Wen Xiao Shu says Making Traditional Chinese Medicine more beautiful, interesting, and relevant to life
Many friends are confused and cannot distinguish whether they have Yin deficiency, Yang deficiency, or both. As winter arrives, it is the best season to tonify the kidneys. Today, I will clarify kidney deficiency thoroughly. I will not only tell you whether you have Yin deficiency, Yang deficiency, or both, but also how to regulate these conditions and the core principles of using medicine for kidney deficiency.
1 If you have the following symptoms, there is no doubt, you definitely have Yin deficiency.
Yin is the material foundation and the source of all energy; without Yin, Yang cannot be generated. We use Yin every day, and sometimes we overuse it inadvertently, such as staying up late or indulging in desires, which can lead to Yin deficiency.
Remember, kidney deficiency always starts with Yin deficiency.
What symptoms arise from Yin deficiency? The first is a sensitivity to heat; Yin deficiency generates internal heat. In summer, while others feel fine, you feel extremely hot and thirsty, constantly wanting to drink water. Your palms and soles are hot, and your cheeks may flush occasionally. Some people experience a low-grade fever between 5 PM and 7 PM, but medical examinations show nothing wrong.
Another severe type of heat is called “bone steaming heat,” which feels like your bones are constantly in a steamer, with heat emanating from within. This is more serious and requires a herb called Di Gu Pi (Lycium root) to combat it, which is specifically used to clear the internal heat from the bones.
At night, those with Yin deficiency cannot sleep well, tossing and turning. This is called “Heart and Kidney not communicating,” where Heart fire floats above, and Kidney water cannot rise. Just as you start to feel sleepy, you wake up hot and sweating, with a wet pillow; this is known as “Yin deficiency night sweats.”
People with Kidney Yin deficiency often have excessive Liver fire, leading to vivid dreams. Once they finally fall asleep, they are bombarded with dreams. Another bothersome symptom is tinnitus, which can sound like the chirping of cicadas—sharp and prolonged. There is also a type of tinnitus that sounds like a roaring train, caused by excess Liver fire.
The above are the most obvious symptoms of Yin deficiency; now let’s look at other symptoms.
The kidneys govern the bones and produce marrow; insufficient essence can lead to problems related to the brain, such as poor memory, decreased cognitive ability, and lack of perseverance.
Your knees may feel weak, and your lower back may ache, but not painfully. While walking, you may feel dizzy; Western medicine might say it’s due to high blood pressure, but in reality, it’s because Kidney essence cannot nourish the marrow sea.
People with Yin deficiency may also experience constipation, which can be hard and dry, resembling sheep droppings.
Yin deficiency can also lead to nocturnal emissions, often resulting in the loss of essence during dreams. Another embarrassing issue for those with Yin deficiency is premature ejaculation; while they can achieve an erection, they cannot maintain it due to insufficient Yin, which fails to control Yang.
I would like to remind everyone that the more insufficient the Kidney essence, the stronger the desire becomes. Insufficient essence leads to excessive Yang, causing constant thoughts about sexual matters. This creates a vicious cycle that requires serious attention. Do not think that the stronger your ability, the more you want to engage in such activities.
2 Yin deficiency is severe; how to deal with it?
As mentioned earlier, Yin deficiency is the first stage of kidney deficiency, excluding congenital factors. This first stage is crucial; if handled well, it will not develop into Yang deficiency. It’s like catching a cold due to wind and cold; it must be addressed at its onset, or it will transform into heat, making regulation more complex.
Who typically experiences simple Yin deficiency? One group is children, as they often have insufficient Yin and excess Yang. The second group is teenagers, who are at their peak of Yang energy. However, bad habits like staying up late, eating spicy foods, and indulging in desires can deplete Kidney Yin, making them prone to Yin deficiency.
The third group is menopausal women who have no other health issues. The Huangdi Neijing refers to this as “Tian Gui exhausted,” which means the cessation of menstruation. Why does menstruation stop? Because of insufficient blood, which can only nourish the internal organs, leaving nothing for other functions. Blood is Yin, hence the symptoms of Yin deficiency.
Additionally, Yin deficiency often appears in thin individuals.
How can we nip Yin deficiency in the bud?
First, absolutely avoid staying up late, as it severely harms Yin. Sleep is the best way to nourish Yin and blood. Second, do not indulge in desires. Third, avoid spicy and stimulating foods. Spicy foods disperse and deplete our fluids; if Yin is already insufficient, consuming spicy foods only adds fuel to the fire. Fourth, do not engage in excessive exercise; remember that sweating profusely also depletes Yin fluids. At night, focus on nourishing Yin; stay calm and avoid unnecessary activities.
Yin-deficient individuals should learn from turtles. Learn to cultivate stillness. Meditation or breathing exercises can be beneficial.
Yin-deficient individuals can consume foods that nourish Yin. There are many such foods; if you can’t remember them, just eat more black foods, as black foods nourish the kidneys, such as black sesame, black rice, and black beans. The Nine Steamed and Nine Sun-Dried Black Sesame Pills are a good choice.
3 If you have the following symptoms, there is no doubt, you definitely have Yang deficiency.
Yang, the greatest Yang in the universe, is the sun; without the sun, we cannot survive, so Yang energy is very important. The first reaction to insufficient Yang is various cold symptoms: cold hands and feet, cold stomach, diarrhea, and cold uterus, etc. If you put on a heavy winter coat right after the start of autumn, you definitely have Yang deficiency.
Friends should note that Yang deficiency is not just a local cold; it is a systemic, persistent, and stubborn cold. Even after walking for a long time, you still feel cold, and after a night’s sleep, your feet remain cold.
Some people only have cold fingers, but they warm up quickly with movement or by putting them in their pockets; this is not Yang deficiency but may be due to blood deficiency or Qi stagnation.
