When the sun shines, know thy body type

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In the summertime, we often choose to combat scorching temperatures with iced drinks and creamy ice cream. However, an excess of these can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea, particularly for individuals with a Yin-constitution. Conversely, the ancient Oriental philosophy, “Treat heat with heat” may be too much to bear for Yang-constitution individuals. Your individual prescription for cooling down should be based on your constitution.

The colder Yin-type individuals prefer the warmth of summer. Keeping the digestive tract warm for “heat loving” Yin-types is essential, not only for proper digestion (blood circulation is more active in warm areas, so nutrients are better absorbed), but also for Ki-flow through the abdominal area. An “overdose” of cold food can clog the energy flow, indicated by symptomatic abdominal pain. Consequently, Yin people should obey the ancient treatment rule: “Treat heat with heat.” In our context that means to respond to summer heat by ingesting food and drinks with a warm character, like Samkyetang (a chicken soup with rice and ginseng), ginger tea and ginseng tea.

The warmer Yang-types, producing a lot of body heat, tend to prefer the cold of winter. They find hot temperatures difficult and so internal heat accumulation is regulated by profuse sweating. Sweating itself results in a loss of Ki (energy) and vital minerals. If lost fluids are not supplemented by adequate isotonic fluid intake, heat strokes can result. These Yang-types should favor fresh salads with vinegar, or lots of seasonal fruits.

For those who have to work in the summer heat without air conditioning and feel drained of energy, try an old traditional Oriental medicine recipe. Make a 1 liter decoction (tea) of the following: 20g maengmundong (Liriope platyphylla), 10g of ginseng, white or red and 10g of omija (Schizandra fructus). and drink in place of soft drinks. Add honey to taste and drink in place of soft drinks. Continue this “therapy” for the rest of summer and you will feel a difference.

To deal with summer you need to have a basic understanding of your own body. Do you feel better in hot weather than cold? Do your hands and feet easily become cold? If you answered positively, then you may be prone to a weak digestive system and should think twice before drinking a cup of cold water in the morning. On the other hand, for those with warmer constitutions, a morning cup of cold water stimulates the stomach flora, and can be helpful in reducing weight.

Our air conditioned summer environment confronts us with new health threats. Digestive problems, strange allergies and the summer “air-con flu” are signs that the more we control our environment the weaker our body defense system becomes, as the internal harmony of Yin and Yang is upset.
However, through sweating we can get rid of a lot of metabolic wastes accumulated in the superficial body layers beneath the skin.
As the skin is our largest organ with essential functions like regulating body temperature, it should be our concern to keep our skin clean and in an optimal functional state.
Less air conditioning and a little more sweating in summer is a good first step toward this goal.
by Dr.Raimund Royer

Scrap from joongang daily news