B體質-陽虛

人體之中，陽氣充足，溫煦身心，身體方能保持健康。《黃帝內經‧素問‧逆調論》：「陽氣少，陰氣盛，故身寒如從水中出。」陽虛體質者體內陽氣(火力)不足，陰氣相對較盛，火力不足以溫煦肌肉、臟腑以抵抗外來寒邪侵襲，所以平常會出現畏寒怕冷、四肢不溫，腰膝冷痛等表現，喜熱怕冷。

養生法：溫陽補氣

飲食：

宜吃味辛、性溫食物，羊肉、雞肉、蔥蒜、紅豆、黑豆、山藥、南瓜、韭菜、生姜、大棗、龍眼、荔枝等。

不吃生冷冰凍食物、冷飲、橙、柚子、香蕉、西瓜、梨、柿、苦瓜、黃瓜、藕、芹菜，綠豆、白蘿蔔。

避免長期服用西藥抗生素、類固醇、消炎止痛藥，清熱解毒中藥和涼茶，損傷陽氣，加重陽虛體質。

養生原則

涵養陽氣，遠離寒濕；寒屬陰，溫屬陽，此消彼長。

注重防寒保暖，尤其足下、下腹丹田、頸背部。長期待在冷氣房又把冷氣溫度調得很低，陰寒之氣反覆地入侵體內，耗損陽氣。而夏天本來就是皮膚開泄汗出的季節，夏天毛孔開泄的時候直接被冷氣一吹，寒邪氣直接深入，更傷陽氣。

胃喜溫不喜涼，人體的氣血、五穀營養，都要靠脾胃來吸收運化，冷飲凍食降低胃部溫度，直接攻擊中焦脾陽，導致脾胃功能不能正常發揮，久而久之，形成陽虛體質。

少熬夜，長期的作息錯亂、熬夜，會損耗人體的陽氣。順應天時，讓作息隨著自然界的陰陽消長一致，白天陽氣盛，陰氣衰；夜間陰氣重，陽氣收斂，故人在夜應及時休息，讓陽氣收斂修復，利於保持人體的陽氣。冬季入眠時間最好不超過23點。

動則生陽，堅持鍛鍊。上午和春夏屬陽長陰消的階段，陽虛的人應該在上午鍛鍊。八段錦、太極都是非常適合陽虛體質的健體運動。

艾灸關元、足三里、命門 (關元-臍下3寸、足三里-犊鼻下3寸 、命門-腰部正中第二腰椎下凹陷處)

每週2次，每次20分鐘。

足浴：簡單易實行的方法。睡前溫水泡腳20~30分鐘，可以在水里加些溫性藥物如花椒、生姜、艾葉、桂枝等，即可起到補助陽氣的作用。亦可以將藥打成粉，直接用溫水沖泡，也可以稍微煮一下應用。

穴位敷貼：三伏天/三九天灸。三伏天灸療法是以「冬病夏治」為理論依據，根據"春夏養陽"的養生原則，一些冬季常發而以陽虛陰寒為主的慢性病，多可通過伏夏的調養，使病得以好轉，甚至痊癒。這是中醫擇時施治的方法之一。

擦腰法。坐位，兩手掌貼腎腧，上下摩擦50~100次，使局部有溫熱感。

叩齒咽津。每日起床後叩齒100次，然後用舌舔上齶及舌下齒齦，含津液滿口後再頻頻咽下，意送至丹田，此謂“叩齒咽津”。翕周即收縮肛門，吸氣時將肛門收緊，呼氣時放鬆，如此一收一松為一次，每次連續做50次，可滋陰降火，固齒益精。

食療：

生姜紅茶

生姜紅茶能驅寒除濕。生姜適量，紅茶一茶匙，紅糖或蜂蜜適量。

生姜磨茸，放入預熱茶杯，加入紅茶，紅糖或蜂蜜即可。

枸杞子

枸杞子味甘性平，能滋補肝腎、益精明目。可用水沖泡，當茶飲用，如可加水用小火煮15~20分鐘，煮好後連枸杞一起吃掉效果更好。亦可加入作為佐料煮餸煲湯。如枸杞水魚湯、枸杞羊肉粥。

核桃

核桃味甘性溫，能補氣養血，潤燥化痰，益命門，溫肺潤腸。核桃可生吃、水煮、煮粥等。

人參核桃飲。人參5克切片，核桃掰碎，加水文火熬煮1小時。

Yang Deficient Body Constitution

Body physique: fat and have clean skin, with loose muscles.

Common traits: Dislike cold weather; have cold hands and feet; prefers hot food and drinks; low-spirited; pale, thick tongue with teeth marks and moist tongue coating. Weak, slow, and deep pulse (Chen Mai, Chi Mai, Ruo Mai).

Soft and white face complexity, dark eyelids, pale lips; hairs fall out easily; sweats easily; shapeless stool, long and clear urination.

Personality traits: quiet, calm and introverted.

Tendency of illness: Illness shows “cold” symptoms or becomes “cold” natured. May encounter phlegm retention, swelling, diarrhea and impotence.

