chi kung and kidneys

[KC Elbows]

I posted this on the chi kung forum, but I thought I'd get more response here.

I've been having problems the last week or two, I've got a doctor's appointment, but I wanted some input from you guys. I've felt like my kidney is bruised or something, yet I haven't done anything recently to bruise it to my knowledge.

Anyway , what kind of chi kung is safe to do during such times? I can't seem to do much heavy workout stuff right now, but I'd like to do some chi kung to maintain my health. The main exercises I do are one to build up my chi, one to show how to direct it to the arms, and one that shows how to direct it to the legs(pardon me if my terminology is incorrect, as I am by no means a highly knowledgeable chi kung practitioner).

I'm kind of nervous, as my grandfather had a birth defect that caused him to be born with three kidneys, one fully functional, and two only partially functional. By the time he died, he had only the one left, though he lived a full and long life. I've never been checked for this, but I have a lot of other similar traits to him.

[KC Elbows]

Oh, and what about types of food to avoid/not avoid, and activities I should steer clear of(don't worry, already know about the sex one:( )

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

from the sounds of it we are doing very similar breathing exercises. the set i do for feeling energy in the hands is done in a stationary horse stance, concentrating on your center, while moving the arms in simple movements with your breath.

i don't see how this could be bad for you even if you have a bruised kidney though im no expert either.

the other set i do involves allot of holding very low horse stances, rising up and back down again . .. moving again with the breath and not moving during 2 second pauses in breathing. this is much more demanding and i would avoid anything of the sort until you go to the doctors.

basically i guess im saying i think you'd be fine doing anything that doesn't require allot of physical strain.

[KC Elbows]

Our sets do sound similar, though I have not practiced one like the low horse stance one you mentioned.

My thought is to focus on the one for building up chi, and if it feels OK, doing the other two. The rest of the chi kung I know is specific to techniques and fah jing used in my style, and I'm not sure how they specifically address health issues, so I am avoiding them for the time being.

[EARTH DRAGON]

I will give you some advice but your question takes far more than a simple explaination of a excersise. But I will share with you a great kidney qigong routine that will definatly help if you are serious about it and you practice it daily......

Stand in horse and relax, using the backs of the hands rub the kidneys back and forth and up and down, continue until they feel warm about 2 -4 minutes then tap the kidneys with the backs of your hands alternating L and R dont tap too hard.
this stimulates secretions of the adrenal glands, tapping dissloves chrystilines which turn into kidneys stones and also stimulates filtering and excretory functions. there is certain foods that are too yin to avoid but I will have to refer to my chinese medical books and do some research so maybe and herbologist on these boards would have them named by memory, but again I would have to look them up and get back to you...

[KC Elbows]

Thanks, ED.

[Chinwoo-er]

I remember reading from somewhere once that says that ancient chiense martial artists believed that the kidney is the source of "jing" which in turn transforms to "Qi".

So IF we take that argument, and that your kidney is indeed damaged, i think the last thing you want to do is to make it work harder by producing more jing, hence Qi.

Then again, they said that the kidney was also the place where sperm was made too so you can tell how reliable that source was. eitherway, if you find it appropriate, ignore this message.

[EARTH DRAGON]

No problem KC please try this for a week and let me know how you feel. I have had great succsess with this excersise, you can feel the kidney qi flow when done for a while.

Not quite sure fi you undertand the importantance of proper kindney function so I would just like to say that the adrenals secrete lots of hormones used in immunity and store primordial energy which is what the chinese call (wei chi) weichi is the protective chi that surrounds the body that is a couple of inches above the surface of the skin, if our weichi is low that is when you are supsepptable to colds flu and viruses.

Ok I looked up and found that kidneys are the balacners of acid/alkiline in the body in order to balance proper chi flow to the kidneys being that is is a diuretic you must eat only yin foods ie salty foods, yin fruit, lots of water etc.. this should flush out impuirties should so again if you are serious practice the excersise daily and go yin foods for a least a week.... take care I hope this helps......your freind E.D

[KC Elbows]

Which fruits are yin fruits?

[fa_jing]

You might want to avoid eating red meats for a time as they contain uric acid, which strains the kidneys. This may or may not have anything to do with your condition. Meat can be boiled with carrots to rid it of the uric acid, which stores itself in the carrots, then you throw the carrots away. Ask your doctor about it.
-FJ

[KC Elbows]

Well, I'm already off to a bad start, then. One of my employees, to thank me for being a "cool boss" just treated me to BBQ.

Other than that, I hardly eat red meat.

[Cringes in fear of GDA's response]

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

whuuht? *looks innocent and confused*

[KC Elbows]

Geez, GDA, I didn't even know you could look innocent.:D

Don't pretend that you aren't a menace to society. There's a great number of forum members who are afraid to use the words 'meat', 'member', and 'penetrating power' because of you.

