How Chinese and Western Medicine Treat Nourishing Kidney
Although the name of "kidney" in traditional Chinese medicine is the same as that of western medicine anatomy, its representative significance is useless. The five internal organs of heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney mentioned in traditional Chinese medicine are the functional units of the system, which are broader than the "kidney" mentioned in western medicine.
The "kidney" referred to by western medicine specifically grows between the thoracic vertebra 12 and the second lumbar vertebra, just like a pair of super broad beans. Each adult kidney is about 1 1 cm long and weighs about150g. In modern medicine, the kidney belongs to the urinary system, which is responsible for filtering excess water to form urine, maintaining the balance between water and electrolyte in the body, and filtering out metabolic wastes and harmful substances in the body by excreting urine. At the same time, in the process of urine excretion, the kidney will also maintain the acid-base balance of the human body by controlling the proportion of acid-base substances discharged.
In addition, modern medicine has clearly deconstructed the endocrine function of the kidney, including that the kidney can synthesize and secrete certain substances, such as erythropoietin, which can stimulate bone marrow hematopoiesis and produce red blood cells; Kidney can activate vitamin D3, promote the increase of calcium absorbed by intestine and help strengthen bones; The kidneys secrete renin to regulate blood pressure. Therefore, when the kidney is sick, it may also cause anemia, osteoporosis, and even fractures and affect blood pressure changes.
The classic of traditional Chinese medicine "Neijing" mentioned: "The northern cold produces water, the water is salty, the water is salty, and the kidney produces bone marrow. The kidney governs the ear, lest it hurt the kidney ... "; "storing essence, controlling reproduction, growth and development, inducing resuscitation of yin and yang, generating marrow, filling brain, controlling bone, dissolving blood, controlling body fluid and inhaling". To sum up, the "kidney" in Chinese medicine mainly includes the following scope:
1, kidney storing essence
That is, the function of kidney includes reproductive ability and human life activities. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that kidney qi dominates the growth and development of human body, and human body from development to aging and death is the result of kidney qi from prosperity to decline. If men have kidney deficiency, they will suffer from impotence, nocturnal emission and lack of sperm. Women have less menstrual flow, amenorrhea, palace cold, infertility and aging.
2. Kidney governs water
The metabolism and excretion of water in human body are closely related to the function of kidney. Such as long and clear urine (large amount of color), enuresis, urinary incontinence, oliguria, body swelling, diarrhea (abdominal pain, abdominal sound, diarrhea in the morning) and so on. All of them are related to kidney qi deficiency.
3. The kidney governs the bone marrow.
Kidney is closely related to the growth and development of bones, and can also promote the growth of bone marrow and hematopoiesis. People with kidney-qi deficiency have strong bones and teeth. People with kidney-qi deficiency are prone to tooth sloshing and falling off, and their waist and knees are sore or often feel pain. Deficiency of kidney qi leads to good hearing, and deficiency of kidney qi leads to poor hearing, even tinnitus and deafness. The kidney governs hair, which is full of kidney qi, and the hair is rich and shiny, while the kidney qi deficiency is dull, which is easy to produce white hair or hair loss.
4. Kidney governs qi absorption
Chinese medicine believes that "the lung governs breathing and the kidney governs inhalation". If the kidney qi is insufficient, the inhaled gas is less than the exhaled gas, and it is easy to be out of breath.
From the above TCM theories, it is not difficult to find that the morphology, physiological functions and activities of the human body are closely related to the kidney. Zhuang Yahui, a Chinese medicine practitioner, said that compared with western medicine that human aging is closely related to the changes of certain hormones, Chinese medicine believes that the preservation and persistence of innate essence are closely related to anti-aging, and the innate essence of human body is under the overall jurisdiction of "kidney". By regulating the yin and yang of the kidney, the anti-aging mechanism in life can be strengthened.
1, deficiency of kidney qi (essence)
That is to say, what most people call "kidney deficiency" or "kidney deficiency", some are congenital endowment deficiency or prolonged illness, and some are overworked in sexual intercourse, which hurts kidney essence. Because the kidney governs the bone and produces marrow, patients with deficiency of kidney qi will have symptoms such as decreased reproductive function, skeletal dysplasia and marrow (brain) emptiness. If children's kidney qi is insufficient, it may lead to developmental retardation, fragile bones, delayed fontanel closure and mental retardation. In adulthood, it can cause premature aging, weakness of waist and knees, tooth loss, forgetfulness, tinnitus or deafness, male infertility, and female infertility due to amenorrhea and sexual dysfunction.
2. Kidney yang deficiency (kidney yang deficiency)
Kidney yang is weak due to congenital or old age, or kidney yang is damaged due to excessive sexual intercourse and long illness. The main symptoms are weakness in the waist and knees, chills and cold limbs, and physical exhaustion. Men have impotence, premature ejaculation, cold sperm, and women have uterine deficiency and cold, infertility, decreased libido or loose stool, nocturnal diarrhea, frequent urination, nocturia or oliguria, dysuria, edema, pale or dark complexion, pale tongue with fur, weak pulse (especially kidney pulse), etc. Patients with kidney-yang deficiency are prone to renal failure, with more exhaled air and less inhaled air, and asthma due to slight activity.
3. Kidney yin deficiency (kidney yin deficiency)
Often due to fatigue and long-term illness, or excessive sexual intercourse. People with this syndrome are prone to dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, forgetfulness, upset hands, hot flashes, night sweats, dry throat, sore throat, nocturnal emission, red tongue with little fur, and rapid pulse.
4, kidney qi is not solid
Kidney qi damage is due to the decline of kidney qi in the elderly or the deficiency of kidney qi in the young, or because of immoral sexual life. The symptoms of reproductive function are nocturnal emission, premature ejaculation and nocturnal emission; Frequent urination, heavy urine output, incontinence and enuresis; Women's menstruation is constantly dripping, leucorrhea is thin, the tongue is pale, and the pulse is thin and weak.
In view of the kidney problem, the old Chinese doctor taught you ten wonderful tricks to tonify the kidney:
First, protect your feet.
Warm feet is a way to nourish the kidney. This is because the kidney meridian starts from the sole of the foot, and the foot is prone to cold. Therefore, feet should pay special attention to keep warm, and don't point your feet at the air conditioner or electric fan when sleeping; Don't walk barefoot in wet places for a long time.
In addition, there are many acupoints on the soles of the feet, such as Yongquan point. "The kidney comes from the spring, and the spring is full." Before going to bed every night, you can press Yongquan point on the soles of your feet. Massage Yongquan point can tonify kidney and solidify essence.
Second, the stool should be unobstructed.
Poor stool, stagnant stool and upward attack of turbid qi not only make people upset, chest tightness and shortness of breath, but also hurt the kidney, leading to backache and fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Therefore, keeping the stool unobstructed is also a way to tonify the kidney.
When the stool is difficult to understand, you can stick the back of your hand to the kidney.