My acupuncturist explained to me that heat is the equivalent of toxicity in the body. What is the equivalent of dampness, then? I did a quick google search and I found a few definitions that say it's equal to water retention... I don't really understand what water retention is but, sometimes, my practitioner says I have excess dampness... What symptoms are normally associated with dampness in TCM? I actually haven't heard her say I've had dampness in a while so I can't recall what symptoms she may have been referring to at the time.

And on the topic of toxicity (or heat?), is candida overgrowth in the gut considered a toxin in TCM? How is candida overgrowth looked at in TCM?

Or, if I understand TCM, the term "candida overgrowth" would not be used at all and would be substituted with the word "heat"? Is that correct?