Spring Acupressure Points for Dampness Relief
1. Blood Sea (Xuehai) Point
Bend your knee. On the inner thigh, locate the point two cun (approximately 4 cm) above the inner end of the patella, at the prominence of the medial head of the quadriceps muscle. Sitting on a chair with your leg extended straight, you'll notice a depression on the inner knee. The peak of the raised muscle above this depression is the Blood Sea point.
Function: Helps alleviate irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, qi stagnation with abdominal distension, eczema, skin itching, anemia, and related conditions.
2. Fenglong (ST44)
Located on the anterior lateral aspect of the lower leg, 8 cun above the lateral malleolus, two thumb-widths lateral to the anterior border of the tibia.
Function: Traditional Chinese medicine holds that dampness inevitably generates phlegm. This point helps transform phlegm-dampness and clear mental confusion. It is particularly suitable for individuals experiencing heightened dampness pathogens in early autumn, aiding in alleviating phlegm-dampness-induced chest and abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, restlessness, facial swelling, and limb edema.
3. Yinlingquan (SP9)
Adopt a seated or supine position. Yinlingquan is located on the medial aspect of the lower leg, in the depression posterior and inferior to the medial tibial condyle. It lies between the posterior border of the tibia and the gastrocnemius muscle, at the origin of the soleus muscle.
Function: Internal dampness makes one susceptible to external dampness. To prevent excessive internal dampness, it must be both expelled externally and transformed internally. Gua Sha at Yinlingquan helps transform internal dampness, clears damp-heat, strengthens the spleen and regulates qi, benefits the kidneys and regulates menstruation, and unblocks meridians. It assists in relieving abdominal distension, diarrhea, edema, and knee pain.
4. Zhongwan (CV12)
Located on the midline of the upper abdomen, 4 cun above the navel. To locate while supine, find the midpoint between the lower end of the sternum and the navel.
Function:This point effectively alleviates summer-heat dampness-induced abdominal distension, nausea, indigestion, diarrhea, and constipation. It also provides significant relief for autumn dryness-induced insomnia.
5. Diji (ST36) Point
Located on the inner calf, 3 cun directly below Yinlingquan (SP9), on the line connecting the medial malleolus tip and Yinlingquan, at the posterior border of the medial tibia.
Function: Diji possesses potent antispasmodic, analgesic, qi-moving, and blood-activating properties. It aids in relieving abdominal pain, diarrhea, edema, irregular menstruation, and dysmenorrhea.
Function: While expelling pathogenic factors, it is essential to provide an outlet for their elimination. Gua Sha at this point accelerates the expulsion of dampness and toxins through feces, alleviating constipation, abdominal distension, diarrhea, umbilical pain, indigestion, nausea, and vomiting.
Spring Dampness-Clearing Methods
1. Dietary Therapy
Many common foods possess dampness-clearing properties, such as coix seed congee and Chinese yam soup. Coix seed promotes diuresis, reduces swelling, strengthens the spleen, expels dampness, relaxes tendons, alleviates numbness, clears heat, and expels pus. Red beans fortify the spleen, stop diarrhea, and promote diuresis to reduce swelling.Cooking Job's tears and red beans together in water promotes diuresis and dampness elimination.
Additionally, incorporating ingredients like red beans, poria, Chinese yam, and codonopsis into soups, congees, or decoctions aids diuresis and dampness removal, proving particularly effective for edema sufferers. Both methods enhance urination and are unsuitable for individuals with excessive urination.
2. Light Diet
The gastrointestinal system governs nutrient and fluid metabolism. The best way to protect it is through a light, moderate, and balanced diet. Greasy, rich foods are hard to digest and can cause stomach bloating and inflammation. Sweets and fried foods produce peroxides in the body, exacerbating inflammatory responses.Raw, cold foods, ice cream, or cooling fruits and vegetables can slow digestive and absorptive functions and should not be consumed frequently. When preparing salads, raw vegetables, watermelon, Chinese cabbage, or bitter melon, add scallions and ginger to reduce their cooling properties.For instance, try brewing a bowl of hot ginger tea at home. The ginger tea helps expel internal dampness. Once you sweat thoroughly, symptoms will ease. This method also prevents colds after getting caught in the rain. 4. Exercise Exercise not only relieves stress but also accelerates the expulsion of dampness from the body. Activities like running, brisk walking, and swimming help activate blood circulation and enhance bodily fluid metabolism.
Individuals with excessive internal dampness often consume greasy foods and lack physical activity. They frequently feel sluggish and weak, making them reluctant to move. However, the less they exercise, the more dampness accumulates internally. Over time, this inevitably leads to dampness invading the spleen, triggering damp-heat conditions.