Yin defeciency

[Guest guest]

Dear Dr. Kumar:

 

Thank you for taking the time to give a a complete

answer to my question. This is an important area and

well worth the time to read your entire response. I'm

ready to start taking new steps to improve my health.

 

Regards, Jack

 

--- Vinod Kumar <vinod3x3 wrote:

 

> > Vinod:

> >

> > What is the best way to treat this then? Can you

> > recommend food, herbs, acupoints?

> >

> > Thanks, Jack

>

>

>

> This is a long posting on Yin deficiency ?perhaps

> much more than

> many want to know about the subject but for those

> who are interested

> these are some points that came to mind while trying

> to discuss the

> issue ?it is obviously only the highlights of a

> very big subject.

>

>

> Yin is the substance of our bodies ?the cells, the

> fluids, the

> organs, the skeleton, the glands, the brain, etc.

> These structures

> and substances comprise our basic physiological

> functions ?the

> harmonious functioning of each cell is necessary for

> healthy life.

> Within these substances and structures are

> relatively more or less

> Yin or Yang functions. When the substances and

> structures of our

> bodies lose their functioning capacities and or

> their harmonious

> balance within themselves and in relationship with

> the other organ

> functions - we develop deteriorating health and or

> aging symptoms. A

> primary way we can understand aging is it is the

> gradual loss of the

> Yin and when the Yin is depleted we die. This simply

> means that as we

> age we lose structure and substance to the point

> that the basic

> functions are no longer supporting health and

> vitality and our

> various organ functions break down more and more.

> Many start this

> severe depletion of the Yin at a young age either

> through genetics

> and or excess and or deficiencies (many suffer from

> diseases of

> excess and deficiencies at the same time ?one

> possible example is

> hypometabolism from low thyroid function combined

> with strong heat

> symptoms from excess acids ?this is `Yin/fire ?>

there are many

> examples that could be given). So a very important

> aspect of our

> lives is the cultivation and protection of the Yin.

> We must keep the

> basic functions of the organs ?glands ?brain and

> nervous system ?

> circulatory system ?etc. in as good a tone and

> harmony as possible

> (harmony within the organ function and between the

> various organ

> systems). To the extent we can achieve this the

> better quality and

> length of life we will have. Many people have low Qi

> and Yang but

> because of strong balanced Yin and Shen (balanced

> with the available

> Qi and Yang) they live serene and fulfilled lives.

> Many `Immortals'

> do not have huge amounts of energy but they are

> `balanced' and exert

> great influence on human history. This is of course

> also true of

> ordinary people as we age ?we may not have great

> influence on

> history but we can live balanced, harmless,

> fulfilling lives.

>

> Yin is the substance and Qi and Yang are the focus

> and power with

> which we manifest and express ourselves. Why we lose

> Yin and the

> pathologies that develop as a result of this loss

> are of course a big

> subject - one that I would like to post on in the

> future if I am able

> to find the time. I think it might be useful to

> understand in

> ordinary English what are the causes of ordinary

> pathologies ?I

> notice that many in this group have trouble

> understanding TCM

> terminology ?this problem could be easily solved by

> using ordinary

> English since many of us all already understand many

> of the concepts

> of TCM but we use different terms to describe these

> concepts.

>

> Yin Deficiency will present with signs of dryness

> and signs of empty

> heat. Yang Deficiency will present with signs of

> cold. One can have

> dry empty `false' heat and cold. Those who have both

> Yin and Yang

> deficiency can become very cold and damp as well as

> damp/heat (false

> heat) with many stagnation processes ?cold, damp,

> false heat,

> stagnant diseases are common in modern humanity. The

> list of diseases

> that manifest as a result of this syndrome is very

> long including

> many of the most devastating diseases. A body that

> can not maintain

> ordinary functions because of reduced temperature,

> blockages, and

> excess water with acids (false heat with dampness)

> is a body facing

> increasing deterioration into severe diseases.

>

> In the meantime Jack has asked what do we do about

> declining Yin.

>

> Pathology is the result of malfunctioning of some

> structure or

> substance of the body. Therefore to correct this we

> must `rebalance'

> this imbalance. Harmony within each system and

> harmony between the

> various organ systems is our goal. I see this issue

> in a very broad

> context since I come from both Traditional (TCM and

> Ayurveda) and

> modern systems

> ( Endocrinology). In modern terms I see excess loss

> of Yin as coming

> from stress and Endocrine imbalances ?which causes

> an imbalance in

> the Pituitary/ANS (Autonomic Nervous System) axis

> (which causes the

> balance within the organs and between the organs to

> become

> imbalanced ?this imbalances brain chemistry as well

> creating a

> cascade of symptoms mental-physical-spiritual. To

> correct this we

> must /rebalance. The symbols of this have to do with

> cleaning and

> strengthening the blood as it is the blood that is

> poisoning the

> cells and interfering with proper organ function (as

> example excess

> acids in the blood effect all organs but especially

> the kidneys and

> liver ?removing excess acids from the blood

> improves functioning of

> all organs ?for many reasons including improved

> oxygen carrying

> capacity) ?as well we must balance the `top and

> the bottom' ?

