How to manage cold body constitution and spleen-stomach deficiency

Sep 01, 2025 Source: Cainiu Health

Dr. Sun Lianqing

Introduction

For the regulation of cold body constitution and spleen-stomach deficiency, improvements can generally be achieved through optimizing diet structure, maintaining abdominal warmth, adhering to mild exercises, keeping a regular routine, and utilizing dietary therapy as an adjunct. Consume more warm-natured and easily digestible ingredients such as millet, Chinese yam, pumpkin, lamb, and red dates, with cooking methods primarily involving steaming, boiling, and stewing. Strictly limit the intake of raw, cold, greasy, and spicy foods to avoid increasing the burden on the spleen and stomach.

Regulating cold body constitution and spleen-stomach deficiency generally can be achieved through optimizing diet structure, keeping the abdomen warm, adhering to mild exercises, maintaining regular作息 (作息 translates to作息 habits or作息 patterns, but here it is better to use a transliteration), and utilizing dietary therapy as an adjunct. Detailed strategies are as follows:

1. Optimize diet structure: Consume more warm-natured and easily digestible ingredients such as millet, Chinese yam (Dioscorea opposita), pumpkin, lamb, and red dates. Cooking methods should primarily include steaming, boiling, and stewing. Strictly limit intake of raw, cold, greasy, and spicy foods to avoid increasing the burden on the spleen and stomach.

2. Maintain abdominal warmth: Avoid exposing the abdomen to cold in daily life, especially during seasonal transitions or in air-conditioned environments. Wearing a lumbar support belt or abdominal wrap can help protect the abdomen. Before bedtime, apply a warm towel to the abdomen for 10–15 minutes to promote abdominal blood circulation.

3. Engage in mild physical activity: Choose low-intensity exercises such as walking, Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), and gentle yoga, exercising 3–4 times per week for approximately 30 minutes each session. Exercise promotes systemic circulation of qi and blood, enhances spleen and stomach function, and improves digestion and absorption.

4. Maintain regular作息: Develop consistent作息 habits, avoid staying up late, and ensure 7–8 hours of sleep per night. Nighttime is a critical period for spleen-stomach repair and yang energy conservation; maintaining regular作息 helps prevent dysfunction of the spleen and stomach and supports their recovery.

5. Use dietary therapy as an adjunct: Appropriately consume warming dietary remedies such as ginger and red date tea, Chinese yam and lamb soup, and millet pumpkin porridge. These remedies are mild and non-irritating, providing nourishment while warming and fortifying the spleen and stomach and enhancing yang energy.

Regulating cold body constitution and spleen-stomach deficiency should be done gradually without rushing for immediate results. If symptoms fail to improve after a period of regulation, or if persistent bloating, diarrhea, or worsening fatigue occur, promptly consult a professional for syndrome differentiation and regulation.

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