Know your body type and personalize your regimen

According to the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CACM) released on April 9, 2009, the “TCM Physique Classification Criteria” is the first document to guide and regulate the research and application of TCM physique, aiming to provide a basis for physique identification and the prevention and treatment of diseases related to TCM physique, health care and health management, and to make the physique classification scientific and standardized. The physical constitution is divided into nine physical constitutions, namely, pinghe, qi deficiency, yang deficiency, yin deficiency, phlegm-damp, damp-heat, blood stasis, qi yu, and special endowment. Zhang Huimin, Department of Pediatrics, Jinan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China Overall characteristics: Yin and Yang are in harmony with Qi and blood, and the main characteristics are moderate posture, rosy complexion, and full of energy. Physical characteristics: a well-balanced and robust body shape. Common manifestations: moist face and complexion, dense and lustrous hair, lustrous gaze, bright nose, good sense of smell, red lips, not easily fatigued, energetic, tolerant of heat and cold, good sleep, good appetite, normal bowel movements, light red tongue, thin white moss, slow and strong pulse. Psychological features: easy-going and cheerful personality. Tendency to develop disease: less frequent illness in general. Adaptability to the external environment: strong adaptability to the natural and social environment. Qi deficiency quality Overall characteristics: Qi deficiency, mainly characterized by fatigue, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating and other manifestations of Qi deficiency. Physical characteristics: muscles are flabby and insubstantial. Common manifestations: low voice, shortness of breath, lazy speech, easy fatigue, lack of energy, easy sweating, light red tongue, teeth marks on the edge of the tongue, weak pulse. Psychological characteristics: introverted and unadventurous. Tendency to develop diseases: susceptible to colds, visceral prolapse, etc.; slow recovery after illness. Adaptability to external environment: intolerant to wind, cold, heat and dampness. Yang deficiency quality Overall characteristics: deficiency of Yang energy, mainly characterized by fear of cold, hands and feet are not warm and other cold manifestations. Physical characteristics: muscles are flabby and insubstantial. Common manifestations: fear of cold, lack of warmth in the hands and feet, preference for hot food, lack of vitality, light, fat and tender tongue, sunken pulse. Psychological characteristics: character is mostly quiet and introverted. Tendency to develop disease: susceptible to phlegm, swelling, diarrhea, etc.; susceptible to cold. Adaptability to the external environment: resistant to summer but not to winter; susceptible to wind, cold and dampness. Yin deficiency quality Overall characteristics: deficiency of Yin, mainly characterized by deficiency heat such as dry mouth, dry throat, and heat in the hands and feet. Physical characteristics: thin body shape. Common manifestations: heat in the hands and feet, dry mouth and throat, slightly dry nose, preference for cold drinks, dry stools, red tongue with little fluid, thin pulse. Mental characteristics: impatient, outgoing and active. Pathogenic tendency: susceptible to deficiency labor, loss of essence, sleeplessness, etc.; susceptible to heat from sensation of evil. Adaptability to the external environment: resistant to winter but not to summer; intolerant to heat, heat and dryness. Phlegm-damp quality Overall characteristics: cohesion of phlegm-damp, with the main characteristics of phlegm-damp manifestations such as physical obesity, abdominal fullness, sticky mouth and greasy coating. Physical characteristics: obese body shape, abdominal fat and flabby. Common manifestations: more facial skin oil, sweaty and sticky, chest tightness, more phlegm, sticky or sweet mouth, fondness for fatty, sweet and sticky food, greasy moss, slippery pulse. Psychological characteristics: mild and stable personality, good at patience. Tendency to develop diseases: prone to thirst, stroke, chest paralysis, etc. Adaptability to external environment: poor adaptability to rainy season and wet and heavy environment. Damp-heat quality Overall characteristics: Damp-heat is contained within the body, with damp-heat manifestations such as oily face, bitter mouth and yellow greasy moss as the main characteristics. Physical characteristics: medium or thin body shape. Common manifestations: oily face, acne, bitter and dry mouth, heavy and sleepy body, sticky or dry stools, short and yellow urine, damp scrotum in men, increased dribbling in women, red tongue, yellow and greasy moss, slippery