Kidneys control the reception of Qi

[Guest guest]

Another function of the Kidneys is that they control the reception

of Qi. This ties in with a post I did a few days ago about one of

the things that can go wrong with the Kidneys is Kidneys Refusing to

Receive Qi (aka Kidney Unable to Grasp Qi).

 

Maciocia says it better than I can:

 

" To make use of the clear Qi of the air, the Lungs and Kidneys work

together. The Lungs have a descending action on Qi, directing it

down to the Kidneys. The Kidneys respond by " holding " this Qi

down. If the Kidneys cannot hold Qi down it " rebels " upward

creating congestion in the chest resulting in breathlessness and

asthma. This is a very frequent cause of chronic asthma. " (Giovanni

Maciocia, The Foundations of , p. 97.)

 

The possible symptoms of breathing problems due to Kidneys Refusing

to Receive Qi are inhalation being harder than exhalation, breathing

problems are worse when lying down, and breathing problems are worse

during the winter. Sometimes breathing problems will be worse at

night than during the day because the night tends to be cooler than

the day. Kidneys Refusing to Receive Qi is a Kidney Yang Deficiency

problem.

 

Something else to keep in mind is that in cases of Kidney Yang

Deficieny, there often is a tendency to want to curl into a fetal

position when sleeping. This makes breathing more difficult for a

person with Kidneys Refusing to Receive Qi. People with this

imbalance often have to deliberately force themselves to not curl up

when they go to bed.

 

Maciocia lists 8 functions of the Kidneys:

 

" 1. Store Essence " (Jing) " and govern birth, growth, reproduction

and development

2. Produce Marrow, fill up the Brain, control bones

3. Govern water

4. Control the reception of Qi

5. Open into the ears

6. Manifest on the hair

7. Control the two Lower Orifices

8. House the Will Power "

 

(Giovanni Maciocia, The Foundations of , pp. 96 -98.)

 

In addition the Gate of Viality (Ming Men) has several functions.

Don't worry about what the Ming Men is at present. Just know that it

has to do with the Kidneys. I wanted you to have some idea of how

important the Kidneys are in TCM. BTW, there has been a debate in

TCM for centuries about which is more important to good health, the

Kidneys or the Spleen. They are both very important. The concept of

the Spleen includes many of the functions of the pancreas, and some

Western writers even call it the Spleen-Pancreas. There were early

translation problems.

 

Qi circulates throughout the body in pathways called " meridians "

or " channels " . (The use of the word meridian was another early

translation problem.) Each meridian has a proper direction of flow.

For example, Stomach Qi is supposed to descend, and Spleen Qi is

supposed to ascend. When Stomach Qi rises instead of descending,

this is called Stomach Qi Rebelling. This can be responsible for

problems like belching and vomiting as well as acid reflux. When

Spleen Qi descends, this is called Spleen Qi Sinking, and the result

can be prolapsed organs.