Kidney patterns

Question 1

What are 10 of the main functions of the Kidney?

Answer 1

Stores jing and governs reproduction, birth, growth, development
Produce marrow - fills up the brain and controls bones
Govern water
Controls the ‘reception of qi’
Opens to the ears
Manifest in head hair
Fluid is spittle
Controls the two lower orifices
Houses will (zhi)
Controls the gate of life (mingmen)

Question 2

What is the common aetiology of kidney issues?

Answer 2

congenital weakness
emotional strain
excessive sexual activity
overwork
chronic illness
old age

Question 3

What are 8 common kidney signs and symptoms?

Answer 3

Pain and weakness of knees and back
Sexual dysfunction
Congenital deformities
Infertility
Chronic diseases
Exhaustion
Obesity for kidney yang deficiency
Thinness for kidney yin deficiency

Question 4

What does Kidney yin represent?

Answer 4

the essence (jing) and the fluids within the kidneys
it is the material foundation for kidney-yang

Question 5

What does kidney yang represent?

Answer 5

the motive force of all physiological processes & it’s the root of transformation & movement. The physiological fire
it’s the exterior manifestation of kidney-yin

Question 6

What are 6 signs of kidney-yin & Kidney-yang Xu with a predominance of Kidney-yin?

Answer 6

dizziness
tinnitus,
night sweating
dry throat at night
cold feet
swollen ankles

Question 7

What are 5 signs of kidney-yin & Kidney-yang Xu with a predominance of Kidney-yang?

Answer 7

lower backache
feeling cold
cold knees
abundant & frequent urination
night sweating

Question 8

What are 10 common Kidney Channel symptoms?

Answer 8

Hunger but no desire to eat
Dark complexion
Coughing up blood
Shortness of breath
Fright
Dry mouth and tongue
Swollen throat
Chest pain
Jaundice
Diarrhoea
Pain and numbness along the channel pathway

Question 9

What is the shared symptom b/w Kidney failing to receive qi & kidney qi Xu & Kidney essence insufficiency?

Answer 9

weak pulse

Question 10

What are 8 differentiating symptom of Kidney failing to receive qi?

Think -> qi accumulates above = excess above, Xu below

Answer 10

• Dyspnoea with prolonged exhalation, SOBOE, difficultly inhaling, chronic cough and/or asthma
• spontaneous sweating, cold limbs (after sweating as well) (if KI Yang is Xu, than all Yang within in the body is Xu including wei qi)
• swelling of face (b/c of lung involvment)
• thin body
• Asthenic (weak) cough
• Feeble voice
• dizziness/tinnitus
• clear urination during asthma attack

Tongue: pale
Pulse: deep-weak-tight

Question 11

14 acupuncture points to tonify & warm Kidneys, stimulate the kidney’s receiving of Qi and stimulate the descending of lung-qi?

Answer 11

CV17 - tonifies qi & stimulates the descending of qi
KI25 - important to stimulate the kidney reception of qi & improve breathing
LU7 + KI6 - stimulate the descending of lung-qi & kidney’s reception of Qi & benefits the throat
CV4 & KI13 - tonify kidneys - KI13 esp. strengthens the kidney’s receiving of qi
CV6 -moxa-> tonifies kidney-yang and draws qi into abdomen
KI7 - strengthens the kidney’s receiving of Qi
KI3
ST36 - tonifies qi in general, important in chronic conditions
BL23 & GV4 - tonify kidney-yang
GV12 & BL13 - tonify lung qi, important in chronic conditions

Question 12

What are the 5 main differentiating symptom of Kidney qi Xu?

Answer 12

Dizziness
Forgetfulness
Tinnitus
Backache
Low libido

Question 13

What are the differentiating symptom of kidney essence insufficiency?

in children
in adults

What would the tongue look like in the back ground of kidney-yin Xu vs. kidnay yang Xu?

Answer 13

In children: poor bone development, late closure of fontanelle, deafness, Retarded development in children/mental dullnes

In adults: softening of bones, weakness of knees & legs, poor memory, Hair loss/premature greying, Premature ageing, Decreased fertility, Tinnitus, Loosening teeth, blurred vision, absent-mindedness/decreased mental sharpness

Kidney-yin Xu - without coating
Kidney-yang Xu - pale
Pulse: floating-empty or leather

consider that Xu of kidney essence -> failure to generate marrow & nourish bones, fill brain
Kidney-essence is the bias for a healthy sexual function

Question 14

12 acupuncture points to nourish essence and tonify the kidneys?

