So our tour of the Chinese internal organ system brings us neatly to the Kidneys. The Kidneys are part of the Water element and as such are associated with the cold, winter and all things damn right miserable! As always though, we are looking beyond just the physical organ of the kidney and into its energetic and spiritual functions.
Physically the Kidneys are seen in a similar way to the Western view, in that they
are associated with filtering the blood and water metabolism. However the Chinese view the Kidneys as one of the most important organs of the body, so if we include the adrenal glands, which sit on just on top of the kidneys, then we get a much closer picture of what they mean to Chinese Medical theory.
The adrenal glands are integral to the entire endocrine system and the balance of horm
ones throughout the body. Adrenalin, is produced here and is released in to the blood stream when we are put in a ‘flight or fight’ situation. This then increases breath and hearts rate and supplies more energy to th
e muscles should they be needed. Clearly the adrenal glands can affect the
whole of the body, particularly under times of stress. Fittingly, the emotion associated with the Kidneys in Chinese Medicine is fear. Anyone who has ever suffered from fear or intense emotional strain over a long period of time, will eventually suffer from adrenal fatigue, otherwise known as Kidney Chi deficiency.
Keeping these far reaching effects of the adrenal system in mind, the energetic functions of the Kidneys in Chinese Medicine are similarly varied. Essentially they are seen as the battery of the body and their strength largely depends on the health of your parents at the moment of conception and the health of your mother during pregnancy. If as a child you were frequently poorly, this suggests that you may have been born with low kidney energy. It’s quite difficult to recharge these batteries and Kidney Chi tends to continue to decline until it is all used up and you die. Signs of ageing such as teeth falling out, hair loss, impotence, osteoporosis and hearing loss are all classic symptoms of the Kidneys beginning to tire.
However the most common symptom most of us experience initially is that of back pain. The Kidneys are physically and energetically in control of the lower back and pain here usually indicates Chi deficiency, especially if it feels cold to the touch. Indeed in this cold season the Kidneys are even more vulnerable as cold is depleting by nature. Other seemingly disparate aspects of the Kidneys include our libido, our thermostat, our breathing, our short term memory and our immunity.
At the level of the Spirit the Kidneys are associated with the Zhi, or will power. It is the aspect of our consciousness that gives us the drive in life to get on and is closely linked with our Ming or destiny. A healthy Kidney energy will give us the strength to carry out the tasks that we agreed to embark upon in this incarnation. Therefore not only is it imperative to look after our Kidneys to ensure a healthy body and a long life, it is also vitally important for our spiritual fulfilment.
So, what can we do to look after our Kidneys? Most importantly we need to eat well and breathe properly, so that we can get sufficient Chi from our food and air. This along with plenty of rest will mean that we do not need to further deplete our batteries. We can also affect the health of our Kidneys directly via the Kidney Meridian, so therapies such as acupuncture and shiatsu are very helpful. And most simply it is essential to keep our lower backs warm, especially at this time of year, so if anyone out there can knit me a woolly cummerbund please let me know!