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Acupuncturists understand the body as a complex system of energy systems, meridians, and organs. However, when an acupuncturist talks about an organ, like the spleen, heart, or kidneys, they are not referring to the physical organ that sits inside your body, but rather the energetic side of these organs. The energetic system is much bigger than just the physical organ and governs certain functions in the body on many levels.
The kidney system is one of the most important of these energetic organ systems.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the kidneys represent the deepest, most fundamental levels of energy in the human body. They are said to be the root of yin and yang in the body – two fundamental forces at play in our physiology. The kidneys also store a substance called “essence” which is our genetic code, our life force, and our reproductive ability.
The kidneys in Chinese Medicine are related to the water element, which is the elemental energy of winter. Whereas many energy systems are all about movement, the kidneys are about rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation – they are the energy of holding, of turning inward, and of protecting that which is most important. Think of still-reflecting pools or a quiet winter night. These are kidney energy. The kidneys are often referred to in Chinese Medicine as our “root” – they are tasked with caring for the most precious parts of us that make us who we are.
On a physical level, the kidneys govern the water passageways within the body (appropriate being the water element!) as well as control growth and reproduction. In a five-element understanding of Chinese Medicine, the kidneys are at the end of the life cycle, before rebirth occurs again (such as winter making way for spring.) This means the kidneys have a vital role to play in end-of-life transitions.
The spiritual aspect of the kidneys is called Zhi, or willpower. Again, the kidneys are our root, our fundamental and core energy. When that system is weakened, a person may not feel drive, or motivation or can push themselves. Their understanding of who they are and what they can do has been diminished.
The emotion associated with the kidneys is fear. When the kidneys are weak, a person may be startled or frightened easily or may experience fear in disproportionate ways. Likewise, shock, trauma, and fearful situations weaken kidney energy, which is why many of the common symptoms of PTSD have a kidney imbalance at their root. The person’s core has been shaken.
The kidney energy, being the deepest level of energy in the body, takes time to replenish and strengthen, which means patience is key. Also, kidney energy naturally declines over the life cycle, which is the normal aging process. So, as we age, protecting the kidneys becomes all the more important!
Being associated with the water element, the kidneys are nourished by foods that come from the water – fish, seaweeds, and shellfish are nourishing to this system. The kidneys are associated with a salty taste, so naturally salty foods such as miso or millet also are good choices. Avoid foods that are damaging to your root energy, such as sugar, caffeine, alcohol, greasy foods, and highly processed foods.
The kidneys are damaged by overwork, too much responsibility, lack of sleep, and a frenetic schedule. In other words, most of us living in modern society are taxing our kidneys! This means it is even more important to carve out time and space to take part in kidney-nourishing habits.
As we mentioned, the kidneys are nourished through rest and rejuvenation. Pay attention to your sleep and be sure you are getting the hours that you need! Take a nap during the day if you need it. Engage in gentle, relaxing forms of exercise, like yoga or tai chi. Try meditation or guided visualizations to calm and center yourself. Find a schedule that works – one that really works – for you.
Bring the water element into your life and your home by getting a small decorative fountain, using essential oils, taking baths, or spending time near rivers or oceans, or other bodies of water.
The kidneys, being the source of our reproductive strength, are also weakened by excessive sexual activity. So go for quality over quantity.
The kidneys represent what makes you, you. So, take the time to give them the support they need!
The food we consume and the oxygen we breathe provide us with recharging energy (postnatal qi). It is critical to provide enough postnatal qi to the body in order to avoid depleting our reserve essence, which is required for good kidney function. Kidneys govern growth and development and promote the health of our brains, bones, bladder, ears, and reproductive system, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our low back and knees are likewise governed by them.
Signs and symptoms of kidney deficiency or depletion include:
Developmental disorders, congenital issues in children (essence deficiency)
Premature aging: graying
Deafness
Weak brittle bones, hair/teeth loss
Infertility
Low Back Pain, weak knees
Extreme fatigue (can happen when both the rechargeable energy is depleted, and the battery is low)
Winter is the time to be very mindful of our kidneys as it is when our energy can be most easily depleted. Winter is the ultimate yin time, and calls for rest, reflection, conservation, and storage. Days are shorter while nights are longer. This is nature telling us to get more sleep. Your body responds to less sunlight by producing more melatonin in the winter, the hormone that helps us rest. If we do not adjust to the season, we can easily get burnt out. Consider your adrenal health when thinking about avoiding burnout, as those little glands that sit on top of your kidneys are, in part, responsible for what TCM considers kidney qi. The cold of winter presents an additional challenge too, as the adrenal glands, together with your kidneys must work extra hard in helping to regulate body temperature.
