Know Your Body Type

It is important to understand your body's constitution so that you know what foods to take that are beneficial to your health and what foods to avoid. When body is in balance, it is in good health and is more resistance to disease and "external evils"().

You are born with a specific body constitution determined by genes and the diet of your mother when carrying you. However, your diet can change its constitution after birth. Eating foods that are in contrast to your body's type is beneficial because it balances out the effects. This why people with cold body type can eat a lot of heat excess food without getting sick and vice versa. So, what is good food for others can be bad food for you. You just have to eat according to your constitution.

Generally, Body constitution can be classified into 4 basic types: Cold(), Hot(), Weak/deficiency(), Solid(). Cold and Weak body type belong to the Yin principle, whereas Hot and Solid body type belong to the Yang principle. Below are the brief descriptions as your reference for each body type:

Yin(阴) Yang(阳) - Prefer warm - Dislike cold - Not thirsty - Pale face - Cold limbs - Loose feces - Light- colour urine - Tongue pale and with white coating Cold() Type Symptoms Hot() Type Symptoms - Prefer Cold - Dislike Warm - Thirsty & likes cold drink - Red or pink face - Hot limbs - Rigid feces - Deep-colour urine - Tongue red and with yellow coating Dry Hot () Type Symptoms - Weak body type - Depressed - Low voice - Weak Breathe - Tongue without or little fur Weak() Type Symptoms Solid() Type Symptoms -Strong body type - Excited - Strong voice - Strong Breathe - Tongue with thick fur - Get constipation easily

a) Why Cold Constitution?
Inherited by genes or body constitution may turn to cold type after surgery, illness, gave birth due to lack of nutrients.

b)Why Hot Constitution?
Inherited by genes or due to eat a lot of heat excess food in long term, over excercise or energetic , over high metabolism rate, restless.

Dry hot () - is classified under catergory of Hot(Yang). People with dry hot body type have the similiarity symptoms with hot body consitution. The only different is dry hot constitution is insufficient of water in the body.

c) Why Weak (deficiency) Constitution?
Inherited by genes or lack of excercise, high pressure, stay up latel & insufficient sleep, like to take heat excess food, eating disorder, etc. All these cause obstructing the movement of Qi and blood in the organ. Weak body constitution can be divided into 4 groups, which are: Yin Deficiency, Yang deficiency, Qi deficiency and Blood deficiency.

i) Qi Deficiency()QiXu
Yin deficiency cause weakening the Qi circulation due to over use up of Qi and directly affected the vital organ system. Other than that, old age, lack of nutrients, overworked also may cause to Yin deficiency.
Symptoms: Voice is weak, irritability, lack of energy and tired, giddy and tinnitus.

ii) Yang Deficiency()YangXu
Qi deficiency is the root cause to Yang deficiency.
Symptoms: Cold limbs, loose feces, light-colour urine, dull lips, pale face, weak pulse.

iii) Blood Deficiency() XueXu
Reasons that cause blood deficiency are lack of blood or inadequte blood flow, anaemia, poor digestion and etc causing depletion of blood for our vital organ system.
Symptoms: dizzy, get tired easily, insomnia with abundance of dreams, tangue with fur, light colour nail.

iv) Yin Deficiency()YinXu
Blood deficiency is the root cause to Yin deficiency.
Symptoms: dizzy, pulse is deep, rigid dry feces, red and dry lips, warm palm, hot body.

d) Why Solid Constitution?
Inherited by genes and this kind of body constitution normally has a strong body.

Apart from above, wind() and dampness() also can derange balance within the human body. Internal wind manifests as vertigo, unsteady movement and trembling. Too much dampness causing water retention and become phlegm and edema in the body.

In short, although our body constitutions are determined by genes but it may change due to others factors like environmental effect, age, culture, living lifestyle, wheather and so on. Therefore, choosing the right medicinal food is vital to achieve optimum health.