If you’re middle-aged or older and want to enjoy a healthy lifespan, not focusing on how many more years you will live but rather how many more healthy years you will enjoy, support your Kidney system starting today!
Virtually every disease pattern and sign of premature aging is rooted in Kidney Qi Deficiency. Even if the signs and symptoms, from a Western perspective, seemingly have nothing to do with the kidneys, such as hair loss, hearing loss, and vision loss, it’s all related to Kidney Qi Deficiency.
Your Kidney organ system was the first to develop in utero. This is why the Kidneys in TCM are also called “The Root of Life.” While you were still a developing fetus, your Kidneys were already hard at work, storing your Jing (life essence and vitality), inherited from your parents, predetermining your constitutional type, and predicting your growth, development, and overall health throughout your life.
As you developed as a fetus, your Kidneys laid the foundation for your body’s Yin and Yang energies. The primordial essence you inherited is the basis for all physiological processes and is directly connected to reproductive health, aging, and longevity.
From the day you were born, you have dipped into your Jing savings account (inherited Qi). You can replenish some of your Jing by eating a healthy diet, getting moderate exercise, practicing mindfulness, and engaging in other lifespan-increasing pursuits.
But the stress of adulting (job, children, bills) stresses the Kidneys. And if your Jing is depleted faster than it can be replenished, signs of premature aging, illness, or disease will manifest.
According to TCM theory, every disease finds its roots in an imbalance within the Kidney system.
This is why no matter what disease pattern a This belief stems from the concept that the Kidneys are not only responsible for water metabolism and filtration but also impacting other organ systems and glandular functions. For instance, a deficiency in Kidney Qi can manifest in symptoms seemingly unrelated to renal health, such as graying hair, vision and hearing problems, osteoporosis, low libido, menstrual irregularities, cognitive decline, and persistent low back pain.
From an emotional and spiritual perspective, the Kidneys govern willpower, confidence, and spiritual harmony.
You need to have a sufficient supply of Kidney essence for healthy bone growth and function. The Kidney system stores essence, essence generates marrow, marrow produces bone, and therefore, bone is governed by the Kidney. With the normal aging process – and mostly because of unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, and environmental pollution – Kidney essence can plummet, leaving one susceptible to bone diseases.
The Kidney system in TCM is thought to regulate processes of metabolism. This includes the absorption of vitamin D; the metabolic regulation of trace elements such as calcium and phosphorus; the secretion regulation of growth hormones; its influence on specific signaling pathways; and the regulation of the neuroendocrine-immune axis.
Our reproductive health mirrors the physiological link of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonadal [HPG] pathway in Western medicine.
Sex hormones are the executors of HPG axis function and play a critical role in bone maintenance. “Kidney deficiency or sex-hormone deficiency results in a high risk of bone diseases.
Whether you want to address specific health concerns or enhance overall vitality, the first step is fortifying the Kidneys. Even if you’re at an advanced age and bolstering your reproductive health is the furthest thing on your mind, you need sufficient Kidney Qi for bone density, cognitive function, and other quality-of-life markers. By replenishing your body’s reservoir of energy stored within the Kidneys, you can enhance their capacity to meet the demands of daily life with vigor and resilience.
