indentations that do not rebound upon pressing.
Ancient Text Reference: The “Jin Gui Yao Lue” describes “water qi disease.”
3. Sticky sensation in the mouth.
White thick tongue coating like accumulated snow (or yellow and greasy like moss), thick saliva, and a bitter sticky mouth upon waking, with drinking not quenching thirst.
The tongue is enlarged with teeth marks on the edges, and the tongue coating is white and greasy or yellow and oily, especially pronounced in the morning.
Ancient Text Reference: The “Cha She Bian Zheng Xin Fa” states: “Greasy coating like paste covers, indicating damp-turbid phlegm and fluid.”
⭐️3. Assess Bowel Movements: Dampness and Turbidity Descending
1. Sticky stools.
Stool sticks to the toilet (requiring multiple flushes), with a foul odor, and feels unsatisfactory like “squeezing toothpaste.”
The “Yi Zong Jin Jian” refers to this as “dampness prevailing leads to wet diarrhea.”
The “Zheng Zhi Hui Bu” states: “Dampness stagnates in the large intestine, like glue sticking to the wall.”
2. Cloudy urine.
Urine is cloudy like rice wash, or bubbles that do not dissipate for a long time, with women often experiencing excessive thick white or yellow discharge.
⭐️4. Inquire about Daily Living: Dampness Exhausting the Spirit
1. Drowsiness and fatigue.
Even with sufficient sleep, one still feels dizzy as if covered, yawning continuously during the day, and feeling more tired after meals.
The “Pi Wei Lun” states: “Spleen deficiency with excessive dampness leads to laziness and a desire to sleep.”
The “Huang Di Nei Jing” states: “Caused by dampness, feeling wrapped up.”
2. Aversion to dampness and preference for warmth.
Joint soreness and heaviness on rainy days, symptoms worsen during the plum rain season, preferring sunlight, hot springs, and experiencing diarrhea from cold drinks.
⭐️5. Phlegm and fluid accumulation causing throat blockage.
The throat feels as if blocked by phlegm (unable to expel), with a cough producing a large amount of white phlegm, and snoring sounds deep like thunder.
Ancient Text Reference: The “Jin Gui Yao Lue” states: “Water flows in the intestines, making a dripping sound.” The “Zheng Yin Mai Zhi” states: “Phlegm and fluid stagnate, like rotten cotton blocking.”
Appendix: Simple Diagnostic Tree
┌──Overweight with soft abdomen (mandatory option)
├──Thick greasy tongue coating (mandatory option)
Phlegm-damp constitution───Sticky stools (meeting 2 criteria indicates high suggestion)
├──Heavy limbs and fatigue
└──Excessive phlegm and sticky mouth
Note:
1. The first two items are core indicators, at least one must be met.
2. Overall meeting 3 main symptoms + 2 secondary symptoms (such as oily scalp, swollen eyelids, drowsiness, etc.) can be determined.
3. Symptoms must persist for more than 3 months, excluding short-term dietary imbalance factors.
🧷If the above conditions are met and persist long-term, it highly suggests a phlegm-damp constitution. It is recommended to further confirm with TCM pulse diagnosis. Daily adjustments to diet and lifestyle can be made, but if symptoms are stubborn, seek a professional TCM practitioner for pattern differentiation and treatment, and do not blindly eliminate dampness as it may harm the vital energy.
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