The Meaning of Kidney
In Chinese medicine, the kidney contains both structural and functional meanings. Structurally, the kidney is located in the abdominal cavity of the body, on both sides of the spine, one on each side, commonly known as the “waist”. The main physiological functions of the kidney are to store sperm, promote growth, development and reproduction, main water, and main qi. Its body is the bone, its orifice is the ear and the two yin, and its flower is in the hair, which corresponds to the natural winter energy.
Jing means essence, the essence of essence. In Chinese medicine, essence refers to the basic substances that make up the human body and maintain its growth, development and various functional activities. The essence stored in the kidney consists of two parts: the “innate essence” and the “acquired essence”. The innate essence comes from the parents and is the reproductive essence that Rin receives from them. It is the original material that constitutes the development of the embryo. After birth, this essence is hidden in the kidneys and becomes the material basis for reproduction of the next generation. This is why some people also refer to the innate essence as the “reproductive essence”.
The postnatal essence comes from the spleen and stomach, and is the essence that is taken in from the diet through the transport and transformation function of the spleen and stomach after the birth of the fetus. It is the material basis for maintaining the function of human organs and tissues, and has the function of nourishing the internal organs. Therefore, some people also call it “the essence of the internal organs”.
deficiency
Void is a concept opposite to real. According to the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, “If the evil is strong, it is real, and if the essence is taken away, it is deficient”, which means that there is not enough qi, blood and essence to maintain the normal functioning of the kidneys.
Therefore, kidney deficiency simply means that the essence and blood of the kidneys are insufficient to perform their proper functions.
Kidney Yin and Kidney Yang
From time to time, patients ask, “Do I have kidney yin deficiency or kidney yang deficiency? Here we use the analogy of boiling water. The fire in the stove can be thought of as kidney yang, and the water in the pot can be thought of as kidney yin, or kidney essence. The fire boils the water with steam, which means that kidney yin is vaporized under the action of kidney yang, and there are many functions of kidney qi, just like a steam engine only produces steam, but steam can push a train or push a ship. If you have less kidney essence, you have kidney yin deficiency, and if you have less fire, you have kidney yang deficiency.
Manifestations of kidney deficiency
1, impotence, slippery sperm, premature ejaculation, spermatorrhea: these are the manifestations of the weakened reproductive function. The deficiency of kidney yang, insufficient vital gate, can not be agitated then impotence; kidney qi deficiency, the essence is not solid, lose its right to seal and fix, semen does not cross and flow, then slippery sperm or premature ejaculation, due to dreams and spermatorrhea, called spermatorrhea, mostly due to kidney yin deficiency, phase fire delusion.
2, cold and sore waist, lower limbs repeatedly soft: waist for the kidney, the kidney main bone. Kidney Yang deficiency, kidney essence is not full, it can not warm or nourish the waist and knees, or cold damp, damp heat blocking the meridians, Qi and blood does not run smoothly, so see the waist cold and sore, weak bones, weak lower limbs.
3, asthma: the lungs are the main respiratory, the kidneys are the main nourishing Qi.’ The kidney is deficient and loses its power of intake, and the qi floats upward. It is not possible to return the Qi to the Yuan, so it is seen that there is more breathing and less inhalation and shortness of breath.
4, tinnitus, deafness: the kidney is open to the ear, the kidney essence can produce marrow to fill the brain, the brain is the sea of marrow. Kidney essence is not full, the sea of marrow is empty, then the brain
5, bone steam and tidal fever: tidal fever, i.e., fever on time, or hot on time, as the tide has a time. The kidney is the main bone, kidney yin deficiency, yin does not control yang, then the deficiency of heat, and see the bone steam tidal fever.
6, false annoyance and insomnia, forgetfulness: mostly due to kidney yin deficiency, the heart and kidney do not intersect, the heart and mind can not enter the house, then false annoyance and difficult to sleep. Kidney essence deficiency, the sea of marrow is not full, the light is memory loss, heavy forgetfulness.
