Eight Constitutions Acupuncture Amended to Unite with Sasang Four Constitutions

By David Lee, L.Ac.

Diagnosis for Korean Eight-constitutional acupuncture (ECA) is actually the same for Korean Sasang herbal medicine. Contrary to common perspective, these two systems have identical diagnosis. Finally, with one diagnosis, a practitioner can integrate acupuncture, diet, and herbs. It only takes a little modification of the ECA to unify it together with Sasang. The following provides the rationale to help understand one constitutional medicine from the perspective of the other. Only three modifications need to be made in ECA to make sense of it.

First modification is that the middle 3^rd organ is not neutral but actually has either an excessive or deficient state. Using SaAm four-needle technique and its variation by ECA, the practitioner can verify the excessive and deficient states of these elements.

The second modification is that both the five-element orders Metal (Well) – Water (Spring) – Wood (Stream) – Fire (River) – Earth (Sea) and Wood (Well)  – Fire (Spring) – Earth (Stream) – Metal (River) – Water (Sea) can occur in both the Yang and Yin meridians. For example, depending on the individual, a Large Intestine meridian can be LI1 Metal, LI2 Water, LI3 Wood, LI5 Fire, LI11 Earth or LI1 Wood, LI2 Fire, LI3 Earth, LI5 Metal, LI11 Water. Alternatively, a Liver meridian can be LR1 Wood, LR2 Fire, LR3 Earth, LR5 Metal, LR8 Water or LR1 Metal, LR2 Water, LR3 Wood, LR5 Fire, LR8 Earth. This additional variable in five-element sequence provides a robust data, validating a hypothesis that the organs of Sasang and elements of Transporting Shu are same, just difference in name.   

The third modification is that the Yang and Yin points can be used for each of the eight constitutions. There is no need to relegate Yang points to one constitution and Yin points to another. It is because result is alike. This means the five-element nature of both Yang and Yin points can be directly adapted as the five-elements of Sasang organs.  

Over a 10-year period, I have solely used SaAm and ECA styles of four-needle technique for the Korean Sasang four constitutions. Tonifying an element for the deficient organ and sedating an element for the excessive organ through the usage of meridians had consistent outcome for the constitutions. Furthermore, the psychological profile of the Sasang, along with their reaction to food ingredients and herbs had pointed toward the same constitution. With this success, I discovered something even more special: Korean constitutional medicine has a direct correlation with other world schools of constitutionology. They are Indian Ayurveda, Greco-Roman Unani, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, McClelland’s Theory of Need, and personality traits of Myers-Briggs, Big Five, Social Styles, and DiSC. This means that a diagnosis of one medicine automatically allows to have the correct diagnosis for other medicines. From antiquity, scholars have observed the same basic pattern in people. They grouped them by their similar characteristics and identical response to applications. Because of the variations in language, culture, climate, and foods, and herbs, there was an independent development in each region. But the constitutional foundation is common.

Modification of ECA not only improves of its system but also indicates the inherent relationship to Sasang and other medicines. Therefore, as acupuncturists, refining eight constitutions makes a successful integration with other constitutional perspectives. It is the sharing of same diagnosis that makes possible for the grand unification.