Yang deficiency leads to blocked meridians; blockage causes pain, which is different from Yin deficiency. Yin deficiency causes soreness, while Yang deficiency causes pain, such as knee pain, lower back pain, ankle pain, and dysmenorrhea, which is not only painful but also cold and painful.
Yang deficiency individuals also have a very obvious characteristic: they do not drink much water but wake up frequently at night to urinate, repeatedly disrupting their sleep.
Why is this? Because the water consumed requires the Qi transformation function of the bladder meridian. The kidneys and bladder are interrelated; when Yang energy is insufficient, the bladder’s Qi transformation function is inadequate, so the water consumed remains as water. During the day, with the help of the sun, the Qi transformation function is better, so there is no frequent urination; at night, when the sun is gone, Yang energy is insufficient, leading to increased urination. For such individuals, I recommend gua sha (scraping therapy) on the entire back and consuming raw chestnuts, both of which can improve nighttime urination issues.
Yang represents function, while Yin represents substance. When Yang is insufficient, function fails. Therefore, individuals with insufficient Yang may experience erectile dysfunction rather than premature ejaculation. If you cannot achieve an erection, do not force it; this is your body signaling that it needs a break. Forcing it with aphrodisiacs is like draining the pond to catch fish; you understand the consequences.
4 How to regulate Yang deficiency?
Yes, Yang deficiency does not appear suddenly; it has a long evolution process, lasting at least four to five years, and up to ten years. If during this time you properly regulate Yin deficiency, it will not develop into Yang deficiency. However, many people do not take it seriously and continue their harmful habits, only to suddenly realize one day that they no longer have night sweats.
They think their body has healed and feel happy, but in reality, they have started to develop Yang deficiency. Why? Because Yin deficiency generates internal heat, and now that Yang is also deficient, there is naturally no internal heat, so they do not sweat at night.
Yang deficiency individuals must avoid the following:
Women should not sacrifice their health for fashion, such as wearing off-shoulder tops, crop tops, or exposing their ankles. Initially, it may seem fine, but cold air gradually invades your body, leading to conditions like shoulder periarthritis, cold uterus, and arthritis, leaving you confused about how you suddenly fell ill.
After all this, I want to tell everyone to protect their Yang energy. If you have jeans with holes in the knees, throw them away immediately!
Yang deficiency individuals should not drink cold water first thing in the morning; the Yang energy is just beginning to rise, and a glass of cold water will extinguish it. Also, refuse any iced beverages. As for fruits and vegetables, do not assume that eating them raw is good; that is a Western theory that does not apply to us. Eating an apple a day may lead to stomach cold.
Vegetables should be cooked before eating. If eating a pear causes stomach discomfort, do not eat it; instead, make stewed pear juice. Yang deficiency individuals should not live in dark, damp rooms; bedrooms should face the sun, and bedding should be exposed to sunlight regularly.
What can Yang deficiency individuals do?
First, eat more warming foods, such as lamb, leeks, and fennel. Get more sunlight and exercise, as movement generates Yang. You can also use external methods like moxibustion, gua sha, and cupping to dispel cold. The best and harmless practice for everyone is to soak your feet every night for half an hour before bed, adding warming materials like Sichuan pepper, ginger, and mugwort; you will feel warm all over.
5 If you have Yang deficiency, I regret to inform you that you have both Yin and Yang deficiency.
Why do I say this?
Pure Yin deficiency exists, but pure Yang deficiency is almost nonexistent because Yang deficiency evolves from Yin deficiency.
Seeing this, many friends may feel like crying, “If what you say is true, then I have both Yin and Yang deficiency.”
Don’t cry; many people have both Yin and Yang deficiency; you are not alone. Below, I will reveal the core principles for regulating kidney deficiency!
6 The core principles for regulating kidney deficiency:Seek Yang within Yin, and seek Yin within Yang.
For Yin deficiency, giving the patient a lot of Yin-nourishing medicine, and for Yang deficiency, giving a lot of Yang-tonifying medicine is a fragmented way of thinking, separating Yin and Yang and treating the person as a whole.
Everyone has seen the Taiji diagram, right? Yin and Yang are in a relationship of opposing unity, interdependent and inseparable. Isolated Yin cannot thrive, and isolated Yang cannot be born. Within Yin is Yang, and within Yang is Yin; when Yin reaches its extreme, it generates Yang, and when Yang reaches its extreme, it generates Yin.
Wise doctors fully understand this; they have a comprehensive view of the universe, of Yin and Yang, so when they tonify Yin, they must seek from Yang, and when they tonify Yang, they must seek from Yin.
Is there a formula that aligns with the principle of seeking Yin within Yang and Yang within Yin? Yes. However, I am tired today, so I will reveal this formula tomorrow. This formula can be used whether you have Yin deficiency, Yang deficiency, or both.
Also, tomorrow I will have a benefit to share with everyone, so don’t miss tomorrow’s article!
Special Reminder: A beautiful day begins! I hope my article brings you a good mood for the day. If you like the article, don’t forget to click the “Looking” button at the bottom right of the article or share it with your friends! The formulas shared in my articles should be taken under the guidance of a doctor. Due to limited energy and ability, I cannot reply to all messages; please forgive me. May you become your own divine doctor.Benefits are here!: Open the public account dialogue box and enter “irregular menstruation,” “cold,” “hair loss,” “cold hands and feet,” “stomach pain,” “Liver Qi stagnation,” “essence depletion,” “upper heat and lower cold,” “spleen and stomach,” “insomnia,” “dampness removal,” “Qi and blood,” “weight loss,” “constipation,” “diarrhea,” “kidney deficiency,” “acne removal,” “cough,” “nasal inflammation,” “cervical spine,” “depression” to obtain corresponding regulating formulas.