Kidney Yang Deficiency

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Yang warms and activates the body.

 

" Clinical manifestations

 

" Soreness of the back, cold knees, sensation of cold in the back, aversion

to cold, weak legs, bright-white complexion, weak knees, impotence,

premature ejaculation, lassitude, abundant-clear urination, scanty-clear

urination, apathy, oedema of the legs, infertility in women, poor appetite,

loose stools.

 

" Tongue: Pale, Swollen, Wet.

 

" Pulse: Deep-Weak.

 

" Key symptoms: cold in the back, abundant-clear urination. Pale tongue.

Deep pulse. " (Giovanni Maciocia, The Foundations of ,

p.253.)

 

One thing Maciocia does not spell out here is there is loss of libido in

both men and women.

 

The person may feel cold all over (not just the back) and have problems

warming up. When the back is affected it can be like patches of coldness.

In extreme cases the cold sensation can be so extreme that it feels like a

burning cold - the type of cold sensation one gets when one touches a block

of ice and leaves one's finger on the block of ice for several seconds.

 

In some cases one will not see the poor appetite but the opposite as the

person feels hungry and eats in order to try to warm up and energize him or

herself.

 

The " bright-white complexion " also has been described as " shiny pale " . (In

contrast the pale complexion of Blood Deficiency is dull pale.)

 

One thing that Maciocia doesn't mention here is the slowness of speech,

movement, reflexes, thought, and pulse. Though in cases where the Yang

Deficiency has gone on for some time and Fluid pathology problems have

multiplied, the pulse can be rapid as the heart attempts to compensate for

decreased blood volume.

 

This is a person who is " out of it " . Think of the analogy of how a stream

which is freezing slows down more and more as it freezes more and more.

Cold slows things down.

 

In extreme cases the person may describe a sensation in trying to warm up

like sucking all the warmth out of things and still not warming up. For

example, in extreme cases of Kidney Yang Deficiency, the person may get

under an electric blanket and several quilts and still not be able to warm

up. The person may describe a sensation of it being like they were sucking

all the warmth out of the covers but instead of it warming them up they were

turning the heat into cold. (This occurs in extreme cases.)

 

The abundant-clear urination is the usual manifestation, but Maciocia points

out that in some cases - because of the on-going disturbance of Fluid

physiology - the urine may be scanty-clear. Because Yang activates and

moves, little Fluid is being moved, and edema and scanty urination is the

result. But the usual manifestation is the abundant-clear urination. In

some cases the person may be going to be bathroom every 15 minutes.

Anything the person drinks goes right through him/her. The key in cases of

both abundant and scanty urination is that the urine is clear instead of the

usual straw color.

 

The person seldom feels thirsty. When the person does feel thirsty there is

a marked preference for hot liquids, especially soups. If the person drinks

water or soft drinks, the person prefers room temperature liquids. There

may be an aversion to drinking even room temperature liquids not just

because of the Dampness problems that can develop when Kidney Yang

Deficiency goes on for some time but also because a sip of room temperature

water can cool the person down even more and increase the feelings of cold.

(Note: People with Dampness problems frequently will feel an aversion to

drinking liquids because they are already water-logged.)

 

The person will tend to hate the winter and do much worse in the winter than

in warmer months.

 

This is a person who requires a great deal of sleep and may feel sleepy a

lot. Think of animals that hibernate during winter. The favorite sleeping

position often will be the fetal position. If the person also is suffering

from Kidneys Refusing to Receive Qi (a special category of Kidney Yang

Deficiency) and is having problems breathing as a result, this tendency to

sleep curled up will aggravate the breathing problems.

 

The treatment principle is to both Warm the Interior and Tonify Yang. When

using herbs, both classes of herbs will be needed - those that Warm the

Interior as well as Yang tonic herbs.

 

Because the Kidneys supply both the Yang and the Yin to the rest of the

body, if the Kidneys are Yang Deficient, the problem of Yang Deficiency is

systemic, affecting the entire body.

 

If Kidney Yang Deficiency is present, Kidney Yin Deficiency almost always is

also present though in lesser degree and vice versa. For this reason,

Kidney Yang tonic formulas usually contain at least one Kidney Yin tonic

herb in addition to the Kidney Yang tonic herbs. In acupuncture moxa is

used to supplement the Yang.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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