The difference between the symptoms of Kidney-Yin and Kidney-Yang deficiency lies in the patient’s physical functions, stool properties, mental state, physiological functions and other aspects. For example, the mental state of most patients with kidney yin deficiency is restlessness, irritability, insomnia, dizziness, tinnitus, etc. Kidney yang deficiency can be manifested as fatigue and mental depression.
1. Different bodily functions: patients with kidney yin deficiency mainly manifested as five heart-heat (heat in the heart of the two hands and feet, and self-consciousness of the heart and chest heat (irritability and sultriness)), hot flashes, night sweats (sweating abnormally after falling asleep, and waking up to stop sweating), and redness, etc., and the patients with kidney yang deficiency can appear cold, cold hands and feet, limbs, lumbar and knee soreness and cold and pain and other symptoms of external cold.
2. Different stools: the stools of Kidney-Yin deficiency are mostly dry and knotty, while Kidney-Yang deficiency is often manifested as prolonged diarrhea and contains undigested food.
3. Different physiological functions: women with Kidney-Yin deficiency may have reduced menstrual flow, amenorrhea or metrorrhagia (excessive menstrual flow or dribbling), while men may have high libido, spermatorrhea or premature ejaculation; women with Kidney-Yang deficiency may have infertility with uterine cold and reduced libido, while men may have impotence, premature ejaculation and other symptoms.
Patients with symptoms of Kidney-Yang or Kidney-Yin deficiency should consult a professional Chinese medicine practitioner for diagnosis based on their clinical symptoms and, if necessary, be given appropriate treatment.