Answer 14

KI13 & CV4 - tonify the esence
KI3 - tonifies kidneys & essence
KI6 - tonifies kidney-yin
BL23
GV4 - tonifies the yang aspect of essence (this point can only be used if kidney-essence Xu occurs on a background of pronounced Yang xu)
GB39 - tonifies bone marrow (hui-meeting of marrow)
GV20 - stimulates marrow to fill the brain
BL15 - tonifies the heart to house the mind, hence tonifies the brain
BL11 - nourishes the bones
GV17 & GV16 - points of sea of marrow & therefore stimulate the nourishment of the brain by marrow

Question 15

What are 6 shared S&S b/w Kidney yang deficiency & kidney qi insecurity?

Answer 15

Pain and weakness of back and knees (KIs not having enough Qi to strengthen bones & back)
Premature ejaculation (men)
Impotence (men)
Miscarriage or infertility (women)
Nocturia
deep & Weak pulse

Question 16

What are the differentiating S&S of Kidney Yang Xu? (~12 + 7 shared)

characterised by interior cold symptoms

Answer 16

• Aversion to cold, cold limbs, esp. knees & lower back (Mingmen is failing to warm the body)
• Listlessness, depression, lack of will-power (psychological point of view)
• tiredness & lassitude (KI yang failing to nourish spleen -> muscles lack nourishment)
• Frigidity (women)
• abundant clear urine (KI yang failing to transform fluids)
• loose stools
• decreased libido (KI-Yang fails to warm essence -> depriving sexual energy of nourishment
• bright-white complexion
• oedema (esp. lower legs) (accumulation of fluids)
• dizzines & tinnitus (KI yang isn’t brightening the brain)

Tongue: pale & wet

enough to diagnosis
- backache, feeling of cold & weak kidney pulse

shared
Pain and weakness of back and knees (KIs not having enough Qi to strengthen bones & back)
Premature ejaculation (men)
Impotence (men)
Miscarriage or infertility (women)
Nocturia
deep & Weak pulse

Question 17

7 acupuncture points to tonify & warm the Kidneys, strengthen the Fire of the Gate of life?

Answer 17

BL23 - tonifies kidney-yang
GV4 - strengthens the fire of the gate of life - moxa is applicable
CV4 - tonifies kidney-yang & yuan Qi (with moxa)(front mu of SI)
CV6 - tonifies kidney-yang (moxa)
KI3
KI7 - specific for tonifying kidney-yang (jing-river point)
BL52 - tonifies kidneys & particularly the mental aspect - the will-power

Question 18

What are 8 differentiating S&S of Kidney qi insecurity?

Answer 18

Frequent urination
Urinary or faecal incontinence
Dribbling urine after voiding
Nocturnal emission
Continuous menstrual discharge - white
recurrent miscarriage
dragging-down feeling in abdo
feeling cold/cold limbs

Tongue: pale
pulse: deep-weak
-> yang can’t control yin at night

Question 19

10a cupuncture points to reinforce & stabilise Kidney-Qi, raise qi and tonify kidney-yang?

Answer 19

BL23 - tonifies kidney-yang & firms qi
GV4 - tonifies kidney-yang & the fire of the gate of life. Important point to stop incontinence, enuresis, excessive urination etc.
CV4 - with moxa, tonifies kidney-yang & yuan qi
KI3, BL52
CV6 - tonifies and firms qi
GV20 - raises sinking qi
KI13 - strengthens the sperm gate & tonifies kidneys
BL32 - firms qi in the sexual organs

Question 20

What are 11 S&S of Kidney-yin Xu?

Answer 20

• dizziness/vertigo, tinnitus & poor memory (Xu kidney-yang unable to failing to produce marrow to fill brain)
• hardness of hearing
• night-sweating (Yin Xu failing to hold Wei Qi in the body at night)
• lower backache, ache in bones (KI essence not nourishing bones)
• nocturnal emission (essence Xu)
• constipation/dark scanty urination, dry mouth & throat at night (lack of jinye -> dryness)
• infertility, premature ejaculation
• tiredness/lassitude
• depression/slight anxiety

Tongue: normal-coloured without coating
Pulse: floating-empty

Question 21

8 acupuncture points to nourish Kidney-yin?

Answer 21

KI3
KI6 - specific to tonify kidney-yin & benefits the throat
- LU7 in combo open the conception vessel & nourishes kidney-yin
KI10 - specific for tonifying kidney-yin
KI9 - tonifies kidney-yin - particularly useful when there is anxiety & emotional tension originating from kidney
SP6 - tonifies yin and calms the mind
CV4 - without moxa tonifies kidney-yin & kidney essence
CV7 - nourishes yin

Question 22

What are 7 differentiating S&S of kidney yin Xu with empty-heat?