The bottom line when it comes to kidney health in winter is to recognize the need for rest (and don’t just disguise it with stimulants like coffee!). Extreme exercise and activity are contraindicated. With the cold of winter slowing things down to a near halt, gentle exercise like yoga, stretching, tai chi, and qi gong are perfect movement therapies to prevent winter stagnation.
Don’t be afraid to get some fresh air and sunlight, when possible, too! The morning is the ideal time to get out and go for a walk when winter weather permits. Dress appropriately but soak up as much Vitamin D as you can. It is essential for immunity, mood, bone health, etc. And if you are looking to slim down, take note that exercising in cold weather helps to transform white fat (belly and thigh fat) into calorie-burning brown fat. [1]
If you can’t get outside in the morning start your day with this simple qi gong exercise: (you can gently awaken your qi with a stretch session first)
~with feet hip-length apart and knees slightly bent
~slowly swing torso left to right, letting the head follow
~let arms/ hands percuss the front lower abdomen and lower back as you let the natural momentum take over
~can finish with a stimulating rub on the low back to send some love into those kidneys.
Let your acupuncturist give your kidneys some love this winter too! With treatments to support kidney function and preserve essence, your acupuncturist can help you relax into the specific balance you need to thrive in the colder months.
[1] https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/what-you-need-to-know-about-brown-fat-and-exercising-in-the-cold/663420#:~:text=%22Brown%20fat%20could%20be%20activated,than%20during%20the%20warmer%20months.
Harvest time, a period for harvesting nature’s bounty and preparing it for storage, is historically associated with the fall. For the hibernating season, food is kept. While we do not hibernate as humans in the winter, we do connect with the spirit of the season. Many animals go into hibernation, vegetation perishes, and roots store energy for the spring. The sun is low in the sky, the days are becoming shorter, it’s getting darker and colder, and we’re feeling compelled to return home.
Home is where the heart is, but it is also where the hearth is. Preparing the hearth means creating a warm, safe space. Fall is a time to make sure our homes are ready for the extreme yin season, while also preparing our bodies, minds, and spirits. Surviving and thriving in winter relies on the ability to draw on the reserves of food, warmth, and energy that we have gathered and preserved in accordance with the seasons.
Here are some things to consider in Fall to better prepare for winter:
Nutritional transitions: In Chinese Medicine, Fall is lung season. Don’t miss this opportunity to nourish and moisten the lungs with foods like pears, apples, figs, cauliflower, and daikon radish. Keeping the lungs strong will build immunity for the sometimes harsh conditions we face in Winter. Plenty of fiber is also important to help clean out LI (the lung’s paired organ) and prevent digestive stagnation as everything slows down in Winter. Most food should be cooked to maintain the body’s digestive fire. Warming teas with cinnamon and ginger are delightfully seasonable as temperatures drop throughout fall and winter.
Lifestyle transitioning: Winter is the peak of yin time. Yin time is about going inward into stillness. Fall is the beginning of the yin season and when we should begin that inner journey. The excitement of summer quiets down and we begin to require more sleep and rest in general. We simply need to slow down as we don’t want to expend the energy reserves that are needed to keep us warm and healthy throughout the frost. This is also a time to layer our clothing as the temperatures drop. Chinese medicine practitioners will always remind you to make sure you have a favorite scarf in the Fall to cover the nape of your neck. This area of the body is especially vulnerable to chilly winds that can penetrate and disturb our homeostasis.
Emotional transitions: In preparation for the reflective yin time ahead, we are compelled to feel some grief as we say goodbye to summer and observe the natural cycle of death happening around us as the earth progresses towards winter. If we have created space and time to feel the natural sadness of letting go in the fall, and release those energies appropriately, it will be that much easier to face the emotional energies of winter, the darkest season. Winter is associated with the emotion of fear and facing our fears helps us tap into our strength, our courage, and our willpower.
When it comes to winterizing our houses, cars, and land, the fall is a time for practical concerns. Cleaning out the gutters, inspecting the chimney, monitoring antifreeze levels, and laying mulch in the garden may all be on our to-do lists, depending on where/how we live. It is just as vital to prepare internally for the change of season as it is to prepare externally.
Want some assistance with these internal preparations? Call and schedule some fall acupuncture to ‘prepare the hearth’ and set yourself up for a smooth transition into winter!
