Whole Body Swelling: Is There No Apparent Cause? | Incheon Swelling

Is it swelling for no reason? | Incheon Swelling

Hello, this is Choi Yeon-seung, a doctor of Korean medicine at Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

I keep swelling, but they say there's nothing wrong.

"When I wake up, my eyes are really puffy. My fingers are stiff, and my rings don't fit. My legs feel heavy, and my pants feel tight... But my weight hasn't changed."

I often hear these complaints in the clinic.

And in most cases, tests show no particular abnormalities. Kidney, liver, thyroid, and even inflammation markers have all been checked, and the results are "normal," or "it might be due to a bit of fatigue."

But the body is telling a different story. The sensation of persistent swelling, not subsiding, and a heavy, stagnant feeling.

The Sensation of Swelling

This isn't weight gain, nor is it something that improves by simply regulating salt intake. It's the feeling that something in the body isn't flowing, but is rather stagnant.

However, if the numbers are normal, this sensation is not recorded anywhere. Though they've been told "nothing is wrong," their body continues to send signals that "something is wrong."

Interpreting the Sensation

We are now going to talk about how to listen to and interpret that sensation anew.

What we observe when we hear someone say they are swelling: When we hear the single phrase, "My body keeps swelling these days," we first ask where, when, and how it swells.

However, the first thing we check in the clinic is not 'how severe' the swelling is, but rather 'how' the person's body is swelling.

Swelling and Its Causes

For instance, some people experience facial swelling every morning, others feel their legs become heavy by the afternoon, some have swollen hands and feet around their menstrual cycle, and still others feel their entire body become sluggish and heavy when stressed.

This cannot simply be explained as 'water retention.' We view such swelling as a distortion in the body's regulatory capacity, rhythm, and flow.

The Perspective of Korean Medicine

Does swelling simply mean water has accumulated?

"This isn't weight gain; it definitely feels like something is attached/accumulated." People who say this don't perceive it as simply 'water.'

Reasons for Persistent Swelling

1. A Body with Insufficient Circulation

The vital energy (Qi) is weak, there's insufficient power for blood circulation, and the body's own pumping action is weakened. In such cases, swelling occurs because there's no strength to push out the water.

2. A Body Unable to Excrete/Eliminate

This is a state where the pathways for expelling unnecessary substances from the body are blocked.

3. A Body That Has Lost Its Direction

A state where vital energy (Qi) accumulates upwards, fails to descend downwards, or where there is flow, but it deviates to the wrong places.

The Action of Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine is not simply a 'draining medicine,' but rather a medicine that asks why the water didn't drain.

Direction of Treatment

Treatment is not about merely reducing swelling, but about restoring the body's rhythm.

Because we know this: Swelling is merely a result; prior to it, there is a disrupted rhythm.

Conclusion

This is precisely where Korean medicine intervenes: listening to undiagnosed sensations, unexplained discomfort, and changes in flow that have been overlooked – interpreting them, and allowing them to flow.

"I feel like I'm constantly swelling."

"It feels strange, but the hospital says everything is fine."

Consultation Information

- Clinic Hours -
Mon-Fri 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Lunch Break 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

※ Individual consultations are not conducted via this blog. For appointments and inquiries regarding consultations, please check Naver Place or our official website.

Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, 3rd Floor, Songdo Dream City, 81 Convention-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon

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