Kidneys out of balance

[Yum Cha]

Can anyone explain to me the significance of Kidneys being out of balance from a traditional chinese medicine point of view?

Thanks

[Pakmei]

Depends on which aspect of the Kidneys you are referring to!

Kidney Yin, Kindey Yang or Kidney Jing?
Each of these aspects have their different signs and symptoms.

Kidney Yin: Restlessness, 5 Palm Heat (Hot hands , feet and chest), night sweats, dehydration, rapid pulse, red peeled tongue.

Kidney Yang: Feeling of coldness, lethergy, aversion to cold, pale pallor and tongue, Cold hands, feet and lower back, possibly weak knees, impotency or reduced sexual libido.

Generally, deficiency in Kidney Qi is seen quite commonly in the elderly, or with people that have chronic or critical illness (i.e. HIV, Cancer, etc) as the high dosage of medication drains the Kidney Jing reserve in trying to help battle the illness as well as the potential side effects of the medication.

Out of the 2 above, Kidney Yin is the more severe. As it usually leads to a deficiency in the Liver, leading to what is known as Liver Yang Rising (an upsurge of hot energy rising rapidly towards the head) which can trigger a stroke.

However, Kidneys also play an important part in the relationship with the Heart (Fire and Water). So if there is an imbalance in the energetics between these two, then there could be signs of insomnia, anxiety, etc.

Not sure if that is what you were expecting to see. If not, then please elaborate further on your original question and I'll try and help as much as I can.

All the best

[Yum Cha]

Hi Dave,
The issue is back pain, related to the kidneys being out of balance. I noticed you mentioned back pain as related to Kidney Yang.

[Pakmei]

Hi there,
Back pain can be caused by a number of factors including Kidney Qi / Yang deficiency. Generally with most cases there is always more than one thing that is happening at the same time.

To be able to ascertain an accurate daignosis, some questions need to be answered (this you may prefer to reply in private via message or email!).

It comes down to the nature of the pain itself. Sharp, Dull, Stabbing, Burning, Aching, Constant, Comes and Goes, Only at certain times of the day/night.

Does it radiate or refer anywhere else or is it localised to a specific area

When and how did the back pain originally start? How long have you had the back pain?
Is there any family history with back pain? Any previous surgical procedures, in or around the region of the pain? If so, have you had a recent x-ray or scan of the area in question?

Whats your bowel movement like? Whats your bladder function like? Any history of urinary tract infection? History of Kidney stones?

For Women only!
Whats the menses like? If the female has given birth…. Was birth by natural delivery or c-section? How many time has she given birth? Any history of miscarriages?

Does the pain become better or worse for temperature, movement, etc.
Is there any restriction on ROM (range of movement)? Any numbness or pins and needles in the legs or feet? If so, only on one side or both sides? Any weakness or pain in the knees?

Are you taking any prescribed medication? If so, what? Also whats the dosage?
Are you or have you been taking any recreational drugs?

As you can see from the above. Back pain can be caused by any number of factors.

In TCM depending on how you would answer the questions would give a clearer insight into the energetics of the imbalance.

It could be Bi Syndrome (Painful Obstruction in the Channels and Collaterals) caused by acute trauma i.e. back sprain or by external invasion of wind cold and damp occluding the channels and restricting the flow of Qi and blood. Or could be a combination of both of those, where the original physical trauma has healed but has left a deficiency in the local area of qi and blood, thus leaving it open to opportunistic invasion of external factors.

Also could have an issue at the Zang Fu (Organ Level) where the various reserves of energy at the zang fu level have been obstructed, or depleted due to interior conditions such as deficiency, excess, dampness and/or phlegm.

Another point needs to be raised here is that in a consultation, both the tongue would be viewed and pulses taken to help differentiate the many various syndromes.

All the best

[Jacob]

Low back pain can also be a symptom of Kidney YIN deficiency. I have always found the best approach to this condition is to tonify both the yin AND yang of the kidneys, using such herbs as Du Zhong, Gou Ji, Han Lian Cao, Shi Hu etc...

[couch]

Hi there,
Back pain can be caused by a number of factors including Kidney Qi / Yang deficiency. Generally with most cases there is always more than one thing that is happening at the same time.

To be able to ascertain an accurate daignosis, some questions need to be answered (this you may prefer to reply in private via message or email!).

It comes down to the nature of the pain itself. Sharp, Dull, Stabbing, Burning, Aching, Constant, Comes and Goes, Only at certain times of the day/night.

Does it radiate or refer anywhere else or is it localised to a specific area

When and how did the back pain originally start? How long have you had the back pain?
Is there any family history with back pain? Any previous surgical procedures, in or around the region of the pain? If so, have you had a recent x-ray or scan of the area in question?

Whats your bowel movement like? Whats your bladder function like? Any history of urinary tract infection? History of Kidney stones?

For Women only!
Whats the menses like? If the female has given birth…. Was birth by natural delivery or c-section? How many time has she given birth? Any history of miscarriages?

Does the pain become better or worse for temperature, movement, etc.
Is there any restriction on ROM (range of movement)? Any numbness or pins and needles in the legs or feet? If so, only on one side or both sides? Any weakness or pain in the knees?

Are you taking any prescribed medication? If so, what? Also whats the dosage?
Are you or have you been taking any recreational drugs?

As you can see from the above. Back pain can be caused by any number of factors.

In TCM depending on how you would answer the questions would give a clearer insight into the energetics of the imbalance.

It could be Bi Syndrome (Painful Obstruction in the Channels and Collaterals) caused by acute trauma i.e. back sprain or by external invasion of wind cold and damp occluding the channels and restricting the flow of Qi and blood. Or could be a combination of both of those, where the original physical trauma has healed but has left a deficiency in the local area of qi and blood, thus leaving it open to opportunistic invasion of external factors.

Also could have an issue at the Zang Fu (Organ Level) where the various reserves of energy at the zang fu level have been obstructed, or depleted due to interior conditions such as deficiency, excess, dampness and/or phlegm.

Another point needs to be raised here is that in a consultation, both the tongue would be viewed and pulses taken to help differentiate the many various syndromes.

All the best

Good job explaining! :)

Best,
Kenton Sefcik

[dougadam]

The kidneys perform over 800 different functions. So a proper diagnosis would be difficult in a forum.

[fiercest tiger]

Lose some weight you big ******* for a start, stop the ging in the forms and do some soft power. :)

How are you Mattew, you still getting the back problems? :(

Must catch up one day for yum cha?:)

Garry