In western medicine, constitution refers to someone's mental and physical ability to function adequately in adverse circumstances.
Chinese medicine has a similar but far more developed view of body constitution. Over 2,000 years ago, one of the most important texts in Chinese medicine, the Huang Di Nei Jing, first recorded thinking about body constitution and health. The main idea is that a person's body constitution is a measure of someone's general health and ability to resist disease.
Equally important is the idea that body constitution is the result of congenital and acquired factors; in other words, some things outside of your control, but many things within your control.
Congenital factors are outside of your control. They include your father's and mother's physical and emotional state at conception, as well as your mother's health during pregnancy. Things within your control are called acquired factors. These include living conditions, lifestyle and dietary choices, and social and emotional influences.
The purpose behind knowing your body constitution is to guide your choices so you can fight disease and have a long and healthy life.
People are most vulnerable to pathogenic factors in the winter. Learning about your body constitution will help you make dietary and lifestyle choices ideally suited to keep you healthy during this high risk season.
The chart below is a quick summary of body constitution types. Subsequent lessons will go into each constitution type in more detail.
Citations: Pitchford, P. (2002). Healing with Whole Foods; Zhang, L. (2017). A TCM Way to be Healthy Inside and Out; Zhang, Y. (2010). Managing Your Emotional Health Using Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Constitution | Symptoms | Body Features | Personality | Environmental Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Damp-heat | Skin impurities such as acne; oily face or athlete’s foot; mouth and body odor; hair loss | Normal or slim | Anxious | Heat and humidity |
Phlegm-damp | Overweight; hypertension; high blood cholesterol; high blood sugar; abnormal menstruation | Over-weight | Patient | Humidity |
Yin-deficient | Feel hot; dry skin and lips; irritable; early menstruation | Slim | Impatient | High tolerance of cold, low tolerance of heat |
Yang-deficient | Becomes cold easily; sensitive to cold drinks | Soft muscles | Introverted and quiet | High tolerance of heat, low tolerance of cold |
Qi-deficient | Weak immune system; lack of energy; weak digestive system | Soft muscles | Introvert | Wind, cold, and heat |
Blood stasis | Diabetes; black eye lids; blue veins and pains; irregular menstruation | Over-weight or slim | Irritable | Cold |
Qi stagnation | Depression; lack of energy; headache; insomnia | Slim | Introverted and sensitive | Rain or lack of sun |
Balanced | Healthy | Balanced | Balanced | High adaptable |