Damp-heat

A combination of dampness and heat. Damp-heat may be of external or internal origin, or a combination of both. It can cause a variety of different diseases and is characterized by signs of both dampness and heat. Pain and fullness in the abdomen and poor appetite reflect dampness, whereas heat effusion, hard stool, and short voidings of scant yellow or reddish urine reflect heat. The tongue fur is yellow, thick, and slimy, the yellowness reflecting heat and the thickness and sliminess reflecting dampness. The pulse is rapid, and either soggy or slippery, the rapidness indicating heat and the soggy or slippery quality indicating dampness. Thirst indicates heat, but the lack of desire to actually swallow fluids reflects the clogging effect of dampness.

Generally speaking, damp-heat of external origin gives rise to signs such as heat effusion, heart vexation, thirst, spontaneous sweating, painful swollen limb joints, and fullness in the chest. Damp-heat that arises internally by dampness forming with heat tends to affect the middle and lower burner, as well as the skin. The broad range of diseases caused by damp-heat evil may be classified according to the organ or aspect of the organism affected.

Patterns

• Damp-heat lodged in the qì aspect: low fluctuating heat effusion with fatigued limbs and oppression in the chest.
• Spleen-stomach damp-heat: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
damp-heat brewing in the liver and gallbladder: rib-side pain and distensio.
• Damp-heat pouring down into the bladder: frequent urination, urinary urgency, painful urination, and yellow to reddish urine.
• Damp-heat pouring down into the large intestine:diarrhea with ungratifying defecation or by frequent defecation with tenesmus and stool containing pus and blood (dysentery).

The latter two categories are forms of damp-heat pouring downward (lower burner damp-heat), which can also manifest in the form of genital itch, vaginal discharge, painful swelling of the joints of the lower limbs, foot damp qì (Hongkong foot), and cinnabar toxin (erysipelas) of the lower leg.

Treatment

Medicinal therapy: Damp-heat is treated by the combined method of clearing heat and transforming dampness, emphasis being variously placed on either of its two components depending on whether dampness or heat is prominent.

Acumoxatherapy: Points are selected according to whether the cause is external or internal. For external causes, use LI-11 (Pool at the Bend, 曲池 qū chí), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), GB-34 (Yáng Mound Spring, 阳陵泉 yáng líng quán) as the main points, and drain. For internal causes, use SP-9 (Yīn Mound Spring, 阴陵泉 yīn líng quán), SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo), LI-11 (Pool at the Bend, 曲池 qū chí), and ST-44 (Inner Court, 内庭 nèi tíng) as the main points, and drain. Although moxa is often used in the treatment of dampness, it should not be used for damp-heat. Treatment varies according to the organ or aspect of the organism affected.