The Eight Constitution Medicine [Part 1]:Your Body’s User Manual

What is Eight-Constitutional Medicine?
Eight-Constitutional Medicine (ECM) is a Korean medical framework developed by Dr. Do-Won Kuon. The core idea is simple yet profound: each person is born with a specific structural pattern of organ strength and weakness.

Depending on this innate organ configuration, people are classified into eight constitution types. This allows a completely personalised approach to health:

• The foods that suit you best
• Lifestyle habits to avoid
• The conditions you’re most vulnerable to
• The treatments that work fastest for your body

Why is it important?
The same disease may arise from different causes in different constitutions.
Take high blood pressure, for example:

• In one person, it may be due to an overactive liver.
• In another, it could be from a weak kidney.

Treating both cases the same way would be ineffective—or even harmful.
Your constitution reveals the root cause of your illness, not just the symptoms.

How is your constitution diagnosed?
Through a unique pulse diagnosis technique, ECM practitioners detect one of eight distinct pulse types. These pulse types represent your unchanging constitution, determined at birth and consistent throughout life. It can give insight into the best health strategy for you.

What treatments are used?
In ECM, health is maintained and illness is treated through two protocols:

• Eight-Constitutional Acupuncture (ECA) is a specialised method to balance organ energy and restore immune function by correcting internal imbalances for a specific constitution type.
• Eight-Constitutional Diet (ECD) regimen includes the food choices and lifestyle practices tailored to your specific constitution.

What are the Eight Constitutions?
The Eight Constitutions are eight distinct structural patterns formed by the varying strengths and weaknesses of organs and systems: the heart, lungs, pancreas, liver, kidneys, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, gallbladder, bladder, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems of the autonomic nervous system.

These eight configurations of organ strength and weakness manifest as the Eight Constitutions:
Constitution Dominant Organ

• Hepatonia -> Liver
• Cholecystonia -> Gallbladder
• Pulmotonia -> Lungs
• Colonotonia -> Large Intestine
• Pancreotonia -> Pancreas
• Gastrotonia -> Stomach
• Renotonia -> Kidneys
• Vesicotonia -> Bladder (Uterus)

Each constitution influences not only how the body works, but also how you respond mentally and emotionally. Recognising your constitution can help guide the best choices in food, treatment, and lifestyle to support your health.

Who should consider Eight-Constitution Medicine?
ECM is ideal for people who:

• Struggle with severe pain, chronic fatigue, low immunity, digestive dysfunction, or nervous system imbalances
• Experience relapsing or hard-to-treat conditions such as chronic inflammation
• Present the unwanted side effects of pharmaceutical drugs

Up next in this series:
[Part 2] When Organ Balance Breaks Down: The Hidden Cause of Chronic Illness

Book an appointment with Dr Hyonna Kang here