Guest guest Posted June 28, 2002 Report Share Posted June 28, 2002 Five TCM syndromes which can manifest as frequent urination are Urinary Bladder Damp Heat, Kidney Yin Deficiency, Failing Kidney Consolidation (Yang Deficiency), Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency, and Liver Qi Blockage. Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency: " Frequent, clear and profuse urination, with possible incontinence, worse with exertion, and accompanied by typical symptoms of qi deficiency of the Lungs and the Spleen, such as expectoration of clear thin mucus or excessive saliva, tiredness, shortness of breath, reluctance to speak much, sensitivity to cold, poor appetite, loose stool, pale lips and tongue, white tongue coat, and a large floating but forceless pulse. " (Fluid Physiology and Pathology in Traditional , Steven Clavey, p. 95.) The two most important Organs for Qi are the Spleen and the Lungs. The Spleen extracts the Grain Qi from food which is " rotted and ripened " in the Stomach and carries it to the Lungs where it mixes with Air Qi which the Lungs have extracted. If either the Lungs or the Spleen is Deficient, a person will become Qi Deficient. (Note: TCM Organs are collections of functions and encompass more than the anatomical organs they are named after. A rough though inadequate translation of Qi is " energy " .) When the Lungs especially are affected, breathing symptoms will be emphasized. Note the " shortness of breath " and " reluctance to speak much " symptoms. When the Spleen is very weak, digestive system symptoms will be emphasized. If either the Spleen or the Lungs become weakened, in time this will weaken the other and then the entire body. The Spleen and the Lungs supply the Qi for the entire body. When Qi Deficiency has gone untreated for some time, it is not uncommon for both Lung Qi Deficiency and Spleen Qi Deficiency symptoms to be very pronounced. One of the functions of Qi is to hold things in their proper course. One of the symptoms of Qi Deficiency is what I call " leaks " - excessive perspiration, diarrhea, incontinence, dribbling of urine, etc. Incontinence not only is possible with Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency, it is probable. There actually are three mechanisms at work in cases of urinary incontinence due to Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency. One of these is the lack of Qi to supply to the rest of the body, including the Kidneys and Bladder. Another has to do with the Spleen Qi's function of " lifting " . " Once deficient, the qi can no longer lift properly and, lacking this support, the Urinary Bladder is unable to retain fluids. " (Clavey, p. 96.) A third mechanism has to do with the Spleen's function of transforming and transporting water in the body. " Added to this is the increased volume of fluids which impairment to the Spleen and Lung fluid functions generates: these fluids pour down into the Urinary Bladder and cause profuse clear urination, and also lead to the tell-tale expectoration of clear thin mucus as these fluids well upwards. " (Clavey, p. 96.) When interviewing clients note if the periods of increased urination also are occuring during times when the person's " allegies " worsen and there is an increase in nasal mucus. If so, the probable Roots for both are Spleen and Lung Qi Deficiency. Another function of the Spleen is to " control " Blood and keep it in its proper channels. If the Spleen is weak and unable to perform this function, bleeding into tissues can result. Deficient Spleen Qi is one of the possible Roots for blood in the urine. This bleeding can occur without infection being present. The Root in this case is Spleen Unable to Control Blood (a subclass of Spleen Qi Deficiency). Urinary frequency, incontinence, and dribbling due to Spleen and Lung Qi Deficiency will worsen when the person is overworked and sometimes will clear up without herbs when the person gets more rest - provided the diet is adequate. Overwork will damage the Spleen. Once the person starts to get enough rest, the weakening assault on the Spleen stops, and the urinary frequency, incontinence, and dribbling stop. If the individual resumes over-doing, the frequent urination, incontinence, and dribbling start again. I have presented the 5 most common Roots of frequent urination as though they occur separately. They can, but they also can occur in combination. For example, in cases of long-term, chronic illness, it is not uncommon for a person to be both Kidney Yang and Spleen Qi Deficient. It's not uncommon in cases of chronic illness involving Kidney imbalance and Spleen Qi Deficiency for Damp Heat (and infection) to accumulate in the Bladder. Also, whenever a person is Kidney Yang Deficient, the individual almost always is Kidney Yin Deficient to a lesser degree. Whenever a person is Kidney Yin Deficient, s/he also is Kidney Yang Deficient to a lesser degree. A Complex Picture: Sometimes when a person has been sick for sometime and both Kidney Yang Deficiency and Spleen Qi Deficiency are present, the symptoms of Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency can be very pronounced. There may be joint Dampness and Dryness symptoms. The Dryness primarily is affecting the blood, and the red blood cell count may be elevated due in part to the decreased blood volume. The symptoms of polycythemia vera are present, but this is not necessarily true P.V. In order to ease the breathing problems, the person must drink liquids in order to increase blood volume. The problem is that anything the person drinks is going straight through him or her. In extreme cases, the person may be urinating every 15 minutes or less. In some of these cases, the person will have a sore spot along the spine in the area of the middle back (up a few inches from the waist). There may be additional sore spots along the spine between the shoulder blades and in the neck. If these sore spots are massaged out or corrected with chiropractic or D.O. treatments, the breathing problems and frequent urination will ease somewhat. The underlying TCM imbalances still will have to be corrected in order to cure the tendency to the problem, but the massage and/or chiropractic treatments can bring immediate relief in some cases. In these cases, in addition to Kidney and Spleen imbalances, there is almost certain to be Liver imbalance as well. Victoria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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