To maintain health, one must maintain sufficient Yang Qi to warm the body.

In the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, it is mentioned that

「陽氣少，陰氣盛，故身寒如從水中出。」

“[His] yang qi is diminished; [his] yin qi is present in large quantities. Hence, the body is as cold as if he had come out of water.”

People who are Yang Deficient has insufficient Yang Qi (heat) in the body. Instead, Yin Qi is abundant, thus “heat” is not sufficient in warming and protecting the muscles and internal organs against “cold” pathogens. Thus, people with this body type exhibits intolerance to coldness, cold hands and feet, as well as cold waist and knees, and likes warm environment.

Health regimen: Warming the Yang and Tonifying the Qi

Diet:

Spicy, warm-natured food is recommended, such as mutton, chicken, garlic, scallion, adzuki beans, black turtle bean, Chinese yam, pumpkin, garlic chives, raw ginger, jujube, longan, and lychee.

However, raw, cold natured food and cold drinks should be avoided, such as orange, yuzu, banana, watermelon, pear, persimmon, bitter melon, cucumber, lotus root, celery, mung bean, and daikon radish.

Avoid prologued use of western medicine, antibiotics, steroid, anti-inflammatory and painkiller drugs, heat-clearing and detoxicating Chinese medicine and herbal tea. These will drain the Yang Qi and aggravate Yang Deficiency in the body.

Principles in maintaining health:

Preserve Yang Qi, stay away from “coldness” and “dampness”. “Coldness” belongs to Yin and “warmth” belongs to Yang; when one increase, the other decreases.

Stay warm during cold weather, especially the legs, lower abdomen and Dantian, neck and back. Staying in cold, air-conditioned room for a long time is not advised, as Yin and cold Qi will enter the body and drain the Yang Qi. Summer is also the season when our skin pores vents and sweats. When the opened pores are blown by the cold wind, “cold” pathogens and cold Qi can enter our body directly, harming the Yang Qi.

Our stomach likes warmth and dislikes coldness. Our Qi, blood, and nutrients from the five grains all require our spleen and stomach to digest and transport through our body. Cold food and drinks lower the temperature of our spleen and stomach, hurting the middle burner and Yang of spleen. When this happens, our spleen and stomach does not function optimally. Maintaining this state for a prolonged time will form Yang Deficient body constitution.

Do not stay up late. Constant lack of sleep and irregular resting schedule will deplete one’s Yang Qi.

Conform to natural order of time, rest according to the wax and wane of Yin and Yang. Yang prevails and Yin weakens in the daytime, while the opposite occurs during the nighttime. Therefore, one should rest during the nighttime to recover and preserve Yang Qi, especially before 11pm during the winter.

Movement creates Yang, so exercise is recommended. Morning, Spring and Summer times are when Yang prevails and Ying weakens, so people who are Yang deficient should train in the morning.

Baduanjin qigong, Tai chi are very good exercise for Yang deficient people.

Perform moxibustion for 20 minutes twice a week on the following acupuncture points: Guanyuan, Zusanli, Mingmen. (Guanyuan – 3 inches below naval, Zusanli – 3 inches under Duli, Mingmen – dented area below the second lumbar spinal vertebra in the waist)

Footbath: very simple health remedy. Soak feet in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Adding “warm” natured herbs into the footbath will help invigorate Yang Qi. These include Sichuan pepper, raw ginger, mugwort and cinnamon twigs. They can also be added in powdered form or applied directly to the feet after boiling.

Acupoint plasters: San Fu Tian and San Jiu Tian Jiu, or San Fu Tian Jiu (San Fu Tian Moxibustion) is a method of “curing Winter disease in Summer”. According to the principle of “nourishing Yang in Spring and Summer time”, chronic diseases which are Yang deficient and Ying prevalent, and are prevalent in winter times can be cured with treatments on the dogdays of summer. This is a good example where TCM treats illnesses with consideration of time of year.

Waist rubbing method: sit down and rub the acupuncture point Pishu repeatedly for 50 to100 times until it feels warm.

Teeth and saliva method: After waking up, bite by striking the upper and lower teeth together 100 times. Use the tongue to lick the upper palate and alveolar ridge (gum immediately behind the teeth) until saliva fills the mouth. Swallow and imagine it reaching the Dantian. Ji Zou is a method where the anus is contracted when breathing in, and relaxed when breathing out. This is repeated for 50 times. It helps nourish the Yin and lower internal heat, strengthen the teeth and replenish essence.

Diet：

Raw ginger black tea

Has an effect of expelling “cold” pathogens and dampness. Add grinded raw ginger to a preheated teacup, and add one teaspoon of black tea, and brown sugar or honey.

Chinese wolfberry

Neutral natured and sweet berry, which can nourish liver and kidney, as well as replenish essence and improve vision. Can be brewed as tea, or boiled for 15-20 minutes and consumed, both the tea and the berry. Can also be added to normal dishes or soup as condiments, such as to fish soup or mutton porridge.

Ginseng walnut drink

Add 5g of Ginseng and some crushed walnuts to water and boil with low heat for 1 hour.