Kidney Yang Deficiency
They feel cold when nobody else does, especially in the lower back and feet, and get up several times at night to urinate.
In plain words
They feel cold when nobody else does, especially in the lower back and feet, and get up several times at night to urinate.
The body's background warmth, the one that keeps temperature going from below, wears down with years, overwork or sustained cold. Without it, water is no longer held or warmed: it comes out clear and in excess, and the legs swell. When it has been missing for a long time, reproductive function fades too and the bowels loosen before dawn.
Characteristic symptoms
- Pain and coldness in the lumbar region and knees
- Cold extremities, especially from the waist downward
- Frequent, clear and abundant urination, especially at night (nocturia)
- Erectile dysfunction or decreased sexual desire
- Infertility in men and women
- Edema in the lower body
- Morning diarrhea (cock-crow diarrhea)
- Extreme aversion to cold and preference for warmth
Key clues to recognize it
- The cold sits from the waist down and blankets do not fix it: it needs warming from outside.
- Abundant, clear urine and several night-time trips that break up sleep.
- Loose stools first thing in the morning, before or just after getting up.
Tongue and pulse
- Tongue
- Pale tongue, sometimes with a watery or moist appearance; white moist coating
- Pulse
- Deep (chén) and slow (chí) pulse, weak in the Kidney position (left chi)
Treatment principle
Tonify and warm Kidney Yang, reinforce the Ming Men (Gate of Vitality)
Common points
Reference formula
Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan (Kidney Qi Pill from the Golden Cabinet)
What not to confuse it with
What aggravates it
- Sitting or sleeping on cold floors, draughts on the lower back, bare feet in winter.
- Long days without real rest and short nights kept up over time.
- Living on cold or raw food and drinks.
- Physical or sexual exhaustion pushed further than rest can repay.
Lifestyle advice
Keep the lower back and feet always warm. Avoid excess sexual activity and exhaustion. Apply moxibustion at GV4 (Ming Men) and CV4 (Guan Yuan) regularly. Eat foods that nourish Kidney Yang: walnuts, black sesame seeds, yam, lamb, chicken. Rest adequately and avoid extreme cold.
When to see a doctor
Health notice. Educational and study content. It describes concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and does not replace diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional. Needling, medicinal herbs and invasive techniques must be applied by trained professionals. Safety guide.
