Body constitution in traditional herbal medicine refers to the comprehensive and relatively stable inherent characteristics of the human body in terms of morphological structure, physiological function and psychological state formed on the basis of innate endowment and acquired characteristics during the life process of the human body.

It is the human personality characteristics formed during the growth and development process of human beings that are adapted to the natural and social environment.

Thus if we know our body constitution now, we may make proper maintenance to our body constitution to achieve perfect health. We may even repair our body if the damage is still relatively small.

Thus let us find out what our body constitution is, and how we may start a maintenance program to achieve perfect health. Then we will be far away from the doctor, medication, surgery, and hospital. Furthermore, we will be able to live actively and independently without nursing care.

01 Uses of the classification

We will start with the identification of our body constitution. Then we will go into the maintenance guidance plan aimed at the prevention, treatment, and health management of illnesses related to the body constitution thus identified.

The guiddance plan embodies the idea of “treating the illness before it is too late” prevalent in traditional herbal medicine thinking. The guidance plan is a proven effective way to “treat the illness before it is too late.”

Methods and important approaches are conducive to the implementation of individualized diagnosis and treatment, conducive to improving the health quality of the person, and play an important role in the prevention and treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases.

02 The classification types

The body constitution identification and maintenance guidance specifically refers to determining the physical attributes of an individual through body constitution identification, and then aiming at a completely balanced constitution as the objective of health preservation.

Thus, as practitioners of life cultivation, when we practice daily on body identification and maintenance as a guidance, then we will be able to routinely perform maintenance of health on ourselves, adjusting our body constitution to its ideal norm through routine maintenance techniques.

In the year 2009, the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine released the “Classification and Determination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution” and formulated the “Classification and Determination Table of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution”, which provides methods, tools and evaluation systems for the quantitative identification of traditional Chinese medicine constitution.

The body constitution is divided into nine basic types.
Type A, balanced constitution
Type B, qi-deficiency constitution
Type C, yang-deficiency constitution
Type D, yin-deficiency constitution
Type E, phlegm-dampness constitution
Type F, damp-heat constitution
Type G, blood-stasis constitution
Type H, qi-stagnation constitution
Type I, special constitution

Each body constitution has its own unique characteristics which we will explore later.

The judgment standard determines the balanced body constitution as the normal constitution and the other eight constitutions as deviations from the norm. The judgment results are then quantitatively graded.

The balanced constitution is divided into three levels: yes, basically yes and no. Thus, we may say that yes, we definitely have a balanced constitution, or, yes, we basically have a balanced constitution, or, no, we do not have a balanced constitution.

If we do not have a balanced constitution, then we have one of the constitutions that are deviated from the balanced constitution.

Likewise, the deviated constitution is divided into three levels: yes, inclinationally yes and no. Thus, we may say that, yes, we have a type B constitution, or, yes, we inclinationally have a type B constitution, or, no, we do not have a type B constitution.

Relevant maintenance guidance programs have been formulated according to various body constitutions. Thus, once we have determined which type of body constitution we have, we will be able to do regular maintenance to our constitution to return it back to the balanced one.

Maintenance guidance for a Type E phlegm- dampness body constitution

As practitioners of life cultivation, we only focus on our own body constitution, and learn how to adjust our constitution so that it will become a balanced body constitution resulting in a healthy and happy state.

First of all, we try to determine what type of body constitution we have, then we will follow a maintenance guidance plan to do the necessary adjustment so that we will have a balanced body constitution. The guidance plan is proposed by a Board of Professional Herbal Medicine Practitioners.

If we have a type E phlegm-dampness body constitution, this is the guidance plan for it.

If we have a type E body constitution, it means that we have excess phlegm and dampness in our body. What does it mean and what do we do about it?

01 Overview

01 Definition

By definition, a type E body constitution is a physical state characterized by relatively higher viscosity and heavier turbidity due to internal stasis of water and accumulation of phlegm and dampness inside of our body.

02 Causes

The usual causes are (1) congenital endowment, or (2) acquired endowment due to excess fat and sweetness in the diet.