> the `left and the right' ?the `inner and the outer'

> (this is

> resetting the ANS which will go a long way toward

> balancing the

> Endocrine functions and the brain chemical

> imbalances) ?we must

> remove excess water and stop the tendency of our

> bodies to hold water

> and form mucus (phlegm) - we must calm ourselves and

> sleep well - we

> must improve digestion, absorption, assimilation,

> and elimination.

> Ancient people developed many techniques for dealing

> with excesses

> and deficiencies. Three major categories of these

> techniques are

> diet -–herbs ?and meridian (or srota) manipulation

> (like Yoga, Chi

> Kung, bodywork, and Acupuncture).

>

> Diet is essential to health ?there is no health if

> we constantly

> poison our bodies with foods and other substances or

> if we do not

> properly nourish the cells. A healing diet is a

> simple and mild diet

> with no excessive qualities. Bob Flaws has a nice

> little book

> on `mild' diet -

>

> Arisal of the Clear: A Simple Guide to Healthy

> Eating According to

> Traditional

>

>

=== message truncated ===

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Much thanks for a very thorough and deep post on Yin Deficiency.

 

I was especially interested in what you had to say about asparagus

root.

 

> Asparagus root (Ayur. -Shatavari) – this is one of the best Yin

> building substances as it gives strength to the body without

heating.

> This herb is essential for women who have reproductive organ

> imbalances. It has been used since ancient times to build sexual

> energy without heating the body – it removes the heat. Remember

that

> we can remove the acids in many ways other than simplistic

> neutralization (which could end up over cooling – examples would

be

> diuretics or diaphoretics which remove fluids and acids without

> overcooling). Ayurveda uses asparagus root with Ashwaghanda

(Withania

> somnifera) and Gokshura (Tribulis) as a classic sexual

rejuvenator.

> Ashwaghanda is somewhere between Ginseng and American Ginseng in

its

> energetics – it is milder than Ginseng and has less potential to

> challenge the Yin.

 

Asparagus tuber is the Yin tonic herb that works the best for me and

without side effects. Because I had read that this herb is cloying,

I had hestitated to mention it on here, thinking that might just be

something peculiar to me. According to your information, it's one of

the better ones.

 

I got good results decocting it in tea, but even better results

chewing a small piece with a sliver of licorice root. Usually teas

are the most effective method of administration for me, but in the

case of asparagus tuber, chewing a piece along with licorice root

works best in my case. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this.

 

The amount I chew once a day is no bigger than my small fingernail.

The piece of licorice is even smaller.

 

I'm surprised that I do so well on it as its thermal energy is very

cold, and usually herbs with cold energy affect me negatively.

Since raw licorice's thermal energy is neutral, I wouldn't have

thought that a piece of licorice could offset the extreme coldness

of asparagus tuber.

 

Asparagus tuber has an infinity for the Kidneys and Lungs. I get the

cooling of the Lungs (which I need) without the Kidney Cold problems

being aggravated. It also evens out the Dryness and Dampness

problems I have. Usually, herbs for Dampness aggravate the Dryness

problems, and herbs that moisten aggravate the Dampness problems.

Not in this case.

 

For the new TCM herbalism students on the list, part of your

training will involve tasting herbs and identifying the taste. The

taste of asparagus tuber (aka tian men dong) is sweet and bitter.

When you first start chewing the herb, the sweetness predominates.

But as you keep chewing, the bitterness becomes more obvious. It's

not a strong and overly unpleasant bitterness, but it is bitterness.

 

Licorice root (aka gan cao) has a sweet taste. This is a woody root

so when you chew a piece, you understand why one of the nicknames of

licorice root is " wood candy " . It takes a lot of chewing.

 

For those new to TCM, the flavor or taste of an herb (or food) often

will tell you something about the herb's (or food's) general

properties.

[Guest guest]

Victoria's comments emphasize how important it is to take mild Qi

substances to help digest and balance the coldness of Yin supporting

substances. The cloying quality that is refered to is only important

for those who already have thick sticky secretions. Neverthless it is

important to balance the Yin with some Qi and a little Yang - so her

comments about adding Qi substances with Yin is very relevant. This

does not mean to use large quantaties of Qi which would be stressful

for those who are severely Yin defecient.