the ABC’s of TCM
The ABC's of TCM Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner, Cinci Leung, explains the basics of traditional Chinese medicine
EXPLORING BODY TYPES Traditional Chinese Medicine is a strong proponent of “preventive” healthcare, and thus, emphasizes the importance of staying healthy and preventing illness, as opposed to using medication to treat an illness after it has already set in. Within the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are several “body type” classifications that each person can be categorized into. There are several key factors that determine a person’s body type. Although body types are primarily inherited, they are also determined by diet, lifestyle, the nature of one’s work, emotional intelligence and even how one copes with the ups and downs of life. According to the theories of Chinese Medicine, our bodies may be categorized into three basic types: cold, hot, and damp. And so, it is believed that maintaining balance is key to having a healthy body, overall. Most illnesses or conditions are a result of imbalances in the body, which accumulate over time due to poor lifestyle choices and habits. Once we determine and understand our body type, we will be able to apply the appropriate 22
applications of Chinese Medicine and adjust our diets and lifestyles to achieve a healthy balance. How do we go about determining our body type? Our body type is like our personality – difficult to distill into a few simple words. A person may be tough on the exterior but soft at heart, and similarly, a body type may be a combination of both cold and hot. Nothing in this world is black and white! To explore the nature of your body type, consider the characteristics of each body type as summarized on the following page:
Traditional and modern medicine
