This is the final part of the rule-out questions. The same caution applies as throughout: a questionnaire guess cannot carry decisive diagnostic weight in Korean Traditional Medicine (KTM). In Eight Constitution Medicine (ECM), the constitutional pulse is the most important finding, and constitutional acupuncture or herbal medicine should never be used without it. A provisional food experiment of two weeks to a month is a reasonable thing to try. This last set looks at sweating, cold water and the skin — areas where ECM’s autonomic axis shows clearly.
In Summary
- Needing a good sweat to shake off fatigue argues against the Metal types and Renotonia, whose lung qi is strong.
- Feeling dizzy or more tired after sweating argues against the Wood types, who usually feel better for it.
- Finding relief in cold water points toward the Metal types and Renotonia.
- Allergic and atopic conditions occur in every constitution, but are most common in the Metal types and Renotonia.
- Skin that worsens in summer argues against the Wood types; skin that worsens in winter argues against the Metal types and Renotonia.
Question 19. I only feel my fatigue lift after sweating it out in a sauna or hot bath.
You are probably not Pulmotonia, Colonotonia or Renotonia. Anyone can feel refreshed after resting and sweating. But if you feel you need to sweat for fatigue to lift, that argues against these three: with strong lung qi, they recover well without sweating.
Question 20. After sweating in a sauna or hot bath, I feel dizzy or more tired.
You are probably not Hepatonia or Cholecystonia. Anyone can feel dizzy if they sweat while exhausted, but if sweating makes you feel worse under ordinary circumstances, the Wood types are unlikely.
Question 21. Only cold water or a cold plunge takes my fatigue away.
You are probably not Hepatonia or Cholecystonia. The Wood types often carry heat in the upper body and may enjoy a cold bath, but to relieve fatigue they prefer sweating to cold water. If you feel you need to get into cold water to loosen up, Pulmotonia, Colonotonia and Renotonia are more likely — though few people today seem to favour cold plunges.
Question 22. I find saunas stifling and can hardly go in.
You are probably not Cholecystonia. The Wood types like sweating and respond well to it. That said, Hepatonia accumulates heat inside easily, so some Hepatonia feel a suffocating stuffiness in the sauna and can’t stay in.
Question 23. I had allergic conditions or atopic dermatitis as a child (or still do).
Skin disease can occur in any constitution, so this question rules nothing out. But allergic conditions and atopic dermatitis are most common in Pulmotonia, Colonotonia and Renotonia.
Question 24. My skin condition gets worse in summer.
You are probably not Hepatonia or Cholecystonia. In ECM’s reading, skin disease is partly the body pushing toxins outward, and in summer the Wood types’ ability to disperse improves — so their skin tends to settle.
Question 25. My skin condition gets worse in winter.
You are probably not Pulmotonia, Colonotonia or Renotonia. Any skin condition can worsen in dry winter air. But skin that improves as the temperature drops is common in these three.
How to Use the Whole Series
I don’t turn the questions into scores, because the right weight for each item depends on your situation. Take your time over them and enjoy working toward an answer — and remember that any provisional guess still needs confirming by pulse diagnosis. In ECM, “strong” does not mean “safe” for any constitution. Skin conditions in particular deserve proper medical assessment whatever your constitution.
Related reading: Part 1: Meat, Wheat and Sour Food · Baths and Colds by Constitution
