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Sasang constitution and diet

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#1

Hi everyone,

Has anyone else used Tracy Stewart’s Sasang constitution and diet services? She was featured in Qiological episode 62 back on December 11, 2018.

I was immediately drawn to it and had her an analysis for me which was spot on and immensely helpful. Only recently have I been referring my most challenging patients with excellent results every time. I am careful in selecting those patients who know how to cook and are willing to follow directions.

Yesterday a patient relayed information about her response to the Sasang constitutional diet changes. 95% of her symptoms are gone after 10 days of following the diet close but not even 100% to the letter!

Her constitution is the hot and dry So-Yang requiring the cooling/neutral diet. She presentation to me looked very cold with some damp with blood stasis. The only clear heat signs were negative reactions to warming spices and herbs which we only figured out after I gave her a warm formula. She was following the turmeric/cinnamon/ginger on everything trend but never made the connection that these were aggravating her dizziness, blood sugar, digestive, and premenstrual spotting issues. I have been combing through her chart looking for clues that might have led me to see the heat but find nothing. She huddles in her huge down parka when we talk. Her whole body and abdomen feels cold. On initial intake she reported preferring warm food and drink. In retrospect, her gi system was in such turmoil and she was trying so many different strategies with food and supplements, she might not have been a great reporter on the real effects of hot and cold on her gi tract. So interesting!

Tracy’s website is qibalance.net for those who are interested.

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#2

This is really interesting @KristinWisgirda. As I recall Tracy is using a kind of Asian astrology. Maybe something like the stems and branches. And from that she gets the constitution. Sounds like it is helpful for your patient.

But here is the odd part. Since it is helpful for your patient we have consider that she is dry and hot, and yet with our usual diagnostic parameters you see damp and cold.

So what gives here? I’m not sure how to make sense of it, other than you can to argue with clinical results. Maybe reach out to Tracy and pose this question. It is a disturbing contradiction.

#3

Tracy uses information from Ba Zi charts and correlates it with Sasang constitutions. You just submit the date, time and location of your birth to receive your analysis.

The patient I mentioned had so much chaos with her experience of eating that she was unable to give me useful information about her experience. Eating AND not eating created a variety of variable symptoms. Once she clearly reacted negatively to a warming formula, I was able to ask her about listening to her experience with warming foods and spices. When she came back noting that cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and other hot spices clearly aggravated, I knew she had to be referred to Tracy. Reactions to hot spices can be aggravating to a hot dry constitution but can also be a sign of floating fire. She was hesitant to try herbs anyway. It also seemed more helpful to use Tracy’s services and get a clearer read on how her overall diet was effecting her, rather than just have her eliminate the foods that are typically thought of as hot.
The patient came back and was able to clarify that not eating was more of a problem than eating. These low blood sugar issues are a sign of food moving through the digestive and energy utilization process too fast-
too fast can be a heat sign in my understanding.

My patient graciously let me read her analysis.
Tracy explained that the hot and dry constitution can retain weight as a way of protecting the organs from too much heat when overheating foods are eaten. The heat and dryness is in the yangming, from what I understand, and the Kidneys and lower body are weak. Cold extremities are common with this type, as well. Some combo of the heat and dryness is preventing normal circulation. We see that with many yin deficient patients who are cold- there isn’t enough water in the system to flow out and warmly circulate through the whole body. I am still wrapping my head around this and am unsure. Must review some pathomechaniisms I learned in Sharon’s GMP.
The clinical results are just too amazing to ignore. I am wondering if seeing patients through this Sasang system might compliment Saam practice. The charts seem to elucidate core vs compensatory issues- intriguing as well.

BTW: with Saam, LI+ and SI+ gave this patient some significant but temporary relief. Glad I didn’t try H+ even though the midline of her abdomen was tight and cold.

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#4

Well from a research/understanding perspective I would love to see what would have happened to her if you did HT+ - especially since from a Sa’am perspective it fits. Since she is hot and dry what would happen if you do BL+ on her?

Seems there is a Korean Sasang Acupuncture

#5

Hot Cold Wet and Dry are universal principles and qualitative descriptions. Sasang and Saam are different systems and I am interested in where there is cross over so I can better understand these universal principles. Maybe working with Sasang will help me see the hot/cold/wet/dry better but I want to be cautious and use the criteria of Saam first and foremost when use Saam as a therapy.

With my patient, her Sasang type has hot and dry digestion (yangming?) and weak Kidney (qi?, yin?) that is taxed by overheating in her gi tract. At the same time, her flesh and exterior are clearly cold as she huddles in her giant parka. Maybe she would benefit from both H+ and UB+.

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