7, urine is unfavorable, urinary closure, edema: mostly due to deficiency of kidney yang, loss of qi, closing the door is unfavorable, water can not steam or down the bladder. If water is not discharged smoothly, then urination is unfavorable; if there is a disorder of qi-transformation, then urination is closed; if water is flooded in the muscle membrane, then edema is developed.
8, frequent urination, urine loss: mostly due to deficiency of kidney energy, failure to seal and hold, and loss of the bladder.
Causes of kidney deficiency
1, congenital deficiency; such as premature birth, poor parental fitness, etc.
2, emotional and mental disorders; often angry, too much fear, etc.
3, excessive room labor; how to count excessive is different from person to person, in simple terms to the body can tolerate as degree.
4, long sickness injury to the kidneys; Chinese medicine has a saying, called “five organs are injured, poor will be and kidney”, that is, sick for a long time, will eventually hurt the kidneys, the kidneys for the root of the people, always injured, and naturally damage the root.
5, old age and physical decline. This is the law of life, it is difficult to change, can change is that we face this situation of the mind.
Kidney deficiency is overindulgence?
Through the above analysis, you can already draw your own conclusions. Indulgence is only one of the causes of kidney deficiency, but not necessarily kidney deficiency are caused by indulgence.
Is it useful to supplement the kidney?
The pot of water has a hole, the water leaked from the hole, we find a way to fill the hole, the original meaning of the word “fill”, in fact, is to fill a hole, as for the leakage of water back again, it is called benefit, Chinese medicine often say the word “benefit” contains two layers of meaning.
For the case of simple kidney Yang deficiency, given with the warmth of Yang or strong Yang drugs will be good, this is generally caused by external evil, such as a sudden cold. A formula in the Treatise on Typhoid is called Ephedra, Hosanna, and Phyllanthus, which is for this condition.
The kidney yin deficiency alone is mostly seen in children, because the growth and development of children, Yang is often surplus, Yin is often deficient, kidney yin is often deficient, the Song Dynasty pediatrician Qian Yi gave a prescription, Six Flavors Di Huang Wan is very suitable.
By far the majority of cases are deficient in both kidney yin and kidney yang, in the early stage may be treated with Jin Kui Kidney Qi Pills, but the situation is often complicated in the later stages, that is, you can not rely on one side of a drug alone.
All of the above is said to be beneficial, what about supplementation? What about the hole in the pot? Emotional disorders, learn to control their emotions is the tonic, room overworked, abstain from sexual intercourse is the tonic. For those who have been ill for a long time, treating the original disease is a tonic. All these tonic methods are useful.
In the case of congenital deficiency, more is to tell us the importance of eugenics. After all, the role of drugs is limited, already have this situation, you can only take care of the kidney qi more in general.
Do the above, the kidney qi will naturally be gradually sufficient.
In the case of not replenishing the pot, to make the steam looks adequate, there is a way, that is, increase the fire, but this method is not durable, and even the pot will be completely burned, now on the market many so-called kidney aphrodisiacs with this method, the ancients called this drug “aphrodisiac”.
In ancient times, there was a minister who was too old, still deaf and bright, the emperor asked him what the secret was, the old minister replied “a person sleep”. This is the tonic.
So the kidney tonic is useful, smart you can answer yourself.
Do you feel that something is missing, right, what can I usually eat? Many patients will ask this, my answer is to eat. And lighter is better. The premise of doing a good job of tonifying the kidneys is that the spleen and stomach absorb the essence of the material hidden in the kidneys, so that the kidneys are filled with essence is the best benefit to the kidneys.
The kidneys are relatively strong in winter, so it is best to benefit the kidneys in winter. If you divide the day into four seasons, then the night is the winter of the day, this time to sleep well, let the kidney self-recovery, is benefit. I often ask my patients to sleep as much as possible from dark to 1:30 a.m. This is the reason.
So the easiest way to benefit the kidneys is to sleep in the first half of the night. It is up to you to decide what you want to do in the second half of the night.