oriental diagnoses - kidneys and bladder

7/28/2019 Oriental Diagnoses - Kidneys and Bladder

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THE ORIENTAL FUNCTIONS OF THE ORGANS

KIDNEYS AND BLADDER (WATER ENERGY)

1) KIDNEYS

Visual Diagnoses

Skin Colour:

Blackish or dark hue: Coffee has the biggest impact on kidneys, it depletes its energy out of the

body rather than reserving it inside.

Can be pale too, which is a Yin condition, associated with coolness in the back. It results from

consumption of cooling/frozen food like ice cream, raw food and black tea (which is not as

most people think of as a warming drink).

Facial Area:

The skin around the eyes, especially beneath it:

Puffy: due to consumption of Yin food

Cut inwards: due to consumption of Yang and dry food

Posture:Collapsed lower bak, slumped spine, defensive behaviour of the back, like sitting in corner or against a

wall; for both Kidneys and Bladder imbalances, the body language is characterised by protective

gestures, it tends to be nervous when surrounded by either open space or by individuals. People withweak Kidneys prefer to literally have their backs to the wall. They like to see everything that is going


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on so there will be no surprise. Look also at the back of the person, some areas in the back can beperceived as hollow or semi-empty, which signifies weakness.

Organ Functions Questioning DiagnosesThe Kidneys form the foundation of the body's health, storing the Essence derived from one's parents,

and supporting the functioning of the whole body during a lifetime.

1. Storing EssenceThe kidneys store Essence, responsible for growth, development and reproduction, and which

gives rise to movement, action and activity of physiological processes. Can be partiallyreplenished by Ki from food and air, and conserved by a moderate and balanced life style.

Decline with age, finally leading to natural death.

2. Control bones and teethThe Kidneys give strength to the bones, skeleton and teeth.

3. Production MarrowIn Chinese medicine, the kidneys produce 'marrow', which includes bone marrow, the spinal

cord and the brain. Therefore the Kidney's are responsible for creating good memory,

concentration, alertness and clarity.

4. Anchoring KiThe kidneys anchor or hold down the Ki taken in from air, and as a result we feel grounded.When the kidneys are weak, breathing can become shallow, the chest congested and insomnia

results. When we don't breath deeply energy goes to our brain instead of our bodies and we face

difficulty in getting into sleep.

5. Controlling waterThe kidneys control the water balance of the body through the production of urine.

6. Nourishes head an hairStrong kidneys give thick, glossy and healthy looking hair, while weak ones will cause hair to

fall, especially in the front area of the head (in men in particular) due to over consumption ofliquids and Yin foods and drinks including all beverages, fruits, juices, soft drinks, sugars,

sweets, stimulants, chemicals, drugs, medications, raw vegetables, tomatoes, egg-plant and

other vegetables of tropical origin.

7. Open into the earsThey are linked to the ears. In Oriental medicine well developed ears denote strong kidneys.

The Kidneys nourish the ears, including the pinna (auricle) and outer ear, middle ear and thecochlea and organ of Corti giving balance in the inner ear. Ears that are too red indicates poor

functioning of the Kidneys. Weak Kidneys cause hearing difficulty and people tend to tilt their

heads one way or the other, favouring their better ear.

8. Control the lower orificesthese are two in men, the anus and the urethra, and three in women with addition of the vagina.Problems in the urethra, vagina, anus and surrounding area can be due to imbalance in the

kidneys


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9. House will powerThe kidneys hold our will, giving us strong motivation, will power, endurance and clear aims or

goals. People with strong kidneys are self-motivated whereas those with kidney troubles live in

a world of dreams.

10. Emotionally the kidneys give courage, motivation and impetus. If it is weak then emotionally

we tend to feel fearful, nervous or anxious, paranoid and we may lack self-confidence. We feel

the environment is full of threats, that we feel vulnerable and exposed. On the other side,exterior fear can damage the Kidneys. A person's hair can turn white overnight if they were

experienced great fear which overwhelms the kidneys. It is also the house of security, safety,

reassurance and love. Being surrounded by loving ones from family and friends can support thehealth of our Kidneys and our total health in general.

Signs and Symptoms of ImbalancesWeak constitution which could show in delicate health, frequent illness, a lack of strength and stamina

or retarded growth; premature ageing, greying or loss of hair, senility, lack of sexual drive or ability to

procreate.

Weak bones, osteoporosis, weak teeth or excessive tooth decay, mentally slow and poor memory and

alertness, kidney infection, urination at night, frequent pale urine or scanty deafness, poor balance,

vertigo, deep cold in the body.

Stooped posture, back aches and problems especially in lumbar and sacral areas (where bladder

meridian crosses over kidneys), sciatica, weak ankles (Bladder and Kidney meridians move to eithersides of Achilles tendon), tendency to twist ankles, puffy skin or swollen veins in instep of feet.

Kidneys and Bladder are associated with sexuality, anxiety is often present in dealing with the opposite

sex, in which case the body language can be very pronounced. There is a characteristic protection of thegenital area, either tucking the pelvis back, sitting or standing with one leg crossed in front of the other,

and hand gestures which cross over in front of the genital area.