The goal of Traditional Chinese medicine is to help improve your health and live-in balance with nature and in each season. Winter is the season of the element of Water, of slowing down, and reflecting and conserving our resources. We all feel this tendency, but we don’t always listen to our bodies. In Western culture, being active is rewarded and expected. We feel compelled to keep up the hectic pace that is typical in our daily lives.
This season is associated with the kidneys, bladder, and adrenal glands and the time of year when these organs are most active, accessible, and even vulnerable. They are more receptive to being restored, nurtured, and energized. At the same time, it is also when they can become easily depleted.
According to Chinese medicine, our kidneys receive a specific amount of energy at the time of our conception that will carry each of us through our lives, called Jing Qi. Imagine for a minute that our kidneys are like batteries. Batteries that have come from the shop with a limited amount of charge. These unfortunately are not the rechargeable types of batteries. Jing Qi is the energy stored in our kidney batteries. Our body and mind pull from this reserve in times of change, healing, and stress. Every action we take draws on this power supply.
Some people can easily deplete their Jing Qi due to poor lifestyle choices and extreme stress. Others preserve it by nurturing it with the right foods and behaviors. Jing Qi is finite. The more we use it, the less we will have for necessary body functioning. Every day our kidneys filter blood and other body fluids, remove toxins from the liver, and our bladder collects, processes and excretes these liquids through the urine.
There are ways we can preserve our Jing Qi. In addition to Jing Qi, we operate on renewable sources of energy. The spleen makes Qi (vital life force) for us out of the food we eat, and the lungs bring us Qi from the air. We will have less need to draw on our Jing Qi and be healthier and more energetic as we eat, rest and breathe better and do Qi Gong to replenish our renewable sources of energy.
Keep in mind, stimulants such as caffeine deplete the kidneys, and rob us of our ability to know how we really feel. If our body is in need of rest and sleep, caffeine consumption will make us unaware of this fact, thus causing us to ignore our body’s needs. This can then contribute to the unnecessary depletion of our Jing Qi.
In order to maintain and cultivate health, it is important to nurture and nourish our kidney energy. Now is the perfect time to recharge your internal kidney batteries. Acupuncture, Tai Chi, quiet reflection, meditation, simple walks, and herbs are wonderful ways to recharge and energize!
If you are wanting to improve your kidney’s health contact us today and schedule an appointment with one of our Acupuncturists.
In most places winter is cold with short days and long nights. When winter comes the body has a tendency to want to stay indoors where it is warmer. The body’s metabolic rate slows down, so the body tends to hold onto body fat and we gain weight. There are animals that will hibernate during the colder months. People are not so different. We take the information being given and use it accordingly.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), winter is a time to preserve and build up strength for spring. During the winter months the kidneys are at their highest activity. They function to preserve the body’s energy. Food loaded with salt can actually burden the kidneys and cause them to work extra hard. This could lead to disease or failure in the kidney when done for many years.
According to Chinese medicine, during the winter months tonics should be eaten primarily. Most of the tonics include meats, fatty foods and warming herbs. The body is designed to absorb these rich foods especially during this time of year. When we pay attention to nature, we can be guided towards the proper nutrients. Since most fruits are not usually abundant during the winter months, we should avoid eating large quantities of them. Foods such as fruits, salads and raw foods can deplete the immune system causing it to overwork to warm the body. When a person has a dislike of the cold weather, joint aches and pains, sore low back or catches cold frequently, then there is an imbalance and that person may be eating to many cold foods.
We recommend eating warm foods during the winter months, and foods that will strengthen the kidneys, blood and Qi (pronounced “Chee”), which sometimes is considered our inner form of energy. Foods that are best during the winter are: beef, lamb, root vegetables, dark leafy greens, black beans oats, quinoa, pumpkin, kidney beans and walnuts. Fruits are good as well and can be warmed by adding spices like cinnamon, so they don’t tax the system too much. Herbs like ginseng, garlic, onion, ginger, parsley and basil all have warming properties that can also be used when cooking.
Soups and stews are really best to eat this time of year. When you use bone broth as a base it will help, it’s very good for supplementing the kidney. These types of foods can help warm the body’s core and keep us fully nourished. Cooking should be done for longer periods over low heat using less water. This will infuse the food with heat and lasting nourishment.
TCM nutritional therapy is an important component of the TCM. The food consumed can have profound effects on the body that affects our health and well-being. Along with paying close attention to the foods that are abundant during the seasons, we also recommend that locally grown foods be utilized. This may help decrease the possibility of allergic reactions.
If you are interested in learning more about TCM and how it can help you, please call us at Master Lu’s Health Center in Salt Lake City or come in so we can help you take control of your health
