Medical Aspects of the Enneagram Types With the Help of Enneatemps:

To the best of my knowledge, to date there haven’t been any studies on the relationship between our body organs, i.e., our physical particularities, and the Enneagram Types. In other words, we don't know anything about our common physical characteristics within the same Types. If we can find that, we will be able to

- Know whether the Type's behavior and the reasons for that behavior are connected to those physical particularities

- Help resolve our behavioral issues with the information about our internal body issues

- Determine our Types easier.

My research based on the Enneatemps could lead us to find clues in this direction.

Background:

There is a good amount of literature on the medical aspects of the Four Temperaments within the Eastern medical traditions, especially in the Middle East. In this essay, I focus on the Middle Eastern studies and do not bring the Chinese and Indian methodologies into account. 

In the Middle East, one can go to a pharmacy and ask for herbal remedies based on our Temperament Type, determined by a practitioner. As I described in Part I of Enneatemps, the Four Temperaments are based on the map of Micro Cosmos and the production of the so-called four juices in our bodies.

If the practitioner types us (through whatever method he or she chooses), for instance, a hot/dry Temperament, the associated juice in the body is yellow bile (also called choler), produced in our spleen.  Based on that finding, the pharmacist supplies herbs that can bring the production of that juice (bile) into balance. There are also lists of foods that are suitable for different temperaments and their issues.

Please bear in mind that we need to demonstrate scientifically that the same herbs and remedies that are helpful in the Middle East to balance temperaments will also help Enneagram Types as well. But because I have already shown that the Four Temperaments and the Enneagram Types are essentially the same in their temperamental characteristics, I believe we can assume (with the caveat that it still needs to be medically tested) that the same remedies will apply for Enneagram Types. In other words, Enneagram Types can help themselves with their psychological issues by consuming certain foods and herbs to balance their body juices.

From the variety of the Middle Eastern literature available on health issues for the Four Temperaments, I have summarized the following:

Hot/dry Temper (Choleric – Enneagram Types One and Eight)

Body Juice: Yellow Choler (bile)

Body organ: Spleen

Earth Element: Fire

Physical and Mental Characteristics:

Cannot stand heat

Seldom have diarrhea

In the morning, if no breakfast, mouth is bitter

The whites of the eyes often get yellowish

Highly intelligent and understand a variety of things

In general, “uneasy” types

Sleep little

Temper often with highs and lows

Hair loss starts at both sides of the head

Prefer sour food

Food to be avoided: cocoa, coffee, banana, pistachio, coconut, salt, onion, walnut, mint, garlic, bird meat and shrimps

Hot/wet Temper (Sanguine – Enneagram Types Seven and Two)

Body Juice: Blood

Body Organ: Heart

Earth Element: Wind

Physical and Mental Characteristics:

Facial expression often rosy and ruddy

Throat venous, often noticeable

Can enter a room easily without inhibition

Body structure: large shoulders and strong

Sleep well and a lot; dream a lot

Like sweet and sour tastes

Sometimes have bleeding gums

Good appetite

Seldom constipated

Very good social skills

Can easily fall in love

Fly high in their thoughts—“think big”

Cunning, but do not see details

Hair loss from top of head

Problem solvers—strong intuition

Travel a lot

Food to be avoided: Honey, olive, sesame oil, wheat, raisin, animal fat, eggs, pear, coconut juice, berries, almond, hazelnut, lamb meat

Cold/dry Temper (Melancholic – Enneagram Types Four and Five)

Body Juice: Black Choler (bile)

Body Organ: Gall

Earth Element: Earth

Physical and Mental Characteristics:

Literally, have cold bodies

Dry hair

At first look, an impression of an “ill” face

Body venous, hidden

Before breakfast, mouth tastes slightly salty

Don't like to drink much water

Look into details and are very sensitive

Orderly thoughts

Doubtful 

Prefer to be neither good buddies nor bad enemies—moderate relationships

Sleep little

Low energy

Food to be avoided: vinegar, rice, lentil, paprika, mushroom, cheese, corn, soya, eggplant, tomato, sour fruits, orange, spinach, green tea, kiwi

Cold/wet Temper (Phlegmatic – Enneagram Types Nine)

Body Juice: Phlegma

Body Organ: Brain

Earth Element: Water

Physical and Mental Characteristics:

Often get fat

Like warm places

Prefer hot food

Low energy

Don't like sour food

Get quickly tired

Sleep a lot

Need lots of thought stimulation

Need lots of affection and sympathy; sentimental

Do not like talking—“heavy tongue”

Often constipated

In good health, logical and realistic

Don't like adventure

Often don’t have a good memory

Very flexible

Have lots of nightmares

Turtle-like behavior

Food to be avoided: milk, yoghurt, lime juice, tea, barley, zucchini, lettuce, cucumber, watermelon, date, cherry, seafood, lamb, liver

These combined physical and psychological characteristics, gathered through thousands of years of experimental observation, developed independently of the Enneagram system. However, we can see many similarities between how this ancient typology system describes its types and our knowledge of Enneagram Types.

We could therefore infer that, if I am a Type 7 for example, and my body juice is blood, my food intake should be based on balancing the qualities of blood.

Furthermore, this suggests that if I can deepen my understanding of my personality characteristics and my internal body-related imbalances through the combination of these systems, I will be able to find a more holistic view of myself and the solution for my issues.

In my view, these health issues can be considered the “mainstream” of a person’s health issues—in other words, the innate constitution—and additional kinds of health issues should be dealt with separately. The same concept seems to be true of our psychological issues as well. We might have our Enneagram Type’s mainstream issues, but also, for example, some childhood trauma that is not part of our essential type and that we may need to treat separately.

Foods that balance the Temperaments:

The same studies that recommend certain foods be avoided for the Temperaments also recommend which foods should be consumed for balancing physiological and psychological functioning of each Temperament—it is simply the food of the opposite type on the Micro System. That is, for the dry/hot Temperament the food of cold/wet Temperament; for the hot/wet Temperament the food of the cold/dry Temperament , and so on.

Type 3 and 6:

I have already shown through the Enneatemps system that Type 3 and Type 6 of Enneagram can practically dwell in all areas of the Micro Cosmos except the place of cold/wet (Type 9). For the framework of this essay, we could say that the physical characteristics and food preferences for these two types would be a variety of options, because their temperaments can be considered “variable.” As for their body juice and body organ, or even the earth element, I do not have enough sources to specify that at this moment. 

One explanation could be that Type 3 and Type 6 issues cannot be connected to any of their body organs specifically, but simply to their passions, vanity (Type 3) and fear (Type 6). As we know, these two Types are, in many parts of Enneagram, exceptions to straightforward categorization.

Summary:

It seems to be true that Enneagram Types have certain temperamental particularities, which we have seen in Enneatemps Part I and II. Based on these temperaments, we can use the ancient medical treatment methods of the Four Temperaments for the Enneagram Types in order to balance our physical issues, which in turn leads us to balance our mental and spiritual issues for greater health and wellbeing.