I. Case Analysis: Spleen Deficiency Damp-Heat Dilemma Behind Excessive Sweating

A 5 year old child seen in July 2024 presented with febrile symptoms with temperature fluctuating between 37 - 40 degrees. He was usually sweaty, had to change his clothes twice a night before going to bed, and was active. He was prone to colds and food retention, characterized by poor digestive function, thinness, and slow growth in height and weight. On examination, there was a second degree of enlarged tonsils. Parents mistakenly thought that the child had a strong fire, but in fact the TCM diagnosis showed that his tongue was white and greasy, and his pulse was smooth and dull, which belonged to the "child with a strong fire".Spleen Deficiency, Damp-Heat and Liver Depression and Fire EvidenceThe

[Initial diagnosis and prescription]Honey Ephedra 3g Making Fire Bitter Almonds 8g Astragalus 15g Fat Hai Hai 5g Fried Burdock Seed 10g Fried Perilla Seed 10g Soapwort 10g Fructus Morinda Citri Reticulatae 10g Ginger Huxopod 15g Rheum Palmatum 1g Hooker's Tree 10g (later) Tianma 10g Scutellaria Baicalensis 10g Mudan Peony Pippi 10g Radix Angelicae Sinensis 10g Ligusticum Chuanxiong 6g Poria Cocos 15g Branched Zedoaria 10g 6 doses.

Analysis of the core disease mechanism::

It has become a common phenomenon for children to be active and sweaty. Because of the mobility, especially at night often kick the quilt, resulting in open pores, very easy to get cold and flu.

From the analysis of Chinese medicine mechanism, the root cause is the poor digestion function of the spleen and stomach, which is easy to generate heat accumulation.The spleen and stomach are the foundation of the later generations. When the spleen and stomach are not functioning properly, food cannot be digested and absorbed properly, and stagnates internally, it turns into accumulated heat.At the same time, it is common for children to have an excess of liver fireThe liver is the main regulator of excretion, and if the liver fire is too high, it is difficult to stabilize the emotions, and the children will show that they are very active and restless.

Liver qi is not sparing, spleen and stomach are damp and hot, which in turn affects the San Jiao unfavorably, the water metabolism in the body is out of order, and dampness and heat are retained, which affects the normal physiological function of the body, and further aggravates the symptoms of easy sweating and catching colds.

1. ​deficiency of the spleen and stomach (TCM): Prolonged accumulation of food leads to malfunctioning of the spleen and stomach, and internal stagnation of water and dampness (deficiency of spleen and lung qi)
2. ​dampness and heat trapped within (TCM): Dampness and depression turn into heat, congesting the triple jiao and affecting the metabolism of water and fluids (pathomechanism of Damp-Heat syndrome).
3. ​(TCM) inflammation of the liver and constipation of internal heat: Liver fire disturbs the heart and mind, triggering hyperactivity and sleep disturbances (the theory that emotions and moods cause disease)

[Before and after tongue coating]
Before and after the comparison can be seen in the middle of the tongue moss greasy moss dissipated a lot of dampness obviously recede, but the tongue is still reddish, continue to regulate. After a week of service, back sweating is reduced, head sweat is also less. Another week, sweating has returned to normal.

Symptom Comparison Table::

​typical performance	​Chinese medicine mechanism	Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Night sweating of the head and back	Spleen deficiency fails to stabilize the exterior, and dampness and heat force the excretion of fluid.	strengthen the spleen and resolve dampness
Recurrent enlarged tonsils	Dampness and heat vaporizing up the throat, heat and toxin congestion	clear away dampness and heat
Wasting, growth retardation	insufficient qi and blood biochemistry, and an acquired lack of nutrients (TCM)	remove obstructions in the liver and dispel heat (TCM)

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​II. 3 Core Strategies of TCM Conditioning

1. ​clear away dampness and heat
   • ​medication: Stir-fried burdock, scutellaria baicalensis, saponaria (to clear damp-heat in the lungs and stomach)
   • ​principle: For the damp-heat syndrome with red, swollen tonsils and yellowish tongue coating, such as7Treatment of damp-heat syndrome of hand-foot-mouth disease with Ganlu Sterilizing Dan
2. ​strengthen the spleen and resolve dampness
   • ​medicationAstragalus, Poria, Bran-fried Zedoaria (strengthens the spleen and induces dampness)
   • ​apply externally: Angelica dahurica + saponica acnes powder vinegar dressing, through the skin penetration to dispel dampness (external treatment)
3. ​remove obstructions in the liver and dispel heat (TCM)
   • ​medicationCrocus, Tianma, Mudanpi (calming the liver and quenching wind, resolving heat in the blood)
   • ​investigate: The hyperactivity and poor sleep of the child confirm the pathogenesis of "liver depression and fire disturbing the spirit".

