[Health promotion for deficient constitution in Chinese medicine]

Health promotion is a global strategy of the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims at "health for all". Scholars of traditional Chinese medicine believe that an individual's constitution influences health itself; a deficient constitution makes an individual more susceptible to disease, and even affects the progression of diseases and responses to treatments. Through recuperation of the constitution, we can prevent diseases and promote health. Generally, the people of Taiwan identify with Chinese medicine and believe the constitution to be associated with health, and that the philosophy and methods of Chinese medicine can improve a deficient constitution and therefore also promote willingness to practice health-promoting behavior. The purpose of this article is to introduce Chinese medicine's understanding of the relationships between health and the constitution, its concepts of deficient constitution, and methods of health promotion for patients with a deficient constitution. The paper might serve as a source of reference for nurses involved in implementing health-promotion plans.