The Grasping Of Qi, A Lifeforce In Winter
As we enter the dark, deep hours of winter, we turn to rest as a way of being. There are seasons for activity and there are those in which we slow down and turn inward. Winter is the time of rest for all things. When the cold arrives, forces inside of humans, plants and all animals begin to contract. The cold draws in and slows down movement.
In this third article in a series of five on the efficacy of Chinese medicine in treating emotional disharmony, we will discuss winter, fear, and the ruling organ of this season and emotion, the kidneys.
A Seasonal Slowing Down
In winter, the kidneys consolidate, and move inward to recuperate and rest. This drawing in is an aspect of healing—the kidneys are rejecting overwork and instead dedicating themselves to rejuvenation. Although the lungs are responsible for breathing, the kidneys rule the “grasping of qi”, allowing the air of the lungs to penetrate deeply into your body to relax and begin the slow process of rejuvenation. The grasping is the strength of the kidneys to hold onto the vital force that is the breath. It is sometimes difficult for us in modern times to imagine slowing down to gain productivity, but it is a necessary cycle to keep us moving forward into achievement and well-being.
The Role of the Kidneys
In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the kidney’s anchor and root us to keep our heads clear and our courage intact. The kidneys in TCM are the root of life, the foundation of our very being and the lifeforce that keeps us living. These medium sized organs located near the surface on your back are responsible for the health of your bones, teeth, ears, and hair. Kidney function governs reproduction and growth and these organs pair with the lungs to metabolize water through respiration. When kidney qi or energy is low, the kidneys float, ungrounded and unrooted, and fear and anxiety become our dominant emotions, ruling our lives in an unhealthy emotional cycle.
The Battery that Powers Your Life
Let’s think of your kidneys as your batteries. When you get new batteries for your electronics, they are at full strength and able to power your device for a long time. As the batteries are depleted through use of the device, they begin to lose potency and need to be recharged, and eventually replaced. We don’t want to replace your kidneys! So let’s recharge them.
Drink water—Unlike batteries, the kidneys are also filters and they need to be flushed to work to their fullest capacity and provide us with energy and life-force. Drinking an adequate amount of water – the rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces—aids the kidneys in filtering out waste from the blood to keep it flowing. The fluidity of the blood taxes the kidneys less and keeps the battery from being further depleted. Remember that too much water can be problematic, flushing out too many electrolytes (calcium, magnesium and potassium) which can weaken muscles including the heart.
Get Away— Taking time off from your daily routine to rest and enjoy life is essential downtime. Viewing a coastal sunrise or spending time in a mountain meadow can fill you with joy and a sense of beauty. These experiences help to recharge our soul and boost feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. This makes our brain happy and gives us a time out from daily stress and kidney depletion.
Mindfulness—Meditation, yoga and mindful breathing will rejuvenate the organs by moving, detoxing, resting and boosting them. Both the body and the mind get a break from routine stressors and the digestive system is strengthened, easing worries and resting the kidneys and adrenal glands. Your whole body wins with mindfulness!
Gratitude—Actively being thankful and grateful for what you have gives the body a natural hormonal boost. When you speak out loud how glad you are to be alive, how thankful you are for clean air and water, or your happiness at having love of friends and family, you are getting a dose of good chemicals that relax the body and power and empower you to go forward. The kidneys recognize this as the will to live and the power to be in control of your future.
Why We Fear
A dark alley late at night; a public speaking engagement; the ending of a relationship—all of these events fill us with feelings of dread and apprehension. Fear is a healthy and necessary human emotion that has gotten modern humans and our ancient ancestors through some trying times. But fear that keeps you living in a constant state of panic about what COULD or MIGHT happen is not healthy.
When something “scares us to death” our will to push past that and live comes from the kidneys. The feeling of fear was an elemental response meant to keep us alive when we were closer to animals than humans, existing through action and reaction and not intellectualizing our way through activities. Animals act from instincts and they react based on their need to avoid danger long enough to procreate and generate offspring. Animals avoid situations that can harm them, and they do this through accessing the memory of what originally caused the fear. Hunger will eventually motivate them to venture out in search of food, where they must face their fears. The will to live, situated in the kidneys, literally drives the stomach to venture out and find a source of food.
