Relationships of Un and Gi seasons of birth to clinical symptoms and signs.
OBJECTIVE
Season of birth (SOB) is a medical term used to describe the relationship between the season in which one is born and his or her physiologic and pathological characteristics. In East Asian medicine, the Un-Gi SOB is based on the Yin-yang-Five Phases theory. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Un-Gi SOB and a multitude of clinical symptoms and signs, and to examine which of the Un and Gi seasons has the greatest impact on these symptoms and signs.


METHODS
Using the Delphi method, three Un-Gi experts formulated a 26-item questionnaire consisting of clinical symptoms and signs, with each item rated on a Likert 7-point scale. A total of 1057 Korean adolescents (583 males, 474 females) completed the 26-item questionnaire. After identifying the Un and Gi seasons of all subjects, item scores were evaluated to determine whether there was a difference between Un and Gi seasons.


RESULTS
For Un seasons, males born in the Wood season had greater indigestion and were less physically active, whereas females born in the Earth season were better able to concentrate but had slower rates of growth. For Gi seasons, males born in the Fire season had greater indigestion and morning fatigue, and males born in the Earth season had higher tension. There was no relationship between symptoms, signs, and the Gi SOB in females. This indicates that males born in Wood Un and Gi seasons are susceptible to Earth-related clinical problems, whereas females born in the Earth Un season are susceptible to Earth-related clinical problems.


CONCLUSIONS
The study results suggest that Un-Gi seasons based on the Yin-yang-Five Phases are related to clinical symptoms and signs, with significant differences between genders.
Department of Diagnosis and Biofunctional Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea. bmpomd@khu.ac.kr
Young-Jae
YJ
Park
Tae-Hee
TH
Kim
Seng-Hee
SH
Jin
Young-Bae
YB
Park
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004063:Digestion; D004415:Dyspepsia; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional; D036801:Parturition; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012621:Seasons; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016709:Yin-Yang; D055815:Young Adult