Physical Obesity And Emaciation

Inspection of physical obesity and emaciation may suggest the possibility to contract certain diseases.

Obesity:Obesity is characterized by round head,short and thick neck, wide and fiat shoulders, wide-short-round chest, big belly, smaller body, flabby musclesl dispiritedness and lassitude which are the signs of predomination of the body and asthenia of qi, suggesting insufficiency of yangqi and internal exuberance of phlegmatic dampness as well as susceptibility to vertigo, apoplexy and obstructive syndrome of the chest. That is why it is said that "obese people are predominant in dampness" and "obese people are susceptible to wind stroke".

Emaciation: Emaciation is characterized by long head, thin and long neck, narrow shoulders, narrow and flat chest, small belly, higher body, thin muscles and dryhess of skin which suggest asthenia of blood and internal exuberance of asthenic fire usually seen in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and internal impairment by asthenic overstrain. That is why it is said that "thin people are predominant in fire" and "thin people are susceptible to cough due to pulmonary tuberculosis".

If the whole body is extremely emaciated and the patient lies in bed and cannot rise up again, it is usually caused by chronic disease, severe disease and declination of visceral essence as well as unfavourable prognosis.