In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), health and wellness must be considered from various aspects. Let’s explore these aspects together, and feel free to leave your comments below.
Some people around us are particularly sensitive to cold. Even during the warm autumn days, while others are sweating profusely and wish for the air conditioning to run non-stop, these individuals feel cold even with a fan and dare not turn on the air conditioning. A slight exposure to cold can easily lead to a cold. These individuals often have a yang deficiency (yang xu) constitution. So how should one regulate a yang deficiency constitution? Let’s hear the doctor’s advice.
What type of yang deficiency do you have?
Generally, the following symptoms indicate a weakening or damage to the body’s yang energy: frequently feeling cold, cold extremities, easy fatigue, pale complexion, and light-colored lips. Some may feel a lack of thirst or prefer to drink warm water when thirsty.
In TCM organ differentiation, yang deficiency is closely related to the heart (xin), spleen (pi), and kidney (shen) organs, each having distinct characteristics. Heart yang deficiency often accompanies symptoms like palpitations and shortness of breath. Individuals with spleen yang deficiency tend to be lethargic, eat little, experience abdominal bloating, and have poorly formed stools, a condition referred to in TCM as wangu buhua (undigested food). Kidney yang deficiency can lead to lower back and knee weakness, cold sensitivity, and cold extremities, particularly in the lower limbs, or frequent nighttime urination.
Moreover, yang deficiency can easily coexist with qi deficiency (qi xu). Individuals with qi deficiency often feel fatigued, lack energy, are reluctant to speak, experience dizziness, and have spontaneous sweating. Spontaneous sweating occurs with minimal movement or even at rest. Yang deficiency may also manifest as symptoms from two or more organs simultaneously or be mixed with symptoms of yin deficiency, qi deficiency, or blood deficiency.
How to overcome yang deficiency?
To change a yang deficiency constitution, regulation is a long process. Suggestions should be made from various aspects of life:
【Reduce staying up late】The period from 9 PM to 3 AM is when the body’s yang energy is stored. The more sufficient sleep one gets during this time, the more vigorous the yang energy will be. Staying up late can easily deplete our yang energy, and waking up too late can also hinder the rise of yang energy. Early rising refers to getting up around 5 or 6 AM.
TCM believes that sleep is a major source of nourishment. The best time to sleep is at 9 PM and to wake up at 5 or 6 AM. Urban dwellers should not sleep later than 11 PM and should not wake up later than 9 AM; otherwise, even long sleep will be ineffective. The optimal time for nourishing yang is from 9 PM to 3 AM. If this is difficult to achieve, one can try waking up early to allow yang energy to rise and then take an additional hour of sleep, but not waking up later than 9 AM.
【Early morning exercise】Exercising in the morning is beneficial for the rise of yang energy. TCM states that movement generates yang. Exercise can invigorate our yang energy, which is especially beneficial for those with yang deficiency. Individuals with yang deficiency should engage in exercises that do not cause excessive sweating; for those without yang deficiency symptoms, moderate exercise that induces sweating is beneficial.
【Sunbathe your back】People with yang deficiency should sunbathe appropriately, especially on their backs, as the back contains the Du Mai (Governing Vessel), known as the “sea of yang vessels.” In summer, sunbathing around 9 AM on the back can replenish yang energy; in autumn and winter, it can be done a bit later when the sun is warmer.
【Take a 10-minute nap】It is recommended to take a 10-15 minute nap at noon. One can lie down for a short sleep or meditate with closed eyes, as meditation is more conducive to gathering yang energy within the body.
【Avoid overeating】Consistently overeating can easily harm the spleen and stomach, which are the organs responsible for generating qi and blood.
【Limit cold foods and drinks】If one consumes a lot of cold drinks, ice cream, or cold teas in summer, it can introduce excessive cold into the body, which will deplete our yang energy to maintain balance. Therefore, summer is the season when yang energy is most easily harmed. Individuals with yang deficiency should limit cold foods, and cold-natured herbs should not be taken for extended periods without a doctor’s guidance.
【Stay warm in air-conditioned rooms】In air-conditioned environments, it is important to keep warm, especially in the abdomen, lower back, and lower limbs. It is advisable to wear shawls, stockings, or cover the knees with a towel. Women wearing crop tops or short skirts, and men in shorts, while staying in air-conditioned rooms, can easily lead to damage to yang energy.
【Eat yang-replenishing foods】One should choose to eat foods that replenish yang, with ginger being the top choice. It can be used as a seasoning, or fresh ginger can be soaked in white vinegar, or spicy seasonings like chili, Sichuan pepper, black pepper, ginger, scallions, and garlic can be consumed more by those with yang deficiency. Meat options include beef and lamb; individuals with yang deficiency can also eat lamb in summer to replenish yang, provided they assess the degree of their yang deficiency. If one feels bitter after eating, it may indicate misdiagnosis, as excessive supplementation can easily lead to internal heat.
Vegetables can include leeks, onions, okra, and pumpkin. Those with kidney yang deficiency can consume nuts like cashews, walnuts, and pine nuts. Fruits can include longan and cherries. Dishes such as leek and beef wraps, chestnut and millet porridge, astragalus black chicken and red date soup, and yam cooked with lamb can serve as medicinal meals to replenish yang. At the same time, it is important to eat more vegetables and avoid excessive supplementation that may lead to internal heat.
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