Kidney
The kidney is the manifestation of the yin aspect of the water element in the body (the yang aspect of the water element in the body is the Bladder). The kidney is more solid while the Bladder is more hollow.
The emotion associated with the kidney is fear. If we are afraid we ‘go to water’.
The Kidney stores the vital fluid jing. The jing is something like our constitution – what we are born with (some people are born healthier than others). Any congenital problem, development or reproductive problem is a kidney disfunction. Our constitution makes a contribution to digesting our food also – some people have delicate digestions from birth. If you’ve had a bad chill on the kidneys you will know that it affects your appetite.
The kidney is in charge of the water in our bodies. Primarily this means urination. However disturbances in urination can lead to water retention (oedema) or dehydration. There are also the usual disturbances such as frequent urination or waking many times during the night to urinate.
The curious concept of ‘marrow’. The marrow is the stuff in our bones (roughly the same as in modern western medicine). However this is expanded in acunpuncture to include the contents of the spine and cranium. Thus deformities of bones and problems with spine or brain are to do with the kidney in acupuncture. The lower back (roughly where the kidneys are located), knees and feet are especially related to the kidney. When we are very afraid our knees knock (it doesn’t only happen in cartoons) and we feel week in the lower back.
Three orifices. Two down, one up. The kidney is in charge of the ear, the urethra (and genitalia) and the anus. As sexual vitality declines men (especially) will take a kidney tonic to assist them in this aspect of their lives. Diarrhoea in the early morning (commonly known as ‘cock’s crow diarrhoea) is especially indicative of a kidney problem. When we are afraid it can lead to one or both of our two lower orifices opening (to put it delicately).
The kidney has a role in our breathing, especially in inspiration. Think of how you can battle for breath when you are afraid.
Finally, the kidney (our constitutional strength) also provides the fire of digestion. Think of how your digestion shuts down when you are afraid.
Old age is easily seen to be the diminishment of jing and kidney energy (kidney qi). Problems with bones, hearing, urination, diminishing vitality – especially sexual – is all part of old age.
Checking out the kidney function is your life. If you have problems with one of the following see if it matches with other parts of the kidney’s function.
Bones, especially feet, knees and lower back.
Breathing, especially the in breath.
Sexual vitality
Fear
Hearing (including listening).
Digestion.
When one of these occurs for you, or someone else, check if any of the others may be present as well. Most likely at least one of them will be.
The kidney is the yin manifestation of the water element in the body. Being the yin aspect of the water element the kidney is more solid than the bladder, which is the yang aspect of the water element in the body.
The Channel.
The kidney channel begins on the sole of the foot – the only acupuncture channel to do so. The point where the channel begins (Ki-1) is behind the ball of the big toe and towards the centre. You will probably feel a kind of hollow.
It then crosses the arch of your foot, crosses behind the ankle and then continues up the inside of the leg and onto the torso. It finishes just below the clavicle (collar bone).
Any signs or symptoms along the course of the channel may indicate a kidney problem. With all of the acupuncture channels any sign or symptom along its course may indicate a problem for that channel. This gets complicated on the torso especially: which means that other ways of diagnosing are also used.
The Organ.
Vital Fluid
The kidney stores one of the vital fluids, called “jing”. This is often translated “essence”, but there are other translations also. This is something like what we mean when we talk about our ‘constitution’. It is the bank of energy we are born with.
Experiencing Your Kidney
If you get up during the night, do you walk on a cold surface? If so, do you then feel the need to urinate? (For instance if you walk across cold tiles to get back to bed, by the time you have done so, do you feel the need to urinate again?)
Try walking on a cold surface as normal. Then find a way to walk on it without kidney-1 making contact with the cold (by scrunching up your toes walk on your heels and toes or just by walking on your heels). Does this feel different? If so, how?
Do you have any signs or symptoms along the course of the channel. Eg pain or skin outbreaks or discolouration?
