Why one-size-fits-all wellness doesn’t work: Understanding your constitution in Chinese Medicine

In the world of wellness, we’re often told there’s a “best” way to do things.

✨ Ice baths = powerful.

✨ Fasting = optimal.

✨ Raw smoothies = healthy.

✨ HIIT workouts = energising.

And sure for some people, these might be supportive. But for others? They’re a fast track to burnout, bloat, brain fog, and feeling totally out of alignment.

So what’s the missing piece? Why may your friend get such awesome results from smoothies and you feel hungry and irritated an hour after having one?

Your constitution.

In Chinese medicine, we don’t treat everyone the same because you are not everyone else. 

You’re unique. Your body, your history, your cycle, your energy, they tell a story no trend or protocol can fully understand.

At Meraki, that’s what we want to get to know. Not just your symptoms. But you.

Let’s unpack what that really means.

What Is Constitution in Chinese Medicine?

Your constitution is your body’s innate makeup, your energetic blueprint. It’s shaped by:

• Genetics (yes, your parents play a role)

• The environment and lifestyle you were raised in

• Past illnesses or traumas

• Your current lifestyle, sleep, diet, and stress levels

• Your relationship to emotions, boundaries, and rhythm

• 
  

In Chinese medicine, constitution reflects your balance of Yin, Yang, Qi, Blood, and Essence (Jing).

Some people are naturally more:

• Hot or cold

• Dry or damp

• Robust or delicate

• Yin-dominant or Yang-dominant

• Grounded or scattered

• Stagnant or depleted

  
  

Understanding your constitution helps us know:

→ What foods are best for you

→ Which healing tools are supportive (and which ones to avoid)

→ What lifestyle rhythms nourish you

→ Why you respond to things the way you do

→ How to create sustainable, personalised wellness

Why Ice Baths Work for Some and Drain Others

Let’s use the classic wellness trend: cold plunging.

If you’re naturally hot, inflamed, fiery, and have excess Yang - cold exposure might feel refreshing and balancing.

But if you’re someone who:

• Always has cold hands and feet

• Feels tired, sluggish, or depleted

• Struggles with fertility, painful periods, or digestive issues

• Experiences anxiety or sleep problems...

  
  

Cold plunges might actually worsen your symptoms by draining your Qi and weakening your Yang.

See how different the same practice can be?

This is why Chinese medicine doesn't ask "Is this good?"It asks:👉🏼 “Is this good for you?”

Why We Look Beyond Your Symptoms

At Meraki, when you walk into our clinic and say:

• “I’m exhausted.”

• “My skin is breaking out.”

• “My periods are irregular.”

• “I can’t sleep.”

  
  

We don’t just give you a cream, supplement, or quick fix.

We get curious. We ask:

• What’s happening in your digestion?

• What are your stress patterns?

• What’s your relationship with rest?

• What’s your diet like?

• Where are you holding emotion in your body?

  
  

Because symptoms are messengers they’re your body trying to get your attention. And Chinese medicine isn’t about silencing them. It’s about decoding the message and getting to the root.

Why Every Treatment Is Different

This is why two women can come in with the same symptom say, anxiety and receive completely different treatments.

One might need:

• Acupuncture to calm her Liver Qi and soothe internal heat

• Cooling foods and breath-work

• Herbs to anchor her spirit and nourish Yin

While the other might need:

• Moxibustion and warming foods to build her Qi

• Gentle movement to move stagnation

• Emotional support to process grief stored in the lungs

  
  

It’s never just about the anxiety. It’s about you.

Understanding Yourself Is the Greatest Gift

When you start to understand your constitution: how you respond to seasons, stress, food, people, movement, and emotion: something magical happens.

You stop outsourcing your wellness to trends, apps, or algorithms.

You start tuning in. You become your own best guide. And you begin to live in deep rhythm with your body’s wisdom.

✨ Maybe you learn that cold smoothies in winter make you feel bloated and switch to warm oats.

✨ Maybe you realise your cycle needs rest, not spin class.

✨ Maybe you finally give yourself permission to stop pushing and start receiving.

That, to us, is true wellness.

At Meraki, We See the Whole You

This is why we take the time to understand your history, your energy, your patterns, and your cycles.

Because when we know your constitution, we can guide you home to yourself not someone else’s version of health.

So whether you’re feeling stuck, depleted, or unsure where to begin know this:

There’s nothing wrong with your body. You may have just been following a path that wasn’t designed for you.

We’re here to help you find the one that is.

With love, wisdom, and always warmth,

Casey & the Meraki Team xx