Voice quality changes with Kidney's condition. People with imbalances become hoarse very easily,especially after over indulging in drink and above all in anything alcoholic. The tone of voice is often

characterized by a watery quality which sounds not unlike those that a child makes to speak after

having been crying.

People with weak Kidneys find it hard to be in the body, they usually have a feeling of ungroundedness

or lack of anchor.

2) BLADDER

Organ FunctionsThe bladder creates urine, as well as supporting the back and spine and having some influence on the

uterus.

1. Transforms fluids into urine: The bladder transforms fluids into urine

2. Supports the back: Like Kidneys, the Bladder influences the bones, and the meridians runbeside the whole length of the spine. Therefore the Bladder has a big influence on the health of

the back.


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Signs and symptoms of ImbalancesIrregularities in urine production e.g. copious clear urine, difficult urination; painful menstruation or

infertility; back pain especially in sacrum area (kidneys affect the sides of the back), sciatica, stoopedposture, distorted spine e.g. kyphosis, scoliosis.

What weakens the kidneys and Bladder?Anything that drains the deep energy reserves of the body, such as long-term overwork, prolonged

stress, cold, lack of sleep (when the kidney energy replenishes) bearing many children (as well as

looking after them!)

A lot o strong Yin food (expansive food) like sugar, honey and chocolate, tropical fruits like bananas

and kiwi, spices and oily food. A lot of Yang (contractive food) food like animal protein (except fish),eggs, crisps (chips), biscuits and other hard baked flower. It is necessary to drain the kidneys, but an

excessive intake of liquids especially Yin drinks such as stimulants like coffee and tea, alcohol, and

recreational drugs will tier them and drain their energy too. A lack of minerals and healthy yang

qualities in food will weaken them too.

Emotional experiences which create a lot of fear and insecurity, such as parents shouting, a lot of anger

around as a child, parents breaking up, deep shock and trauma which frightens a child or adult 'out oftheir body', or creates deep held fear. When a lot of fear is held in the boy it can feel cold, and have a

freezing effect on the body.

What helps the Kidneys and Bladder?

Sleep at least 8 hours a night if this is possible, but should always get to sleep before midnight; the

body has a biological clock that follows the movement of sun and moon and changes according toseasons, hence we tend to naturally sleep more in winter times. Just look at animals and learn fromthem, they are more connected to their instincts, with that in mind we should not work hard in winter

time when all nature goes into hibernation, because in winter energy goes inwards and it is the most

vulnerable time for kidneys. With our modern life we tend to get depressed at winter time because we

fight to get the energy out of our body with overworking while it is trying to go inwards . So we shouldnot start any big projects or make big moves, that can be done at spring when energy starts moving

outwards.

Other things that can help is an afternoon siesta, reducing stress and demands in life, less work and

more rest. Not too much sex especially for men, or at least try not to ejaculate to keep the energy within

the body rather than releasing it out.

Quiet time, meditation when energy can go inside instead of getting used up by going outside. Also

exercise, which may need to be quite gentle if a person's Kidneys energy is very depleted such as DO-

IN, Chi Gong or Tai Chi, or breathing exercises. Breathing has a great impact on improving healthcondition. Breathing deeply in also helps in releasing trapped energy which stress the Kidneys. Try the

following breathing exercise:


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Put both hands on the sides of your spine on the position where the kidneys arelocated. Breathe deeply into your hara (maintain a breathing pattern that is

slower, deeper and longer, rather than a faster, shallower and shorter) and

follow the breath from your mouth, down through the centre of the body,

reaching to the navel area and then going sideways to settle inside the kidneysfilling them with the Ki you get from the air. Hold it there as much as you can

then breath out. Continue for as long as you can, and after a while you may

start feeling some warmth in the back area where your hands are touching. If itis hard to imagine breathing into the kidneys, breathe into the abdominal area.

Best times to do this immediately after you wake up or before you go to sleep.

Keep the Kidneys warm at all times and avoid exposing them to cold weather. A hot bath with some sea

salt in it (to keep the minerals within the body) can also warm and relax the Kidneys and improve theircondition.

Healthy yang foods such as miso soup, fish and shellfish, whole grains, especially buckwheat, and

beans (Aduki beans are the best for this, especially their boiling water which can be drunk once ortwice a day), sea vegetables (mostly Kombu) and condiments like Shoyo. Root vegetables are

recommended too.

Emotional healing of fear and other emotions keeping a person from really occupying their body, and

being in his or her lower two chakras. In other words, resolve deeply held fear or anything blocking

your life energy. Those who are givers and put others first need to back up a bit as this exhausts theirKidney's energy.

Different organs work at their peak at different times. For Bladders it is the time between 3:00 pm -5:00pm, while for kidneys it is between 5:00pm 7:00 pm (STRICTLY avoid eating after this time).

oriental diagnoses - kidneys and bladder

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