Distribution of constitutional types among students in the University of Mongolian traditional medicine

Abstract

Introduction: According to the Mongolian Traditional Medicine theory, “Constitutional types of body'' is formed when the male and female gamete fuse, developed, matured, during embryogenesis, and define individual's personality throughout the life. Purpose: This study was aimed to clarify posible relatonship beween body mass index and constitutional types among students in the University of Mongolian Tradional Medicine of Inner Mongolia, Republic of China. Materials and methods: Medical studnents were enrolled in this crosssectional study. Body constitutional types of the participants were identified by physical examination on the basis of observational method of Mongolian Traditional Medicine. Results: Total of 381 students were enrolled in this study, in which 122 (32.02%) were male and 259 (67.98%) were female. 54 (14.17%) of those students had single Khii, 76 (19.95%) had single Shar, 51 (13.39%) had single Badgana type, 53 (13.91%) had Khii+Shar, 52 (13.65%) had Badgana+Shar, 28 (7.35%) had Badgana+Khii combined dual types, and 67 (17.59%) had triple types. Depending on gender constitutional types were differentially distributed (P<0.05). Comparision of constitutional types to BMI, badgana (or phlegm or bile) and badgana+shar was very low among students with low BMI, totaling 2.5%. However, for students with high BMI, badgana and badgana combined with shar were widelly distributed 23.8%, 28.6% respectively. In a group of students with normal BMI, single shar and shar combined with Khii (rlungor wind or vital energy) were dominated (P<0.05), and types of badgana and Khii+badgana were very low. Conclusion: The most prevalent constitutinal types among Medical School students aged 18-28 years was Shar or Tripa (Fire). Compared to males, females had more case of single Shar (P<0.05). There were statistical significance in the distribution of constitutional types in group of students with different body mass index (P<0.01).