If many family members have this body constitution, it may be because the parents have this body constitution, and it is hereditary. If that is not the case, the person has acquired it mostly because he likes to eat foods that are fat and sweet in taste.

03 Visible physical characteristics

Overall characteristics: (1) Accumulation of phlegm and dampness inside the body, (2) manifestations such as body obesity, abdominal fatness, sticky mouth, greasy skin, and itchy sac.

Physical characteristics: (1) Obese body shape, and (2) plump and soft abdomen.

Common symptoms: (1) Oily facial skin, (2) excessive and sticky sweating, (3) chest tightness, (4) excessive phlegm, (5) sticky mouth with a sweet mouth taste, (6) liking to eat fat, sweet and sticky food, (7) tongue has greasy coating, and (8) slippery pulse.

Psychological characteristics: (1) mild and gentle personality, (2) steady and reliable, and (3) mostly good at being patient.

Incidence tendency: (1) prone to diabetes, (2) prone to stroke, (3) prone to chest pain and other related illnesses.

Adaptability to the external environment: (1) poor adaptability to the rainy season, and (2) poor adaptability to heavily wet environments.

02 Guidance plan

The general guidance plan is offered by a Board of Professional Herbal Medicine Practitioners for the general public. Each individual is advised to seek professional help at the beginning to make sure he is following the right plan the right way.

01 Basic principles

The basic principles for the maintenance of a phlegm-dampness body constitution are (1) perform strengthening exercise, (2) eat light foods, and (3) take medicines that are warm in natural properties.

01 Perform strengthening exercise
With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, we are often obese and prone to fatigue due to weight gain, leading to high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and coronary heart disease. Performing strengthening exercise promotes the circulation of energy and blood, which is beneficial to the metabolism of water and liquid. Therefore, a program of long-term physical exercise is mandatory.

02 Eat light food
With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, we show relatively higher viscosity and turbidity of our body fluid, partly due to stagnant water and phlegm-dampness condensation. When we eat foods that are fatty, sweet, and greasy, they are heavy and turbid in the first place, resulting in body dampness being converted into phlegm, further aggravating the burden on our body. Therefore, we should stick to a light diet plan.

03 Take medicines that are warm in natural properties
With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, the water in the body will build up, leading to condensation of phlegm and dampness inside our body.

“Those who are sick with phlegm illness should dilute water intake with warm medicine.” —–Synopsis of the Golden Chamber

Warm medicine will warm the spleen, resolve dampness and eliminate phlegm. Therefore, the medication for a phlegm-dampness body constitution should be based on warming.

02 Living environment

As practitioners of life cultivation, we pay great attention to our living environment, especially the seasonal changes.

As a practice, we go to bed early and get up early in spring. Go to bed late and get up early and take a nap appropriately in summer. Go to bed early and get up early in autumn. Go to bed early and get up late in winter.

When the weather is fine, we do more outdoor activities and often bask in the sun to absorb yang-energy from the sun. When the weather is cold, we reduce outdoor activities to avoid exposure to cold and rain. Rain will increase the dampness in our body.

We keep our home dry because indoor humidity will increase the dampness in our body, hurting our health more.

We wear clothing that is loose. The fabrics are mainly made of natural fibers such as cotton, linen and silk. It will help us to dispel dampness.

We do our sleeping and lying down in accordance with the four seasons. We follow the changes of yin and yang in the four seasons, and follow the laws of nature to obtain nourishment from heaven and earth.

The biological clock in the human body is consistent with the day and night laws of nature. Arranging work and rest in accordance with the laws of nature is beneficial to the health of the body. Thus, we should work during the day and sleep at night, as nature calls for.

The four seasons have the characteristics of spring warmth, summer heat, autumn coolness, and winter coldness. The human body also has the corresponding changes of spring sprout, summer growth, autumn harvest, and winter storage. Thus, our lifestyle should follow that of nature.

The work and rest time of the four seasons should be different according to the relationship between yin and yang in the seasons.

“Nourish yang in spring and summer” means that we should go to bed early and get up early in spring, and go to bed late and get up early in summer. Because the days are long and the nights are short in summer, we should take an appropriate nap.

“Nourish yin in autumn and winter” means that we should go to bed early and get up early in autumn, and go to bed early and get up late in winter.

