Damp obstruction

Also center burner damp obstruction. A frequently observed disease in which the spleen and stomach are obstructed by dampness evil. It mainly occurs in summer and is characterized by impaired spleen-stomach movement and transformation. Signs include oppression in the chest, no thought of food and drink, and a bland or sweet taste or slimy sensation in the mouth. The tongue fur is thick and slimy, and the pulse is soggy. Voidings are short with scant urine; the limbs are cumbersome and fatigued; sometimes a low heat effusion is observed. Damp obstruction includes what in China is known as summer infixation (疰夏 zhù xià), which is the regular recurrence each summer of signs such as of loss of appetite, fatigue and weakness, and low fever, with gradual recovery in the autumn. The above signs together with sloppy stool or diarrhea are also signs of dampness encumbering the spleen and stomach. A higher body temperature with more pronounced heat signs indicates summerheat-damp, which is a form of damp-heat.