Understanding Special Diathesis Body Constitution
The special diathesis body constitution is associated with people who are allergic to certain foods (such as peanuts, wheat, eggs, etc), temperature changes or air particles (like pollen, dust, etc).
People with such allergies will commonly display reactions (body symptoms) such as diarrhea, stomachache, runny nose, sinus, eye redness, teary eyes, skin rashes, etc.
For people with special diathesis body constitution, the allergies may be inherited from their parents or develop in their body later in life (which can occur at any age). For example, some people have no food allergies when they were young but they become allergic to certain foods later in adulthood.
One effective way to minimize the onset of allergic reactions is to avoid the source of allergen (if you know what it is) and improve the Qi (which is your body’s immunity).
The following symptoms are some of the obvious signs of a person with special diathesis body constitution:
Sensitive to temperature changes
Some people of special diathesis body type will experience adverse reactions to sudden shifts in weather or temperature. For instance, they may experience sneezing or runny nose when the temperature dips quickly in the early hours of the morning.
Easily allergic
People of special diathesis body type will find that their bodies are easily triggered by allergens such as air particles (like dust or pollen) or certain foods. Reactions can include skin rashes, diarrhea, runny nose, etc.
Skin prone to hives
People with special diathesis body constitution also suffer from skin disorders like rashes, hives or eczema more frequently than others.
Common Issues With This Body Type
The following body issues are commonly associated with the special diathesis body type:
Sinus
For people with special diathesis body constitution, sinus is very common as the body’s immunity weakens over time. Some individuals may even experience loss of smell and taste as their condition continues to worsen.
Food and/or skin allergies
People of special diathesis body constitution type will develop allergies to certain foods or things that their skin comes into contact with. It is important to identify the allergens and avoid them wherever possible. Building up your body’s resistance (Qi) will also help in relieving the symptoms.
Improving Your Quality of Life
It is not easy to bring our body (from special diathesis body constitution) back to a balanced state but we can always learn how to minimize interactions with allergens and build up our body’s natural defense system.
Through eating the right foods and making appropriate adjustments to your lifestyle habits, you can help to build up your body’s Qi and enjoy stronger immunity and better life quality!
Let’s first take a look at what foods are suitable for your body constitution.
Top Recommended Foods To Eat
Foods that are suitable for people with special diathesis body type are those with Qi-boosting and immunity-strengthening properties.
Adding these foods to your diet or increasing the intake will help to improve your body constitution.
Following are the top 5 recommended foods that will benefit you if you’re of special diathesis body type (as a general rule of thumb, please consume all foods in moderation):
1. Lingzhi (Chinese Name: 灵芝)
Lingzhi is one of the top recommended foods for people of special diathesis body type. In the past, lingzhi has been used to boost body immunity, prolong lifespan and relieve asthma.
According to scientific research in more recent years, lingzhi has been proven to relieve certain types of allergies. Thus, consuming lingzhi is recommended if you get allergies easily.
2. Oat (Chinese Name: 燕麦)
Oat is another highly recommended food for people of special diathesis body type. Oat not only contains rich vitamins and minerals but it also has the property of relieving allergies.
Nowadays you can easily purchase organic rolled oats online or at supermarkets.
You can make a simple breakfast by adding soy milk powder and hot water to organic instant rolled oats (with no added sugar) and mix in some lingzhi powder.
3. Chinese Yam (Chinese Name: 山药)
Chinese yam is highly suitable for people with special diathesis body constitution because it helps to boost the Qi of several organs at the same time and is highly beneficial for building the body’s resistance against allergies.
There are dried and fresh types of Chinese yam.
For the dried type, it is best to add them into soups like Si Shen soup or any other tonic soups.
For the fresh type, you can cook it together with rice or steam it as a side dish.
For more information on Chinese yam, check out our blog post here!
4. Shiitake Mushrooms (Chinese Name: 香菇)
Shiitake mushrooms have plenty of health benefits. It helps to improve one’s Qi and vitality. It is also used to aid digestion, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as prevent chronic liver diseases.
Lastly but most importantly, shiitake mushrooms are great for boosting immunity, which makes it ideal for people with special diathesis body constitution.
Nowadays, fresh shiitake mushrooms can be bought easily at many supermarkets. So you can add them to any stir-fried vegetables and even soups and porridge!
5. Astragalus Root (Chinese Name: 黄芪)
Strictly speaking, astragalus root is a TCM herb and not a food. However, the reason to include it here is because it is an excellent herb for people of special diathesis body type.
For thousands of years, people have been consuming astragalus root to boost immunity and Qi. In fact, astragalus root is the most effective herb for boosting Qi.
You can enjoy the benefits of astragalus root by adding it to your tonic soups or simply putting it in hot water and drinking it as a tea.
Astragalus root is also available in supplement form which you can purchase online. If you’re not able to get dried astragalus root locally, this is a good alternative for you to enjoy its immunity and Qi-boosting benefits.
List of Recommended Foods
Apart from the top 5 recommended foods mentioned above, here are more food recommendations that are suitable for special diathesis body type.
Foods To Avoid
Avoiding the wrong foods is as important as eating the right foods in your journey towards better health.
For someone with special diathesis body constitution, it is best to avoid the following (or reduce intake as much as you possibly can):
- First, do your best to identify the food(s) that your body is allergic to so that you can eliminate them from your diet completely.
- Second, avoid foods like buckwheat (as it contains some substances that are known to trigger allergies), white lentils, beef, prawn, crabs, eggplant, alcohol, chili, strong tea and coffee.
Lifestyle Recommendations
Apart from making adjustments to your food choices, here are some additional tips to better manage your allergy symptoms:
Check your sleeping environment
If you experience sinus symptoms every morning, it could either be due to cold air or pollutants in your bedroom. Try wearing a fabric mask (which is thicker than a disposable mask) before you head out for work in the morning and see if your symptoms improve. If they don’t, do inspect your sleeping environment for possible pollutants that are triggering your allergy symptoms.
Avoid potential allergens
If you are allergic to pollen, do avoid places that have a lot of blooming flowers/trees during the spring and autumn seasons. Wear a mask if you can’t avoid such places totally.
Get some sun
It is important to get some sunshine to boost your immunity so you can have higher resistance against allergens. If possible, go for frequent morning walks and let your back be exposed to the morning sun for at least 30 minutes each time. This will help to build up your resistance, especially for people with sinus.
Thank you for visiting TCMFoodTherapy.net – we hope you find the above information helpful!
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We sincerely wish you the very best of health!