Answer 22

five palm heat
feeling of heat in evening
malar flush
menopausal hot flushes
thirst with desire to drink in small sips
pronounced anxiety in evenings
nocturnal emission with dreams

Tongue: red without coating - cracked in severe cases
Pulse: floating-empty and slightly rapid

Question 23

What are 5 S&S of Kidney yang deficiency with water flood? (this is a severe case of Kidney-yang Xu)

Water overflowing to heart?
lungs?

Answer 23

Oedema, esp. of legs & ankles
cold feeling in legs & back
Oliguria
Tinnitus
Aching of back and knees

Tongue: Pale, swollen with slippery white coat
Pulse: deep-weak-slow

Heart
- palpitations, breathlessness, cold hands
Lung
- thin watery frothy sputum, cough, asthma & SOBOE

• consider that the kidney-yang Xu leads to an excess of fluids under skin

Question 24

15 acupuncture points to tonify & warm the kidneys, transform water, warm & tonify spleen-yang?

In the case of water overflowing to heart/lungs, warm & tonify heart-yang or lung-qi respectively?

Answer 24

KI7 - tonifies kidney-yang & resolves oedema
SP9 & SP6 - resolve dampness from lower jiao
CV4 - moxa
GV4 - strengthens the mingmen & promotes transformation of water
BL23
BL22 - stimulates the transformation of fluids in lower burner
BL20
CV9 - promotes transformation of fluids
ST28 - promotes transformation of fluids in the lower jiao
CV14 & BL15 - with direct moxa tonifies heart-yang
LU7 - stimulate the lung function of dominating the water-passages & resolves oedema
BL13 & CV12 - tonify lung-qi

Question 25

What are the precursors of Kidney-yang Xu with water overflowing?

Answer 25

dampness spleen-yang Xu heart-yang Xu Lung-qi Xu with phlegm-fluids

Question 26

What are 4 S&S of kidney meridian cold dampness?

Answer 26

Feeling of heaviness Oliguria Cold pain in lumbar and knees with limited movement Aversion to cold Cold limbs White slimy tongue coat Soggy relaxed pulse

Question 27

What is kidney-yin & yang the root of?

Answer 27

Kidney-yin is the root of Liver/heart/lung yin Kidney-yang is the root of spleen/liver/heart yang

Question 28

What are 12 S&S of Kidney-yin Xu with empty-heat blazing?

Answer 28

malar flush mental restlessness insomnia night sweating low-grade temp/afternoon temp five-palm sweat feeling of heat in the afternoon/evening scanty dark urine or blood in urine dry throat esp. at night thirst with desire to drink in small sips dizziness/tinnitus hardness of hearing excessive sexual desire dry stools Tongue: red, cracked with red tip, no coat Pulse: floating-empty-rapid

Question 29

13 Acupuncture points to nourish kidney-yin, clear empty-heat and calm the mind?

Answer 29

KI3, KI2 KI6 & KI10 - nourish kidney-yin KI9, SP6 - tonifies the kidney-yin and calms the mind CV4 - nourishes kidney-yin and calms the mind HT5 & LU7 - conduct heat downwards away from the head LU10 - clears lung-heat & and used if there are symptoms of heat in lungs. Can also conduct heat downwards from head HT6 - clears empty-heat & calms the mind GV24 - calms the mind LI11

Question 30

What are 9 S&S of Kidney Qi not firm?

Answer 30

- soreness & weakness in lower back, weak knees - clear frequent urination, weak-stream, abundant, dribbling post, incontinence, enuresis, (sinking of KI Qi -> leaking downwards symptoms, also not enough Qi being provided to bladder) - nocturia (Yang Qi isn't firm -> unable to control the Yin at night) - nocturnal emissions without dreams, premature ejeculation, spermatorrhoea (highlights weakness of original Qi & mingmen, without dreams because it's a Xu pattern) - tiredness - feeling cold, cold limbs (KI yang Xu) - chronic white vaginal discharge, dragging down sensation, prolapse of uterus (manifestation of sinking qi from chronic KI & SP Xu) - recurrent miscarriage Tongue: pale Pulse: deep-weak, esp in rear positions

Question 31

10 acupuncture points to reinforce & stabilise Kidney-Qi, raise Qi, and tonify Kidney-yang

Answer 31

BL23 GV4 KI3 BL52 CV4 Jinggong - tonifies Kidney-yang & firms the sperm gate CV6 GV20 KI13 BL32