Poor bowel movements, generally referred to as spleen deficiency in Chinese medicine, may be caused by kidney deficiency. Chinese medicine believes that the vital fire in the kidneys can give birth to spleen and earth. Kidney yang deficiency (lack of yang energy in the kidneys), vital fire failure (weakness of kidney yang in the organism, reduced function of warming and promoting the operation of qi and blood), failure of fire to give birth to earth, and diminished function of the spleen’s transportation and digestion may lead to spleen and kidney yang deficiency (deficiency of yang energy in the spleen and kidneys) syndrome. Patients with spleen and kidney yang deficiency mainly show symptoms of diarrhea, acid reflux, stomach distension and fullness, prolonged diarrhea for a long time, undigested grains (more undigested food in stools), and may show symptoms of wu yang diarrhea (abdominal pain and desire to defecate before dawn), so kidney deficiency may cause gastrointestinal problems. Treatment is based on warming the spleen and kidneys, and can be regulated with Gui Fu Di Huang Wan and Hu Zi Li Zhong Wan. If you have symptoms of kidney deficiency or poor bowel movement, you should actively consult a doctor to avoid delaying your condition.