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, we have poor adaptability to the rainy season and humid environment and cannot tolerate moisture. The heavy turbidity of dampness will in turn block our energy movement, damage our yang-energy, which will further aggravated our phlegm-dampness.

Therefore, we should avoid external dampness harming our body, so we should stay away from humid places such as bodies of water like the ocean, rivers, and lakes.

We should engage in more outdoor activities when the weather is fine, and often bask in the sun in order to stretch our yang-energy. This will lead to an increase in energy flow, resulting in an elimination of dampness and phlegm from our body.

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, we detest humidity. It is best if we use a dehumidifier indoors or place a desiccant in the corners of the rooms to maintain moderate humidity. Furthermore, we will feel more comfortable if we keep doors and windows closed in rainy weather, and open them in time when the sky clears to maintain air circulation.

We take extra precautions. For example, we carry rain gear with us when going out so that we will not be caught in the rain. We avoid sitting in a cold and damp place when traveling, and so on.

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, we are often fat and sweat a lot when moving, so we should wear loose-fitting clothing. The fabrics should be mainly made of natural fibers such as cotton, linen, and silk, which will absorb sweat easily, so as not to hinder the movement of energy within our body.

03 Body movement via Mustang shenzhan technique

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, it is critical for our health to set up a long-term exercise program, and carry it out religiously.

We may pick stretching exercises from the Mustang Shenzhan Technique repertoire, such as natural stance, hunyuan stance, taiji stance, wuqinxi, 8-brocade, taiji, and so on. There are practice guides throughout this website.

We may also pick from the Mustang Tuina Technique repertoire, such as massage of certain acupoints, abdominal rubbing, and so on. There are practice guides throughout this website.

Some of us are the outdoor type and enjoy team sports, then we will pick walking, brisk walking, race walking, jogging, mountain climbing, swimming, cycling, fitness dancing, rope skipping, and so on.

The exercise environment should be warm and pleasant so that we will feel comfortable doing our exercise, and do not give up easily because of the bad environment.

Why is regular exercise critical for the health of people with a phlegm-dampness body constitution?

Regular exercise promotes the circulation of energy and blood, leading to the removal of excessive dampness and phlegm from our body.

We should try to choose low-intensity, long-term, uninterrupted, and regular exercise programs. Aerobic exercise is very suitable for our purpose.

No matter what kind of exercise we pick, we must do it step by step, and finally achieve more than sixty minutes of exercise per session.

We have poor heat tolerance so we try to avoid exercising in hot and humid environments. The exercise environment should be warm and pleasant. Keep to a comfortable environment so that we will persist in our exercise program.

04 Mental Adjustment via Mustang tuna technique

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, we should try to participate in as many social activities as possible and cultivate a wide range of interests and hobbies.

We tend to be lazy because we feel tired easily. However, we must motivate ourselves into action. We must cultivate courage and decisiveness in our actions. When things happen, it is not good for us to overthink the situations on what course to take. We should think openly and let go, and to be less sulky.

An important factor for the formation of phlegm-dampness body constitution is lying and sitting for long periods of time. Moreover, most people with this type of body constitution are bloated and do not like to move. They do everything slowly and in no hurry.

In order to get out of this vicious cycle, we have to force ourselves to be active. Only in this way can we invigorate our yang-energy and reduce the physical condition of phlegm and dampness within our body.

People with a phlegm-dampness body constitution generally have poor spleen and stomach functions for the following reasons.

First, knotted thinking damages the spleen and stomach. Second, depression damages the liver which will further damage the spleen and stomach. A combination of these factors will now lead to a low spleen and stomach function.

Therefore, people with a phlegm-dampness body constitution should not overthink when things happen. They should think openly, let go, be less sulky, and worry less.

05 Music adjustment

With a type E phlegm-dampness body constitution, we should listen to music such as (1) exciting marches, (2) inspirational songs, and (3) operas. We should also watch more sports and games that express strength and strong confrontation.

With a type E body constitution, our excessive internal dampness and phlegm will block the energy movement in our body. Therefore, we should listen to more exciting marches, inspirational songs, and operas in order to move our energy along.