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​Third, baby moms must know the 4 key cognitive

1. ​Watch out for "pseudo-thermia."
   • If the childExcessive sweating + thick and greasy tongue + stools that stick to the toilet bowlIf you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
2. ​Contraindications to the use of topicals
   • Angelica dahurica and saponaria dahurica are pungent and warm in nature.Not for use on broken skinAvoiding irritation that aggravates inflammation
3. ​Key points of treatment management
   • The child is suffering fromFailure to take medication on timeThis leads to a delayed course of the disease, confirming the clinical experience that "it takes two months to regulate a spleen deficiency".
4. ​Early Warning Signs of Stunting
   • Excessive sweating → depletion of qi and blood → decreased secretion of growth hormone

Baby moms must pay attention to the problem of pediatric hyperactivity and easy sweating.Early conditioning of the child's body will help the pediatrician grow taller and fatter.

Because in essence, it is still closely related to 臓腑脾胃三焦.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, this can be done in the following ways:

Diet: Diet should be light, easy to digest, follow the principle of "five grains for nourishment, five fruits for help, five animals for benefit, five vegetables for filling". Appropriately give children more millet porridge, yam porridge, pumpkin porridge, etc., spleen and stomach, avoid greasy, spicy, cold food, so as not to aggravate the burden on the spleen and stomach, like fried chicken, chili pepper, ice cream and other foods as little as possible.

Sleep: It is vital to ensure that your child gets enough sleep. Chinese medicine believes that "when a person lies down, blood returns to the liver", and a good night's sleep helps to repair the liver and regulate qi and blood. Let your child develop the habit of going to bed early and waking up early, create a quiet and comfortable sleep environment, and avoid over-excitement of your child before going to bed. You can help your child relax and go to sleep by listening to soft music and reading picture books.

Emotions: pay attention to the child's emotional management, avoid children in a long time in the tension, anxiety, irritability, through parent-child games, outdoor sports, etc., so that the child to maintain a relaxed mood, so that the liver qi can be normal excretion.

If all these are noted, but the symptoms are not significantly reduced, then it is still recommended to find a Chinese medicine practitioner to regulate. Usually there are no special circumstances, within 1-2 months can be adjusted.

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​IV. Guidelines for the selection of proprietary Chinese medicines

​symptomatic behavior	​Recommended proprietary Chinese medicines	​mechanism of action	base
Sweating profusely after the event	Ginseng and Atractylodis Macrocephalae Granules	Strengthening the spleen and Qi, consolidating the exterior and stopping sweating	Ginseng, Poria, Atractylodes macrocephala (fried), Yam .....
Heat in the hands and feet, night sweats	Chiba Dihuang Pills	Nourishes Yin and reduces fire, improves Yin deficiency and internal heat	Zhi Mu, Phellodendron Bark, Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata, Cornus Officinalis ......
Recurrent tonsil suppuration	Scutellaria Blue Oral Liquid	Clearing heat and removing toxins, relieving sore throat and reducing swelling	Panax quinquefolium, Scutellaria baicalensis, Gardenia jasminoides, Cyperus rotundus ......
Poor appetite, food accumulation and fever	Children's Food Elimination Granules	Eliminating food stagnation, harmonizing the stomach and lowering rebellions	Chicken Nei Jin (fried), Hawthorn, Six Sheng Qu Qu ......

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​V. Advanced Guide for Chinese Medicine Enthusiasts

For this child who has a cold and fever and is prone to sweating, it is important to analyze from the deeper theories of Chinese medicine and not just look at the surface symptoms.

Cold and fever, the root cause is the stomach has dampness and heat fumigation, is not real heat, and one-dimensional use of heat-clearing medicine is not a good solution.

Easy sweating is heat in the liver and gallbladder, but the key to the problem lies in the San Jiao. The San Jiao is the channel through which the body's qi and water run, and if it malfunctions, it can cause many problems.

Clearing the San Jiao, strengthening the spleen and resolving dampness are the key treatment ideas.

The spleen is responsible for the transportation of water and dampness, when the spleen and stomach function is strong and healthy, water and dampness can be properly transported, and the heat that depends on the dampness will go with it. Clearing the San Jiao can make the body's qi smooth and water metabolism return to normal. In this way, the problem of cold and fever can be solved and the symptoms of easy sweating can be improved. In this way, the possible drawbacks of simply using astringent medicines to stop sweating are avoided, and the child's illness is solved from the root, achieving the effect of treating both symptoms and root causes.