The kidney is the manifestation of the yin aspect of the water element in the body (the yang aspect of the water element in the body is the Bladder). The kidney is more solid while the Bladder is more hollow.
The emotion associated with the kidney is fear. If we are afraid we ‘go to water’.
The Kidney stores the vital fluid jing. The jing is something like our constitution – what we are born with (some people are born healthier than others). Any congenital problem, development or reproductive problem is a kidney disfunction. Our constitution makes a contribution to digesting our food also – some people have delicate digestions from birth. If you’ve had a bad chill on the kidneys you will know that it affects your appetite.
The kidney is in charge of the water in our bodies. Primarily this means urination. However disturbances in urination can lead to water retention (oedema) or dehydration. There are also the usual disturbances such as frequent urination or waking many times during the night to urinate.
The curious concept of ‘marrow’. The marrow is the stuff in our bones (roughly the same as in modern western medicine). However this is expanded in acunpuncture to include the contents of the spine and cranium. Thus deformities of bones and problems with spine or brain are to do with the kidney in acupuncture. The lower back (roughly where the kidneys are located), knees and feet are especially related to the kidney. When we are very afraid our knees knock (it doesn’t only happen in cartoons) and we feel week in the lower back.
Three orifices. Two down, one up. The kidney is in charge of the ear, the urethra (and genitalia) and the anus. As sexual vitality declines men (especially) will take a kidney tonic to assist them in this aspect of their lives. Diarrhoea in the early morning (commonly known as ‘cock’s crow diarrhoea) is especially indicative of a kidney problem. When we are afraid it can lead to one or both of our two lower orifices opening (to put it delicately).
The kidney has a role in our breathing, especially in inspiration. Think of how you can battle for breath when you are afraid.
Finally, the kidney (our constitutional strength) also provides the fire of digestion. Think of how your digestion shuts down when you are afraid.
Old age is easily seen to be the diminishment of jing and kidney energy (kidney qi). Problems with bones, hearing, urination, diminishing vitality – especially sexual – is all part of old age.
Checking out the kidney function is your life. If you have problems with one of the following see if it matches with other parts of the kidney’s function.
Bones, especially feet, knees and lower back.
Breathing, especially the in breath.
Sexual vitality
Fear
Hearing (including listening).
Digestion.
When one of these occurs for you, or someone else, check if any of the others may be present as well. Most likely at least one of them will be.
The kidney is the yin manifestation of the water element in the body. Being the yin aspect of the water element the kidney is more solid than the bladder, which is the yang aspect of the water element in the body.
The Channel.
The kidney channel begins on the sole of the foot – the only acupuncture channel to do so. The point where the channel begins (Ki-1) is behind the ball of the big toe and towards the centre. You will probably feel a kind of hollow.
It then crosses the arch of your foot, crosses behind the ankle and then continues up the inside of the leg and onto the torso. It finishes just below the clavicle (collar bone).
Any signs or symptoms along the course of the channel may indicate a kidney problem. With all of the acupuncture channels any sign or symptom along its course may indicate a problem for that channel. This gets complicated on the torso especially: which means that other ways of diagnosing are also used.
The Organ.
Vital Fluid
The kidney stores one of the vital fluids, called “jing”. This is often translated “essence”, but there are other translations also. This is something like what we mean when we talk about our ‘constitution’. It is the bank of energy we are born with.
Experiencing Your Kidney
If you get up during the night, do you walk on a cold surface? If so, do you then feel the need to urinate? (For instance if you walk across cold tiles to get back to bed, by the time you have done so, do you feel the need to urinate again?)
Try walking on a cold surface as normal. Then find a way to walk on it without kidney-1 making contact with the cold (by scrunching up your toes walk on your heels and toes or just by walking on your heels). Does this feel different? If so, how?
Do you have any signs or symptoms along the course of the channel. Eg pain or skin outbreaks or discolouration?
