Summer Stagnation

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Solar Term 13 | August 7 – August 21

Hiking the big mountain peaks of the Canadian Rockies requires a level of focus and concentration that is unparalleled in my modern multi-tasking life. Walking across a scree field along the edge of a ridge leaves little room for mistakes. A small unfortunate misstep could require an extensive rescue at best.

With each step so carefully considered my mind wasn’t focused on fuel. By the time I completed the climb I was starving. It didn’t truly register until I took a bite of my sandwich. I wolfed it down and hardly chewed. Not yet satisfied, I proceeded to eat everything in my backpack. By the time I was finished my stomach was bloated, full, and uncomfortable. I needed a nap to digest all that food; however, it was getting late and we needed to get going. What this meant was that I had get up and hike Hydro Hill, the last climb to the trailhead, and I was not ready.

Stagnation in nature – teetering between growth & decline

Typically the weather in August is hot, sticky and humid. It makes us feel miserable, heavy and lethargic. But it’s not the heat that’s the problem. It’s the Damp.

The lump of food sitting in my stomach was a ball of Damp that I couldn’t digest. It made it hard to breathe, my legs felt impossibly heavy, and my brain was in a fog. It felt like the heat had turned up 20° and the flies were buzzing my ears. My heavy stomach started to make my back ache. I was miserable.

This is stagnation. It feels heavy and brings us down. Early August is a time when nature is stagnant, too. The growth energy of Spring and Summer that moves up and out has petered out. The descending and drawing in quality of Autumn energy hasn’t quite picked up steam. We are all teetering in between, waiting for the sun to shift a few degrees so the energy can move again.

Stagnation in the body and mind

Stagnation is a quality that shows up in our bodies, minds, and spirit in small little ways. Water finds the lowest point to collect. This is typically in our feet and ankles, but can also be in our knees, lower abdomen, fingers. It can also be found in the bottom of our bladder, the prostate, uterus, ovaries, and thyroid. The lower lungs are really prone to it, as are spots in our brain, sinuses, arteries and veins. Even our face and eyes can get puffy and stagnant at times. In our gut it can feel like a wet towel sitting in the stomach.

Emotionally, we get in ruts. Stubborn. Burdened. Our minds become slow and dull. We lose the spark in our eyes. Our spirits are low. Our breathing is labored. It’s hard to get going, especially in the morning. Once you’re moving you might feel ok, but once you stop you stop.

Summer colds, allergies, and COVID

Hot, sticky summertime weather can invade the body from the outside, too, as anyone who has spent time in the Deep South in the summer without AC can attest. The problem is that nothing seems to help. We can’t just sweat it out. It’s too hot and sticky for sweat to cool the body. The Damp added to Heat wears down your immune system leaving you vulnerable to summertime colds.

My clinic is busy this time of year with people who are sick. It really gets people who are already Damp inside. Thick damp turns into phlegm which creates its own set of issues. For example, COVID is a Damp-natured pathogen. It takes it’s own sweet time leaving the body, just like Damp Heat stagnation, which is why people are testing positive 12+ days after they get sick.

Damp Heat stagnation is rooted in our internal organs

When our organs are not working well the body gets gummed up. This is like an old car producing dirty exhaust when it is under load, except our exhaust is dampness and stagnation. It comes from over-eating, eating too fast, eating greasy foods, being too sedentary, not sleeping enough, working too hard, poor air quality, and even having a bad attitude.

You might be able to pinpoint which organ is involved based upon your symptoms:

  • Spleen/Pancreas: Abdominal distention
  • Lung: Coughing
  • Urinary Bladder: Frequent or difficult/incomplete urination; excessive vaginal discharge; water retention
  • Liver: Itchy, puffy eyes
  • Immune system (Wei Qi, the first level of defense against pathogens): Colds
  • Large Intestine: Acne

Digestion plays an important role

The Spleen/Pancreas organ system is the food processor of the body, helping break down food properly and distribute it through the body. If we put our digestive system under too much load then it will create a lot of exhaust. For instance, eating a diet that includes a lot of added sugars, cold desserts like ice cream and cold beverages (especially beer), fried foods, dairy, gluten, and red meat – particularly in the summer heat – can put a lot of pressure on your system.

Going to a summer BBQ and having a burger, drinking a beer, some potato chips, followed by ice cream is a typical American experience. But it takes a strong digestive engine to process all of that heavy food, which is harder to do in this already hot and stagnant time of year. At first it may just make you sleepy, but the effects of this meal could stick with you for days making you feel lethargic and grumpy.

What is required to get the engine started again?

Developing internal Damp Heat is a manifestation of our internal machine of digestion not working. Not just slowing down, but stopping. If caught at the apex of the wheel, it can take just a gentle push to get things going. But stopped at the bottom, what is required to get the engine started again?

It depends on how deep in the body and psyche the stagnation resides, and which fluids are involved, but here are some ideas:

  • Fasting – Fasting can work by giving your body time to digest the backlog of food sitting in your system.
  • Foods – Eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables this time of year, watching your intake of typical cold and sugary summertime treats. I recommend following a Mediterranean or Japanese style diet. They are very cooling diets.
    • A note on food choices when sick – eating lightly is recommended. A famous Vietnamese herbalist recommends cutting all your food into small pieces like for a child, and foods like rice and eggs. He warns that if you eat a heavy meal you will relapse. Clinically, I find this to be true and I always recommend people eat (homemade) fried rice.
  • Drink – Herbal teas are a wonderful way to cool off in the summer. Hibiscus, Hawthorne, Chrysanthemum, and green tea are all examples of cooling teas. Traditional Medicinals has a wonderful Hibiscus & Hawthorne tea.
  • Breath – Exhaling water vapor is how we lose weight. It is also a great way to expel Dampness. This requires a lot of exhaling so long days of moderate cardio works very well. Hiking and backpacking are good examples of this.
  • Dry brushing – Dry brushing is a technique that is designed to move the fluid that sits below our skin.
  • Movement – Maybe you can’t go backpacking, but you can still move your body. Gentle movements such as Qi Gong are more effective at moving fluid than punishing workouts.
  • Rest – Pushing yourself too hard generates a lot of Heat and exhaust. Sometimes we just need to back off and let our system cool off.
  • Herbal medicine – There are three ways to treat Dampness – disperse, drain, and transform. These types of treatment protocols depend on the the level of the body where it is found. These treatments are particularly indicated when you find yourself trying everything and nothing works.
  • Acupuncture – Acupuncture has an immediate effect. There is almost nothing that will change your system as quickly or profoundly as a good acupuncture treatment. What acupuncture accomplishes in this situation is a “push” to get the system moving again by clearing heat, moving fluids and calming the nervous system. The effects that people notice is a more comfortable body temperature, calmer mind, even mood, an increase in urination (so less fluid retention), better digestion, and more restful sleep.

Getting going again

Since I was out in the backcountry I didn’t have as many options to get my engine started again. I was moving, but I could barely pick up my legs. All I had was my mental state and my breath. I started practicing quick double inhales with a long exhale. It took some serious effort to get going like I was an old diesel engine. Finally, the flywheel of my engine started again and was able to complete my hike with the group.

The best way to eliminate Damp Heat is to prevent it from accumulating in the first place. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That means, staying hydrated, managing your stress, and chewing really, really well.

Take some time to evaluate how you are processing the looming summer Heat within yourself. If you are feeling especially lethargic, please share which of the tips above helped or make an appointment with your local acupuncturist.