How to treat phlegm-damp constitution with Chinese medicine?

Phlegm-damp constitution is a very common constitution, which is mostly caused by excessive phlegm and dampness in the body. Most people are troubled by obesity, oily face and heavy body. The main typical symptoms of patients with this constitution are physical fatigue, weakness and poor gastrointestinal digestion. In the face of these symptoms, patients with phlegm-damp constitution can be treated with Chinese medicine. So how to treat phlegm-damp constitution with Chinese medicine?

Phlegm-dampness constitution is also called slow-cold constitution, which is mostly caused by improper diet or illness. The "phlegm" here does not only refer to phlegm in the general concept, but refers to the abnormal accumulation of body fluid, which is a pathological product; phlegm-damp constitution is a relatively common constitution type at present. When the human body's internal organs, yin and yang are out of balance, and the circulation of qi, blood, body fluids is disordered, and phlegm and dampness are easily formed, this physical state can be considered as phlegm-damp constitution.

Physical characteristics

Obesity, fond of fatty and sweet food, fatigue, laziness, drowsiness, feeling heavy as if wrapped, sticky taste in the mouth or loose stools, moist and slippery pulse, fat tongue, and greasy tongue coating. If the disease occurs, the patient may feel chest and abdominal distension, cough, asthma and excessive sputum; or have poor appetite, nausea and vomiting, loose stools; or edema of the limbs, which are sunken when pressed, and difficulty or turbid urination; or heaviness in the head and body, heavy pain in the joints, and numbness of the skin; or women may have excessive vaginal discharge.

Preparation method

Traditional Chinese medicine conditioning: The generation of phlegm and dampness is most closely related to the lungs, spleen and kidneys, so the focus is on regulating and nourishing the lungs, spleen and kidneys. If the lungs fail to descend and the body fluids fail to be distributed, resulting in the accumulation of fluids and phlegm, the patient should clear the lungs and resolve the phlegm, and the prescription for this should be Erchen Decoction; if the spleen fails to function properly and the dampness accumulates into phlegm, the patient should strengthen the spleen and resolve the phlegm, and the prescription for this should be Liujuzi Decoction or Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction; if the kidneys are weak and cannot control water, and the water turns into phlegm, the patient should warm the yang and resolve the phlegm, and the prescription for this should be Jinkui Shenqi Pills. In addition, you can also use paste prescriptions for conditioning, such as dehumidifying paste.

Acupuncture conditioning: According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, phlegm-dampness constitution is often mixed with four other types: spleen deficiency and dampness obstruction type, stomach heat and dampness obstruction type, liver depression and qi stagnation type, and spleen and kidney deficiency type. Our clinic adopts electroacupuncture, scraping, auricular acupoint application and other methods to treat the disease dialectically and has achieved good clinical results.

Environmental adjustment: It is not advisable to live in a humid environment; in rainy seasons, be careful of the invasion of dampness.

Diet adjustment: Eat less fatty and sweet foods, do not drink too much alcohol, and do not overeat. Eat more vegetables and fruits, especially some foods that have the functions of strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness, and resolving phlegm and expectorant, such as white radish, water chestnut, seaweed, jellyfish, onion, loquat, ginkgo, jujube, lentil, coix seed, red bean, broad bean, cabbage, etc.

Traditional Chinese medicine divides human constitutions into 9 types, and phlegm-dampness constitution is one of the symptoms identified based on different manifestations. Don't be anxious about this type of symptom, it can often be treated through traditional Chinese medicine. The first thing to note is that people with phlegm-dampness constitution should not stay in a humid environment, prevent the invasion of cold air on rainy days or humid seasons, and eliminate toxic gas by taking Chinese medicine.