One of the partner organs of the kidneys in TCM is the bladder, a pairing that is also acknowledged in Western medicine. When someone is recounting a story of being extremely frightened, they may say, “I was so scared I thought I would wet my pants!” This could be attributed to the fight or flight response of the adrenal glands when your brain signals your nervous system that your life is in danger. The adrenals, small triangular organs that sit atop your kidneys, are responsible for that adrenaline surge when your brain signals your body to kick into action.
Your adrenals exist to respond to stress. Adrenaline, or epinephrine hormones, are what keep you in balance when there is a stressor present such as fear. These hormones are made up of aldosterone which regulates blood pressure. The body automatically signals a urinary urgency when the hormones are in excess to keep the balance of your bodily systems. Traditional Chinese medicine is based in the fundamental concept of balance in all aspects of your emotional and physical health.
Since we are not out in the Serengeti getting chased by lions, why are we living in a time of frequent complaints of urinary incontinence and kidney burnout? Have we worried and worked ourselves so hard over the last century that we have damaged our kidney system? The kidneys can be weakened and lose their power through overwork, emotional strain, chronic illness, excessive sexual activity, and aging.
The Kidney-Brain Connection
When the kidneys are in good health, firm and strong we react to fear and anxiety-inducing stimuli in a more reasonable and relaxed manner. If a lion were chasing you, your brain and adrenals would react quickly, with instantaneous reflex actions to keep you from harm. In our modern world, most of the time we do not encounter life threatening, fearful situations. A strongly worded text from your boss shouldn’t engage your hormones and send you into a heart-palpitating whirlwind of fear and anxiety.
When the kidneys are healthy, the mind is strong and steady and you make concise choices, without scattered, hurried or worried thoughts. Fear doesn’t enter the decision-making process. The flight or fight hormones are reserved for the next roller coaster ride.
Traditional Medicine for Kidney Health
Kidneys are considered so vital to our health in Chinese medicine that multiple acupuncture protocols and many herbal formulas have been developed to boost and tonify this essential organ. In fact, ancient Chinese teachings clearly state the kidneys are the most powerful regulator of our life force.
Applying specific kidney boosting treatments, I have seen incredible outcomes for a number of my patients. I have had postpartum-affected mothers regain amazing amounts of energy by boosting their kidneys and upping blood production and circulation. I have treated stressed out patients exhausted by years of insomnia who have regained energy and started living again after a series of kidney-specific acupuncture treatments. When a patient who had no hope of feeling better returns to my office with a spring in their step and a giant grin on their face it is an amazing feeling for me as a practitioner, and a testament to the power of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Acupuncture is highly effective for regulating and balancing kidney qi. To have the most positive effect on your kidney health, I also prescribe herbal medicinals to my patients at Acupuncture by Andrea.
Ancient herbal formulas for kidney tonifying increase energy, decrease insomnia and are a common prescription for fatigue. These formulas work to promote overall kidney health while targeting specific areas that the kidneys regulate and affect. If a patient presents with back pain (the low back is governed by the kidneys), lack of energy (partnered with the thyroid, another area the kidneys are responsible for), or fertility (you guessed it! The kidneys are in charge of reproduction as well) these herbal supplements will boost and tonify and start them on the road back to a healthy body and mind.
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan is a powerful formula that has been prescribed for hundreds of years. It tonifies the yin of the kidney and the liver, important for both women and men in keeping harmony between the two kidneys and in the overall health of your body. Kidney yin begins to wane as we age, and this formula helps to add moisture and coolness in your body, boosts head hair health, and assists in giving you a good night’s sleep.
Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan is a phenomenal formula, also hundreds of years old, that boosts or warms the kidney yang, the partner to kidney yin, which is partially responsible for our upright strength, keeping us warm and temperature regulated, and maintaining the balance between dryness and moisture in our bodies. This particular formula connects the kidneys with the lung and works on asthma with great success. If there is weakness in the lungs, they are said to float upward. The kidneys are the anchor to hold and strengthen the lungs. This formula is also beneficial for patients suffering from back pain.
In this hectic life when every day can seem overwhelming and we are bogged down by fears of not doing enough and not being enough, it is essential to maintain your kidney health. Inside of your amazing body there lies an incredible amount of strength and stability that will get you through the scariest and darkest situations, you just have to relax, rejuvenate and give gratitude for these vital organs.