pulse. Psychological characteristics: easily irritable and anxious. Tendency to develop diseases: susceptible to sores, jaundice and hot gonorrhea. Adaptability to external environment: Difficult to adapt to hot and humid climate in late summer and early autumn, heavy humidity or high temperature environment. Blood stasis quality Overall characteristics: Poor blood flow, mainly characterized by blood stasis such as dull complexion and purple tongue. Physical characteristics: Both fat and thin. Common manifestations: dull complexion, hyperpigmentation, easily appearing petechiae, dull mouth and lips, dull tongue or petechiae, purple and dull or thickened veins under the tongue, astringent pulse. Psychological features: easily irritable, forgetful. Pathogenic tendency: prone to Y obstruction and pain and blood evidence. Adaptability to external environment: intolerant to cold. Qi-yu quality Overall characteristics: Qi-yu manifestations such as qi stagnation and depression, worry and vulnerability are the main characteristics. Physical characteristics: the shape of the thin body is more. Common manifestations: depressed mood, emotional vulnerability, boredom, light red tongue, thin white moss, string pulse. Psychological characteristics: introverted and unstable personality, sensitive and anxious. Pathogenic tendency: susceptible to dirty agitation, plum kernel gas, lily disease and depression. Adaptability to external environment: poor adaptability to mental stimuli; not adaptable to rainy weather. Trait endowment general characteristics: congenital disorder, with physical defects, allergic reactions, etc. as the main characteristics. Physical characteristics: allergic people are generally not special; those with abnormal congenital endowment may have deformities, or physiological defects. Common manifestations: asthma, wind masses, itchy throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, etc. are common in allergic individuals; those with hereditary diseases have vertical inheritance, congenital, familial characteristics; those with fetal transmission diseases have maternal influence on individual fetal growth and development and related disease characteristics. Psychological characteristics: vary according to the endowment. The tendency to develop diseases: allergic individuals are prone to asthma, urticaria, hay fever and drug allergy; hereditary diseases such as hemophilia and congenital dyscrasia; fetus-borne diseases such as five delays (delay in standing, walking, hair, teeth and speech), five softnesses (soft head, soft neck, soft hands and feet, soft muscles and soft mouth), craniosynostosis and fetal shock. Adaptability to the external environment: poor adaptability, such as allergic to the allergy-prone season poor adaptability, easy to cause chronic diseases. How to adjust the body after determining the constitution? Experts from the TCM Physique Research Group point out that the physique can be adjusted. Physique is not only endowed by nature, but also related to nature. The stability of physique is formed by similar genetic background, age, gender and other factors can also make the physique show a certain stability. However, the stability of the physique is relative, the individual in the growth of the old life process, due to the environment, mental, nutrition, exercise, disease and other factors in the internal and external environment, will make the physique change. Body mass only has relative stability, but also has dynamic variability. This characteristic is the basis of the adjustable physique. Drugs and related treatments can correct the imbalance of yin and yang, qi and blood, and fluids of the body, which is the practical basis of the adjustable physique. Paying attention to the differences between different physique types and symptoms of diseases and the response to treatment with drugs is the concrete practice of individualized treatment and the implementation of the idea of “tailoring to the individual”. The treatment principle of “people-oriented” and “seeking the root of the disease” is reflected; early detection and intervention of the biased state of the body constitution, prevention of the cause of disease, pre-clinical prevention, and clinical prevention are carried out to achieve the regulation of the quality of the body to reject evil, regulate the quality of the body to prevent disease and regulate the quality of the body to prevent changes, so as to practice Chinese medicine “treating the disease before it happens”. For example, people with Yang deficiency physique who are afraid of cold can eat more warm Yang products such as beef, mutton, leek and ginger, less cold food such as pear, watermelon and water chestnut, less green tea, and also eat angelica ginger and mutton soup for individualized health management.