Yin Deficiency

[ketchup]

Hi,

Could anyone here please speak to Yin Deficiency (I've been diagnosed with it)- its causes, aspects, manifestations, and cures. Also, if anyone wants to they can also speak to kidney water deficiency.

thanks

[vikinggoddess]

Here's a short definition that I came up with for the glossary on my website:
Yin Deficiency: a condition characterized my a lack of nutritive Qi and blood. Some of the Signs and symptoms depend upon one's sex and the ZangFu (Chinese organs) effected but include: Thin pulse, narrow red tongue, no tongue coat, feeling hot in the afternoon, menopausal symptoms, thin body, trouble falling asleep, hot hands and feet, etc.

Kidney is the body's deepest storehouse for energy and yin. Some common Kidney Yin deficiency signs, symptoms, and history include low back pain, balding, low sex drive, history of excessive sexual activity, history of work-aholic type behavior, etc. These people are advised to have a moderate sex life and avoid working too hard in order to conserve their Kidney Yin and essence.

Some people are just constitutionally Yin deficient; they are very thin and don't gain weight easily. Other people become Yin deficient through taking drugs instead of food, in that way they burn up their internal storehouse of Kidney Yin and essence. Another common group of people with Yin deficiency is menopausal women. Over a lifetime women a lot of menstrual blood, which is also a Yin material. Old people are also usually Yin deficient; Yin and Yang both decline with age.

A person with Yin deficiency type of constitution should avoid hot spicy foods that further deplete the body's Yin. Some Yin tonic foods include beans especially black beans, pork, potato, dairy, nuts and seeds especially black sesame. My favorite Yin tonic food is the Black rice and sesame paste that you can get in Chinese grocery stores. You can get a package of 20 and have it on oatmeal or rice or alone for breakfast.

[ketchup]

Thank you VERY much for your reply, Viking goddess, it was very informative. I will definitely check out that black rice and sesame paste. After the internal storehouse of kidney yin and essence is burned up, can it be replenished? Also, what do you think of the effectiveness of herbs for correcting male pattern baldness. If the yin deficiency is healed through herbs do you think hair should grow back? thanks again

[vikinggoddess]

Yin can be replenished, but not essence. Some would argue that essence can be restored with qi gong, but the general concensus is that essence cannot be supplemented. You get a certain amount of essence from your parents in gestation and birth, and that is your bank account from which you can only make withdrawals. That's why it's important to eat good foods and rest, otherwise you body draws on essence for survival.

As to the male pattern baldness, I think it can be slowed or slightly restored, but the pattern will continue with aging as Yin and blood naturally decline. My husband has this pattern baldness starting, and for sure he has more hair now than he did when he first met me over a year ago. He was not getting enough food or rest when we met, and now he usually eats enough and I also give him vitamins and royal jelly. One longevity herb, which is also said to be good for hair growth is He Shou Wu; a blood and Yin tonic. If you get the raw herb you can boil it to make a strong tea. Tapping the bald area also stimulates blood to and hair growth. This technique is used in Chinese medicine to treat alopecia.

[ketchup]

Thanks again for an informative response. Would you care to speak a bit about yang deficiency, its causes, manifestations, and remedies as well? Are you familiar with kidney water dificiency? Do you know what causes weakened kidneys and what foods and things are best for strengthening the kidneys? thanks-

[vikinggoddess]

I haven't heard the term 'Kidney water deficiency' before. SInce water is the element of the kidney, it could mean a general kidney deficiency, which would make it a kind of redundent diagnosis, otherwise I would say it is a Kidney Yin deficiency (or something similar at the essence level), which I already wrote aboout. Therefore, foods I mentioned would apply.

I pulled this short definition off my site as well:
Kidney Yang Deficiency: A pattern of disharmony characterized by some of the following signs and symptoms: pale or frequent urination, low back pain, subjective feelings of cold, early morning diarrhea, exhaustion.

This can also be constitutional, or can be found in people who have had to work hard outside in the cold on a regular basis. Here are some Kidney Yang activating and Yang tonic foods and herbs: Basil, Fennugreek, garlic, rosemary, cayenne, walnut, lobster, shrimp, mussel, raspberry, anchovy, kidney (beef), lamb, Chinese ginseng (Renshen), antelope horn (Lu Rong).

One can have both Kidney Yin and Yang deficiency, mostly the elderly. In that case they should take both Yin and Yang tonic foods and herbs in a balanced way. My favorite teacher says wait to take the ginseng (on a regular basis) until you are older, so it will still work. Makes sense if you think about biochemistry and how once people get on drugs, they have to up the dosage after a while for them to keep working.

[ketchup]

I saw my chinese herbalist today, her english isn't great. I'd been having wicked insomnia and she strongly urged me to avoid spicy foods, deep fried foods, and oily foods. One thing I like to eat sometimes is brown rice with cooked vegetables and about a tablespoon of olive oil (straight from the bottle) on top. Would this be considered oily (bad) or did she just mean cooking with oil? (I know olive oil is supposed to be very healthy) thanks in advance for all responses