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Eradicate The Damp & Phlem
- Carmen Elizabeth
- Mar 29, 2023
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 13
š¢š¤Interview with Carmen Elizabeth The Healing Cabin Five Elements Acupuncture Complementary Health Care Clinic & Harvey From RVIP WD Virtual Assistants šØš»āš¼š©š»āš¼
āÆļø Traditional Chinese Medicine āÆļø
" Todays hot topic is Dampness. It's an ancient concept in Traditional Chinese medicine but to many who are new to it theory they find it's quite baffling.
šCarmen Elizabeth has been running her practice in Nottinghamshire for more than 16 years, She's been studying Holistic Wellness and Chinese Medicine for over 30 years, one of the third generation in her family to specialise in natural holistic and spiritual healing therapies and she has a vast amount of over 110 qualifications in fitness, healing, holistic therapy and Five Elements Acupuncture with various specialisms like Musculoskeletal Spinal Release and Cranial Sacral Balancing with years of experience when it comes to how to deal with stress, Overwhelm illness and injury in Englands poor conditions of dampness and humidity.
šThe very thorough Five Elements Acupuncturist, Recovery Enhancement Practitioner, Specialist And Consultant that she is, Carmen Elizabeth works with the upmost integrity from the start, being open and upfront with her patients letting them know it's often our poor choices in lifestyle, sleep, rest, food and drinks that lead to illness.
She starts by explaining to me what it all involves...
What is this dampness?
šHumidity is one of the downsides to life in England. I started to look into it more when furniture in the house was turning mouldy, I knew my breathing and that of my husband's was being affected as I thought thereās no reason the humans all sensitive bodily systems should be unaffected by it.
Harvey speaks to Carmen Elizabeth about how to help damp with our diet.
šDampness simply refers to water retention. Health in Traditional Chinese medicine hinges on striking a balance between all the five elements in our body. A high proportion of water in the human body is a source of illness. At first, the patient will feel bulky, bloated and sleepy all the time when they are damp. In more simple terms, it's like being weighed down by concrete. The body feels sticky like a glue and the person feels fatigued and very sluggish. Dampness has been described anciently as cotton that has been soaked in oil.
How do we know if weāre too damp?
āÆļøDampness affects people with different constitutions such as yin (cold) and yang (hot) differently. A damp yin person will feel tired, fatigued, their skin gets oily but without many spots. Excess sweating hot flushes. When the dampness seeps into the muscles, bones and joints, thatās when the lethargy sets in. If the problem becomes worse, the dampness will affect their blood vessels and result in high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart palpatations and other issues and kidney bladder problems.
šFor yang body types, it becomes ātoxicā. At first, itās most visible on the skin, in forms such as acne and eczema. On the muscle, bone and joint level, drowsiness is less pronounced for yang people. Instead, thereāll be pain around the shoulders, neck, back of the head, waist and joints. On a more severe level, it will transform into blood diseases, like uric acid or even vasculitis putting some at risk of lower extremity amputation. The probabilities for a yang person to develop growth and tumours are very high too.
How do you know if your yang or yin body type?
A yin person usually feels very sensitive to the cold and tires easily. A yang person feels hot, is prone to muscle and joint aches, and is more susceptible to skin conditions.
What can help erradicate the damp?
āÆļøDampness causes dysfunctioning in our body. If our intestines and stomach are not working as effectively as they should, our ability to eliminate dampness is very weak. In Traditional Chinese medicine it suggests detoxing and strengthening the spleen as this is said to increase the bodyās ability to dispel unrequired water.
LIMIT THE FORMATION OF PHLEGM AND DAMPNESS
Eat food and drinks at room temperature or warmer
Incorporate bitter, pungent and aromatic foods and spices
Drink bone broth as a snack
Appreciate the flavor of foods
Eat small to moderate size meals and avoid over eating or eating until you are overly full
Drink ginger tea
Exercise regularly
FOODS TO INCORPORATE TO DECREASE DAMPNESS:
Lightly cooked vegetables
Whole grains (brown rice, barley, rye, oats)
Bitter, sweet, pungent and aromatic spices
Includes: cloves, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, mustard, mustard greens, nutmeg, thyme, turmeric, basil, parsley, garlic, onions, shallows, horseradish, turnips, radish, cayenne
Legumes (kidney beans, pinto, red lentils)
Meat, poultry and fish in small quantitiesĀ
Small amount of whole fruits and lemons
Sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Tea (green, oolong, jasmine, detpx teas, slimming teas)
Ā Bone broth
FOODS TO LIMIT OR AVOID WHEN YOU ARE FEELING PHLEGMY OR DAMP
Cold, raw foods (uncooked vegetables)
Refined sugars
Fatty meat (bacon or duck)
Eggs
Fruit juices
Coffee and alcohol
Deep fried foods
Nuts
Limit to 1-2 portions per day (8-10 nuts is one serving)
Dairy (cold foods - cheese, chocolate, milk, ice cream)
Wheat Gluten (refined flour or pasta and bread)
Cold or iced drinks
Banana
Avocado
You can make some if your own herbal soup and teas to help enhance the spleen functioning.
My favourite is Soup
Recipe:
Onions
Garlic
Ginger
Tumeric
Scallions
Kidney Beans
Pumpkin
White yam
Sweet potato
Broccoli
Carrots
Parsnips
Green beans
Coconut milk
Scotch bonnet pepper
Pepper pot Seasoning
Wash and peel all the ingredients and place in a pot. Fill with enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil then simmer down on a low heat for two hours.
Choose roasted root vegetables over salads and leave out the the fried and cold stuff like icecream avacado, smoothie and shakes.
šCarmen Elizabeth Loves Herbal Teas!
Her Favourite Tea's includeā:
Our Aura Slimming Tea (Available in our shop)
Our Aura Detox Tea / Aura Slimming Tea / Weight Reducing Slim tea (Available In Our Shop)
Ginger, Lemon & green tea,
cinnamon and cardamom chai
Autumn: White peony tea / Chrysanthamum
Winter: Chai or ginger tea
Spring: Nettle green and red rooibos
Summer: a) Dandilion b) Holy basil or green tea + peppermint
Late Summer (Indian Summer): Rooibos or turmeric tea
What else can help the liver spleen and stomach during late summer and through winter?
Building the below into your selfcare routine can definitely help:
ā“ļø Detox Moxi Heat Patches Ā£19. (Available in our clinic and shop) Also Excellent for Menstruation times.
ā“ļø Castor Oil Patch 30ml Synergy Blend of Aromatherapy Oils With Castor Oil Ā£20
( Available in our shop to order only)
ā“ļø Self Heating Waist Belt Infused With Tourmaline Crystal (Available in our clinic & shop)
ā“ļø Self Heating Socks Ā£5 Available In (Our Clinic and Shop)
ā“ļøWarm Aromatherapy Infused Epsom Salt Baths ( Salts Available in our shop to order)
When working with patients who present with sluggish digestion, fatigue, or weight gain, we try framing advice through a dual lens:
šø From TCM: Reduce damp-forming foods (excess dairy, greasy or raw-cold meals). Encourage warming, spleen-supporting staples such as grains, root vegetables, and lightly cooked vegetables.
šø From Western nutrition: Cut back on refined sugars and highly processed carbs. Emphasise balanced protein and fibre to keep blood sugar stable and energy steady.
š Even modest, consistent adjustments can mirror the results seen in research: lighter digestion, improved energy, a trimmer waistline, and healthier blood markers.
Many BlessingsCarmen Elizabeth!
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