[Royal Dragon]

"You might want to avoid eating red meats for a time as they contain uric acid, which strains the kidneys."

Reply]

Actually, they don't. They containe Purines that break down in to Uric acid when they are metabolised.

KC,


Tell me, do you have pain in the big toe or center of the foot on the same side as your kidney pain?

Royal dragon

[EARTH DRAGON]

you asked for yin foods or what foods and fruit are yin? I had to dig out my journles but here are a few......

yin cooling
raw fruits
raw veggies
summer squashes
slad greens
tofu
seaweed
bulgar
rice
milk
bean sprots
raw fish

Also with balancing your acid /alkiline you should eat
alkiline
coffee
tea
fruit
veggs
sea weeds
garlic
salt
stay away from yang foods which would be the opposite of the list above.. thake care E.D

[KC Elbows]

RD,
No, no such pain. Now you've got me thinking of what else might be hurting. Let's see, the kidney hurts from both sides(front and back), at its worst there's a dull ache in my back on the same side(mid to lower back) that extends around to the front of the leg(siatic(sp.) sort of thing). That's all I can think of now.

ED,
Thanks, you went above and beyond. What's funny is that a lot of those foods are what I've been hungry for lately(I've been eating raw carrots like crazy the past few days).

[Ryu]

KC, I didn't see this thread until now.
Hope everything is okay. :)

Don't worry too much, Buddhist chants for you! :D

Ryu

[KC Elbows]

I'm sure it'll be fine. Even if I take after my grandfather and his mutant kidneys, the man smoked for forty years, lived to 86, and died of old age, so I could do worse as far as longevity.

Plus, he never had the advantage of modern western medicine and eastern medicine. I'll be fine.

And thanks for the chants. Hey, if you get the chance, throw one out for my friend. He fell for a girl, she didn't like him, and his self worth is so tied up with such stuff that he gets just crushed whenever it happens. If you don't got the time, its cool, I just don't know any chants, so the best I can do is chear him up and give him advice when he wants it.

[JWTAYLOR]

From someone who was born with a dysfunctional kidney (it's there, but shrivelled up like a pea and comletely useless) and prone to kidney infections, and had just about every male member on my dad's side of my family die early becuase of renal failure, please let me give a little advice.

1. The pain you are describing is EXACTLY what I feel before the onset of a kidney infection. And I mean exactly.

2. Make sure you don't have a fever. Not even a low one. Use a thermometer and make sure. You are going to a doctor, so make sure they check your temp as well. If you have a fever, or feel like you've had a slightly elevated temp for a long time, let your doctor know.

3. STRETCH YOUR BACK. Do the exercise Yoga practitioners call "the plough". Do it every day for at least 10 mintues. Do something like the "Wheel" or something like the bridge popularized by Matt Furey to balance that out.

4. Go home, take some arm and hammer baking soda, scoop out two tablespoons, and mix it in a 16oz glass of warm water. Drink it all. Don't chug, and don't sip. Just sit there and take a few drinks until it's all gone. Keep it down. Don't barf. Do that twice a day for three days. This one is a miracle worker.

5. Drink more water than normal. Make sure you get your RDA, and then add a third to it.

6. Masage is a good thing. The kidney is a pretty solid organ, and massaging it, physically moving it and kneeding it really helps it's function.

7. No alchohol or coffee till it's better.

8. Pumpkin pie, eat it.

JWT

[KC Elbows]

Well, I wasn't worried before.:eek: :eek: :eek:

Thanks JWT. I suspect you might be right, as I haven't taken any kidney shots in sparring, yet it feels the same.

Questions:

-How old were you when the problem started?

-could someone describe the plough and the wheel to me? I'm pretty sure I've done them before, might still do them, but I can't place the name with the exercise.

-What does the baking soda do? I'm gonna drink it, so if this is some clever prank, ya got me.:D

[JWTAYLOR]

Baking soda's ph is way different from your body's ph. Many "infections" can not withstand such drastic ph changes. Same reason that they tell you to drink cranberry juice since it's so acidic. But I find such acid to be hard on the kidneys, and baking soda isn't. But the acid in your stomach won't like the basic nature of the baking soda, so mix well and don't chug.


The plough. http://www.holisticonline.com/Yoga/hol_yoga_pos_plough.htm

I can't find the wheel, but the fish is a good balancing pose for beginners.
The Fish
http://www.holisticonline.com/Yoga/hol_yoga_pos_fish.htm

Of course, if you're a big ol' stud, you can tot he Locus and try to bring your feet at the way forward.
http://www.holisticonline.com/Yoga/hol_yoga_pos_locust.htm

But I sugges the Feet Flat Back Bridge.
http://www.mattfurey.com/exercises.html

The plough will help you the most, and the others are just balancing poses for it. But I recommend Furey's Back Bridge to everyone.

