What is Dampness in Chinese Medicine

by Dr. Chun-Kai Jason Wang, Dr.TCM, B.A., ATCMA member 

If you've ever been to an acupuncturist or TCM practitioner, you may have been told "you have too much dampness." And you may be wondering what that even means. Well, today I'm here to explain to you in a nutshell what they actually mean.

'Dampness' is a unique concept in Chinese Medicine. It is part of the "6 Evils" of external factors which cause disease (wind, fire, summer-heat, dampness, dryness, cold). In other words, they are environmental contributors to illness, historically associated often with climate extremes. For example, dampness is essentially pointing to moisture content in the environment. We know that cold climates are not the same everywhere. Ask someone in Vancouver and somebody else in Edmonton, and they will often say that Vancouver "feels" colder. They say so because Edmonton is drier but Vancouver is wetter. "Wetter" just means Vancouver is more damp, so the coldness, even if not absolutely low on the temperature scale (and definitely not lower than Edmonton), feels like it can penetrate the bones, that kind of cold chill. So whether knowingly or unknowingly, people already admit that wetter places just feels colder.

Why is this? Chinese Medicine specifically lays out such environmental forces as contributors to disease because it has always been part of the ancient understanding of the cosmos that humans are connected to their surroundings whether they admit/like it or not. For one thing, the skin has pores and it breathes to an extent (but very low amount). Things go in and out of the skin, including some oxygen and CO2 --this has been known since 1851. Many insects specifically breathe through holes on their outer body. Earthworms, frogs, and salamanders breathe through their skin as well. Although humans have very limited access to this cutaneous respiration, our skin does absorb the things we lather on it. In addition, the skin is considered the "biggest organ" according to Western medicine by its sheer weight and volume. Thus, moisture can penetrate the skin and affect our bodies, especially if we are steeped in such conditions for a long enough time. It is not a coincidence that people who work in cold and especially damp environments are more prone to develop some kind of arthritis, specifically of the hands. Don't take my word for it, just ask around and one will quickly find that it's generally true. In Western medicine, arthritis is solely and inflammatory disease generated from the inside of the body, whereas in Chinese Medicine, it has always been recognized as having an external contributor as well.

Dampness is probably considered one of the most, if not the most, serious contributors to disease. It is cited as such since the ancient times. And even today, this is still the case. Conditions such as arthritis, but also all manners of skin conditions (not a coincidence as you can tell from the above explanation), digestive problems, and many other issues stem partly or wholly from "dampness."

So exactly what is dampness? Is it really just "moisture?" No, actually dampness is just an inclusive term the ancients used to better categorize different environmental pathogens. Therefore, it can be considered a "class" of factors, rather than a narrowly defined factor such as "moisture." To put it better, one has to consider that moisture, or water, in the natural environment, is not inert. There are billions of compounds and organisms that reside within each drop of water and in the air. To believe that "dampness" is just "moisture" affecting the body is an oversimplification. It is really the billions of other solutes inside the moisture that is also contributing to illness. For example, depending on whether you live above or near the equator, this can be quite different. In the northern climates, Chinese medicine calls it "cold-damp" (or "damp-cold") while in the south near the equator, it is called "damp-heat." Cold-damp is more like crystallized water molecules that have been lodged inside the body which cannot be moved, leading to severe pain and stiffness in the joints. Any toxic compounds that are inside such crystallized structures become also crystallized and immobile. The example is arthritis. In the south, damp-heat does not present as "watery" problems (at least not to the general public). Instead, it manifests as acute and semi-acute infectious diseases such as cholera and dengue fever, etc. In other words, the high humidity of the south lends itself to become a perfectly fine breeding ground for nasty germs that can affect humans easily.

You don't actually have to go too far to know what "dampness" actually is. You can try to live in a moldy basement for a few months and see how your body feels later on (please don't!). Alternatively, you can ask around to see if anybody ever had such experiences and they will almost surely tell you that they ended up getting a host of health issues since. I'm using this last example because it's a perfect embodiment of what dampness is. It is for the most part, invisible. You cannot see it or touch it. You cannot even feel it outright initially. But slowly it creeps into you as your skin is exposed to it on a daily basis. At the same time, of course, you are also breathing it in and out 24/7. It is a combination of the fetid, uncirculated and stale chemicals, compounds and organisms inside the air of such environments in addition to the generally lower atmospheric pressures of such places which weakens your defense systems over time. The person gradually becomes lethargic and doleful as their innate immunity is pared down bit by bit. Their body is then slowly penetrated by the finely dispersed microscopic moisture aerosols, the "dampness," and illness quickly ensues.

Now that you have a rough idea of what "dampness" is, you'll be able to know why your acupuncturist/TCM doctor says you "have too much damp."