Furthermore, when we watch sports and games that express strength and strong confrontation, it will invigorate our spirit, leading to more energy flow, resulting in a beneficial change of our physical condition of excessive dampness and phlegm.

06 Mustang dietary technique

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, it is good for our health to eat foods such as winter melon, red adzuki beans, lentils, white radish, pumpkin, seaweed, onion, coix seed, cabbage, poria, and so on. On the other hand, we should eat less foods such as caramel, grapefruit, plums, persimmons, sugar, fatty meat and greasy food.

In any event, we try not to overeat. We will avoid raw and cold foods. We will eat less shellfish and seafood. We will also eat less oil and salt.

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, we should have a light diet and we should eat more foods that will (1) strengthen the spleen, (2) nourish the kidneys, and (3) relieve the lungs.

Foods that will help to reduce dampness from our body include (1) winter melon, (2) red beans, (3) lentils, (4) white radish, (5) pumpkin, (6) seaweed, (7) onions, (8) coix kernels and (9) others. Foods such as cabbage and poria are also light foods that will help to remove dampness and reduce phlegm.

Fatty meat and sweet, sticky and greasy foods such as cakes, desserts, malt candies, and sugar are all greasy and hinder our stomach functions, and can easily produce more phlegm.

Fruits and vegetables such as grapefruit, plums, and persimmons, and shellfish such as crabs are cold in natural properties and can easily cause diarrhea, so they should be avoided.

Salt is cold in natural properties and salty in taste. Excessive dietary salt intake can easily damage the spleen and stomach, and can also introduce uncomfortable conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, and gastric cancer. Thus It should be controlled to no more than six grams per person per day.

07 Mustang tuina technique

With a phlegm-dampness body constitution, it will benefit our health to tap acupuncture points such as (1) fenglong acupoint, (2) zhongwan acupoint, (3) zusanli acupoint, and (4) yinlingquan acupoint.

01 Fenglong acupoint
Location: On the inner side of the calf, in the depression behind and below the medial condyle of the tibia. Belongs to the Stomach Meridian.
Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen and removes dampness, unblocks the meridians and activates collaterals.

02 Zhongwan acupoint
Location: On the upper abdomen, on the front midline, four inches above the navel. Belongs to the Ren meridian.
Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, promotes energy flow and resolves stagnation.

03 Zusanli acupoint
Location: On the anterolateral side of the calf, 3 inches below the calf’s nose and one finger across from the front edge of the tibia. Belongs to the stomach meridian.
Efficacy: Strengthens the spleen and stomach, strengthens the body and the vitality, regulates energy flow and lowers the inverse, unblocks the meridians and activates meridians.

04 Yinlingquan acupoint
Location: On the inner side of the calf, in the depression behind and below the medial condyle of the tibia. Belongs to the spleen meridian.
Efficacy: Invigorating the spleen and removing dampness, unblocking the meridians and activating collaterals.

The above-mentioned acupuncture points are all commonly used acupoints that have the function of resolving dampness and phlegm.

We usually massage the acupoints with our fingers for more than ten minutes every day. It will help us immensely for our health.

08 Medication technique

The information of this part of the guidance plan is intentionally left blank for general public reading. Those who want to read it may request the information by email.

03 A brief summary

Check what type of body constitution you have. If you have a type E phlegm-dampness body constitution, the first thing you want to do is to eat what is good for you. You have to eat in any event, so you might as well eat what will adjust your body constitution back to normal.

Then you should pay attention to your environment and dwelling. You should change your sleeping time according to seasonal changes. You should be involved in outdoor activities that take in the energy from the sun. The sun will help you to get rid of excessive dampness and phlegm.

You have a tendency to feel tired and become sulky. Do not fall for it. Force yourself to be proactive and take decisive actions so your activities will help your energy flow, getting rid of excessive dampness and phlegm inside your body.

You must be engaged in some physical activities to help your energy flow which will help to get rid of excessive dampness and phlegm.

All in all, once you follow the guidance plan here, you will adjust your body constitution from type E back to type A, the balanced type.

In our next article, we will focus on Type F damp-heat body constitution, on its classification and maintenance. Stay tuned.

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