Paul: I’ve read in many Chinese Medicine books that something called “Dampness” is a major factor in people being overweight and that to achieve long term weight loss this “Dampness” must be somehow cleared from the body. Tell me Alex, what is this “Dampness” you acupuncturists talk about, and does it really have an effect on weight?

Alex: Dampness is a term we use to describe a condition in the body where there is an accumulation of excess of fluid in the body.

Paul: So its just fluid retention then?

Alex: Well, fluid retention is certainly a form of it, but the condition of Dampness covers much more than that. When the fluids in the body are not moving as freely as they should, this can cause the body, and even the mind, to slow down. When Dampness affects the body, your metabolism will not burn energy as efficiently and you will start increase your levels of body fat. If dampness affects the energy channels or meridians, then this can lead to a feeling of heaviness in your limbs, and a general lethargy and lack of energy. And as I said, dampness can even affect the mind, which results in a mental lethargy or symptoms such as brain fog and tiredness.

Paul: Sounds nasty! So its like the body’s waterways and energy paths becoming all clogged up and stagnant, which leads to everything slowing down?

Alex: Yes that’s a good way of putting it. Dampness is also described as being sticky in nature, which refers to the difficulty of removing it from the body. This is why some people find it exceptionally difficult to lose weight, even though they are doing everything right.

Paul: So what actually causes this dampness then? Has it got anything to do with living in a damp home?

Alex: That can be a possible cause, but it,s not the main one. In fact there are several causes of dampness, such as a weakness in your constitution, especially your spleen, as well as other factors such as eating too many damp producing foods.

Paul: Damp producing foods?

Alex: Yes, some foods, such as dairy produce, and others, have a tendency to increase dampness in the body. Now normally, in a healthy body where the fluids and energies are moving properly, these damp producing foods will not have too much effect. But when there is a weakness in your spleen or stomach, they can cause problems.

Paul: How so? 

Alex: The spleen is responsible for processing the food which your stomach has digested, and its supposed to separate out all the good nutrition from the waste, which should then be eliminated from the body. If the spleen is weak and unable to do its job properly then the waste substances start to accumulate in the body, resulting in dampness.

Paul: Ok I think I get it now, but how does this all affect weight gain and weigh loss, remind me again.

Alex: If you’re suffering from dampness you will very easily put on weight because your metabolism has slowed down. And if you are trying to lose weight, any problems with dampness will make it doubly difficult, because even though you may reduce your calorie intake, this sticky dampness will still be slowing down your metabolism. And not only that, but all the problems of lethargy and tiredness which dampness causes will make it very difficult for you to become motivated and taking regular exercise will seem like a massive chore.

Paul: Ah so that’s why we get so many patients coming to us for weight loss, who are already doing all the right things but are still not losing the weight! So if that’s the case, what’s to be done?

Alex: Well obviously we need to help the body remove this dampness and with Hypnopuncture this is done via a number of measures. Using my acupuncture skills, I am able to stimulate and increase the bodies ability to clear dampness from the energy channels, which in turn will strengthen the spleen and digestive system. And then of course the Energy Essences we use will be reinforcing that, and your hypnosis will help to clear the mental lethargy.

Paul: And of course there’s the nutritional advice we give which includes tips about avoiding damp foods.

Alex: Yes that too. We both know that these techniques work very well for clearing dampness, as evidenced by the amount of success we’ve been having helping people to lose weight.

Paul ‘n’ Alex 03/09