Oh, and as far as how old I was, 19. I came aware of the problem after a drinking benge followed by complete renal failure. I found out in the hospital.

JWT

[KC Elbows]

Thanks JWT. I'll try those out tonight.

[MonkeyBoy]

Be very careful about your diet. The kidneys are delicate and can fail for a few reasons genetic, infection, cancer or physical abuse.

If the problem is infection, you want more fluid. If it's the onset of failure you want less.

If your losing function do to nephritis you need to lessen protein and increase calories. If it's a diabetic condition, you need to control sugar intake carefully.

If your blood pressure is going up, no salt. If it's dropping, a mild salt intake.

When the kidneys slow in function foods with high potassium can cause heart failure, potatoes are very high in potassium. All milk products, chocolate, nuts and fruits have high phosphorous and cause a nasty itch, easily breakable bones and harden blood vessels when function has been in any way compromised. Any slowing of function will increase BUN (blood urea nitrogen) content, a poison you kidneys shed for you.

If you have experienced a bad taste in your mouth, a severe itch, fatigue or blurred vision make sure to tell the doctor.

Insist on blood work.

There's plenty of info out there. (http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/kidney/kidney.htm)

The very best of luck.

[KC Elbows]

Thanks, Monkey Boy.

The doctor's office is closed early because of sleet, so it looks like I will wait for tomorrow.

Thanks, all.

[Royal Dragon]

RD,
No, no such pain. Now you've got me thinking of what else might be hurting. Let's see, the kidney hurts from both sides(front and back), at its worst there's a dull ache in my back on the same side(mid to lower back) that extends around to the front of the leg(siatic(sp.) sort of thing). That's all I can think of now.

I have Gout, and I get low grade fever and dull pain in my left Kidney every time I have a Gout attack in my left foot. Never had an attack i my right foot, but I'm guessing the right kidney would hurt if I did.


I have the Siatica thing too, it's from my herniated disk pressing on the nerve.

RD

[KC Elbows]

RD,
That's the weird thing. I had a minor injury to the connective tissue between my hip and spine on the left side years ago, and that's why I know how the siatic thing feels. However, its never hit on the right side before, and my back itself seems fine, other than that.

[anton]

Someone once told me eating watermelon is good for cleansing the urinary system, which kind of makes sense, since you're supposed to drink heaps of fluid, and eating a watermelon is easier than chugging down the equivalent amount of fluid.

[JWTAYLOR]

So, how you doin?

JWT

[KC Elbows]

Actually, pretty crappy. Ice storm hit us Tuesday afternoon, and since all my personnel live further away from work than I, I let them go just ahead of the bad weather, and had to stay to the end of the day and miss my doctor's appointment.

Wednesday, the ice storm continued, I was the only one able to make it in, had to do all three department's work, couldn't get to the doctor.

Thursday, my power and phone went out, last I heard 1 out of 4 people in the area actually had power(more than 500,000 people without power was the early estimate), was the only one to make it into work again, doctor's offices closed.

Today, just got into work, not feeling too good. I'm trying to get into the doctor and get some people from the other sites to cover for me while I'm there. If I don't get an appointment, I'll go to the hospital at the end of the day.

My block looks like a warzone. One massive tree fell on the power lines, another on the phone and cable. The tallest trees in the neighborhood, which there were many of, are so weighted down with ice that their tops are no taller than a man, and at night, all you can hear is the sounds of trees cracking, breaking, and falling. It's amazing, really.

[fa_jing]

Do you work for Sprint? We had a conference call cancelled because of the phone problems you guys are having.
Good luck with the Kidneys, bro.

[Sam Wiley]

KC,
One qigong you can use for overall toning of the kidneys is Snake Creeps Down. If you go into the posture from Single Whip and hold it for a minute on each side, and do this a couple of times a day, it will help heal your kidneys. I think it has an effect on the bladder as well, because every time I do this one form where I do that move over and over again, I have to pee right away. I think the effect is gained through the flexing of the hip joints and positioning of the legs, and not so much through the positioning of the hands.

There is another pair of postures from Taiji that affect the kidneys and the bladder. Spin Around And Corner Kick from the second third of the Taiji form is for the kidneys and Mailed Fist (called Buddha's Attendant Pounds Mortar, I believe, in the Chen style) is for the bladder. Do them a few times on each side.

[KC Elbows]

Well, been to the doctor, and he thinks something else is pressing into the kidney, which is causing the pain. Going in for an ultrasound, and I don't feel safe practicing anything right now, as I feel more discomfort every day. Just doing nice basic chi kung in small increments, and trying to eat right.

All in all, I'm OK, but somewhat stressed.

Thanks for the help.