Wet turbidity is endogenous, also known as "internal dampness". Internal dampness is due to spleen failing to transport dampness, kidney failing to control water, and lung failing to transport body fluid, resulting in pathological changes of water dampness, phlegm and blood stasis. Because endogenous dampness is mostly caused by spleen deficiency, it is also called spleen deficiency and dampness excess.
What we call internal dampness is actually a manifestation and result of visceral dysfunction involved in water-liquid metabolism, so it is closely related to visceral dysfunction involved in water-liquid metabolism. Who does it have to do with? Lung, spleen and kidney. Do you remember that we discussed water-liquid metabolism before? The lung is the source of water god and the reservoir of phlegm and turbidity. Spleen is the source of phlegm and the mainstay of water-liquid metabolism. It has also been mentioned that kidney deficiency and water flooding are phlegm, that is, water dampness and phlegm drinking are related to these organs. However, the spleen is the visceral part of water control. After drinking water enters the body, it will be absorbed and utilized by the human body, mainly relying on the spleen to transport drinking water. Water and drinks become the essence that can be absorbed and utilized by the human body through the transportation of the spleen, thus nourishing the body and providing material basis for various activities of the body. If the spleen's transport function is abnormal, then the water entering the human body can't be converted into the essence that the human body can use and absorb, which leads to excessive accumulation of water in the body, which in turn affects the normal physiological activities of the human body and produces diseases with internal dampness. Therefore, article 19 of the pathogenesis of Neijing says that "all dampness and distension belong to the spleen". It is emphasized that the formation of dampness, swelling and water is closely related to the spleen.
Of course, after water is transported and utilized by the human body through the spleen, there is still a process of transport and excretion in the body, which is closely related to the function of the lung through the water channel, the channel function of the triple energizer, the urine storage and urination function of the bladder and the transpiration and gasification function of the kidney. The dysfunction of these four organs will also lead to the disorder of water circulation in the body, resulting in the symptoms of internal dampness in which water stays abnormally in the body.
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Pathological changes of internal dampness
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Wet, heavy and sticky, which easily hinders qi movement. Its clinical manifestations often have different symptoms with the different positions of dampness-evil blocking.
1, water does not turn into gas, and water remains in the body.
Both water and liquid are transported and discharged through gasification. If there is a problem with the gasification function, it will cause the disorder of water-liquid metabolism and cause symptoms such as poor urination and edema. At this time, water can't be converted into substances needed by human body, and it can't form the function of regulating human viscera, that is, water-insoluble gas remains in the body as pathological products.
As far as lung, spleen and kidney are concerned, lung can't run water, but it can pass through the channel of water. Spleen cannot transport water and dampness; Kidney can't regulate water and fluid, which is mainly due to these three factors. What are the pathological products produced after water is not gasified? Chinese medicine calls it, gathering is wet, stopping is phlegm, staying is drinking, and accumulating is water. Gather around and get wet. These pathological products stay in different parts and show very complicated and different symptoms. First, there are symptoms caused by excessive water content in tissues and organs, such as limb edema, head edema, heavy head, pleural effusion, ascites, loose stool, severe limb swelling, abdominal distension, thick and greasy tongue coating, etc. Second, mucus cells in the body secrete too much mucus, such as women's leucorrhea (Fu Qingzhu, a famous doctor in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, thought that women's leucorrhea was caused by internal dampness in the final analysis). He said that "leukorrhagia is all wet" and summarized the root cause of leukorrhagia in one sentence. According to this theory, he created an effective prescription for treating excessive leukorrhagia-Wandai Decoction), chronic diarrhea caused by chronic colitis (Chinese medicine believes that "excessive dampness leads to five diarrhea", that is, most diarrhea is related to internal dampness), chronic cough caused by excessive bronchial mucus secretion, and white and sticky sputum.
2. Stop the lifting of the air conditioner.
Once water and dampness remain in the body, it will inevitably hinder the qi movement and affect the pathological changes of abnormal visceral movements. Staying in different parts has different lesions. For example, when damp pathogen stays in muscles, meridians and joints, it is manifested as limb pain, while qi resistance is painful.
If moisture stays on the skin, it will affect the qi disorder of meridians and muscles. The symptoms at this time are not only swelling, but also swelling. For example, patients with acute nephritis or chronic nephritis have swollen muscles, and many people will say that they have abdominal distension. The reason is that moisture hinders the circulation of qi. In view of this situation, Chinese medicine will add some drugs to regulate qi when prescribing.
Damp pathogen is introduced into the upper jiao, and stays in the lung, and the lung loses its function, which even leads to lung qi upwelling, leading to qi discomfort in the chest. The prominent manifestations are chest tightness and cough and asthma. Because there is wet, drinking, water and phlegm, the sputum exhaled by coughing must be a lot of phlegm, even thin white sputum.
Wet is blocked by medium coke. We know that the spleen likes dryness and hates dampness, and the spleen hates dampness and transports dampness. Excessive dampness will aggravate the function of the spleen, making the spleen transport and transformation impassable, which is manifested as dysfunction of spleen transport and transformation Shui Gu, leading to qi block. One manifestation is abdominal distension. Dampness stops in the middle jiao, which affects the function of the spleen and stomach, and there will be less food and more stay.
Dampness in the lower jiao is the official of blasphemy, mainly referring to the small intestine and large intestine, which is characterized by the change of conduction function of large intestine, causing thin stool. In addition, although the stool is thin, it is accompanied by poor defecation. The effect of urination is not conducive to urination.
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Relationship between external humidity and internal humidity
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External dampness is one of the six evils, which is mostly caused by external dampness such as humid climate, wading in the rain and wet living. External dampness invades the human body, mostly on the muscle surface. It is characterized by a heavy head and a light body. In addition to fever and aversion to cold, its head and body are very heavy, and I feel that my body is tied by a rope. External dampness can not only invade the muscle surface, but also invade the joints, forming arthralgia syndrome. If external dampness invades joints and meridians, it will not only feel pain, but also feel heavy.
Internal dampness is mainly caused by spleen failure, which can be manifested as spleen and stomach dysfunction, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, nausea and vomiting, even diarrhea and abnormal urination.
To treat external dampness, the general idea is to let pathogenic dampness emerge from the exterior. For example, Sanren decoction, through the medicine of warming the heart and activating the third method, can make damp evil sweat through the muscle surface and drive away evil spirits. Internal dampness must be treated with warm medicine to strengthen the spleen and dry dampness.
Internal wetness and external wetness harm each other and influence each other. The attack of external dampness will definitely hurt the spleen and lead to internal dampness. As long as there is external dampness, it will inevitably damage the spleen, and eventually form spleen deficiency and dampness, which will aggravate spleen deficiency and dampness. On the contrary, spleen yang deficiency, water dampness and external dampness are most easily felt.