What causes edema?

Edema is a common clinical problem. Symptoms of edema may occur in many parts of the human body, and the causes and symptoms of edema in different parts are different. Severe edema may also induce many complications. Therefore, edema must be taken seriously. In clinical practice, the definition of edema in Western medicine is different from that in traditional Chinese medicine. The causes of edema in traditional Chinese medicine are also more complicated, and its symptoms are closely related to its cause. The symptoms of edema in different parts of the body have different causes, and the treatments for edema caused by different reasons are also different, so patients must be clear about the cause of the edema.

1. Wind evil attacks from outside (20%):

When the lungs fail to regulate, wind evil invades from outside and lodges in the lungs. The lungs fail to regulate their function of ascending and descending. As a result, body fluids cannot be dispersed to the outside to nourish the skin. Also, the lungs fail to regulate the water channels and the metabolic waste products of body fluids are transformed into urine. As a result, wind blocks water and the wind and water fight each other. Water is retained in the body and floods the skin, causing edema.

2. Dampness and poison (20%):

It benefits the lungs and spleen. The lungs control the skin and hair, while the spleen controls the muscles. The poison of carbuncles and ulcers originates from the skin and is not cleared away, but instead goes to the lungs and spleen. The damaged spleen cannot raise body fluids, and the damaged lungs cannot descend and ascend, resulting in fluid retention in the body, flooding the skin and causing edema. "Ji Sheng Fang? Edema" says: "There are also young people who have blood heat and develop sores, which turn into swelling, thirst, and scanty urination. This is heat swelling."

3. Water immersion (15%):

The spleen is troubled and likes dryness and hates dampness. Living in wetlands for a long time, or wading in water in the rain, can cause moisture to invade the body; or improper diet, such as eating too much raw and cold food, can all cause the spleen to become damp and lose its function of transporting and transforming moisture, resulting in the accumulation of moisture in the body, flooding the skin and causing edema.

4. Internal dampness and heat (15%):

Stagnation of the Triple Burner "The triple burner is the organ that decides the drainage, and where water channels flow out." Dampness and heat invade the body and are not transformed for a long time; or the dampness is depressed and turns into heat, and the dampness and heat are excessive inside the body, causing the spleen and stomach in the middle burner to lose their ability to raise the clear and lower the turbid. The triple burner is then stagnant, and water channels are blocked, causing fluid to be retained in the body, flooding the skin and causing edema.

5. Fatigue due to eating and drinking (10%):

Damage to the spleen and stomach due to eating disorders, excessive fatigue, or long-term illness that damages the spleen, impaired spleen function, and abnormal water metabolism can cause water retention in the body, flooding the skin, and causing edema.

6. Kidney Qi deficiency (10%):

"The kidney is the water organ and is responsible for body fluids." Unregulated childbirth, excessive sexual intercourse, or long-term illness can damage the kidneys, resulting in kidney qi deficiency and inability to transform qi and circulate water. This causes abnormal bladder qi transformation and poor opening and closing, which leads to fluid retention in the body, flooding the skin, and causing edema.