According to Chinese medicine The Kidney energy gives us the foundation for life. It is the source of our Yin and Yang of the body, and keeps up the ancestral energy our parents gave us. During our life we are as strong as the quality of the kidney energy we got from our parents plus what we eat and the fresh air we breathe (that is the energy we create on day-to day basis). If you did not get strong kidneys (we also call it weak constitution) you age faster and become weak faster.
However, even with strong kidneys when a person is getting older, he/she starts getting problems with low back pain, and knee pain (this is a sign of Kidney Yin energy not so strong). Frequent bladder infection, a swelling of ankles, being cold especially when you go to bed are signs of Kidney Yang failing). If we experience any of these symptoms, we need to start paying more attention to our Kidney energy. However, we also need to start paying more attention to the quality of food we eat in order to supplement our ancestral energy with the daily post-ancestral energy coming mostly from food and air.
- Be careful with the water intake. Too much water puts an extra stress on the Kidney because it processes water. If it does not have enough energy itself it is hard for it to do so. Also, it is the physiological mechanism of the Kidneys to take care of the blood pressure through water intake. Consuming more water raises blood pressure naturally, by osmosis.
- Keep you lower back warm. Put your water bottle on the lower back for ten min before you go to bed, make your kidneys warm. Strengthen it with gentle exercises, for example hip rotations (breathe in on the movement out). Gentle regular back massage is good.
- Balance activity and rest. Take a nap in the afternoon. Take quiet time between 5-7 pm (kidney biological time, will work double for you).
- Differentiate between salty taste and salty flavor. Do not take straight salt in access because it will do the opposite and damage the kidney function. Salty flavor is contained in naturally salty, kidney tonifying foods: sea weed, miso soup, soya sauce, fish, anything that came from the sea. Dark coloured foods such as red or black beans may also be helpful. Your sodium intake can be supplemented naturally in this way.
- Support Kidney Yang ( gives warms to the body). Onion family, chicken, lamb, trout, salmon, shrimp, prawn, mussel, lobster, quinoa, oats, chestnut, pistachio, walnut, ginger, clove, fenugreek, star anise, fennel, rosemary, chai, black beans
- Support Kidney Yin (helps low back pain, knee pain). Barley, millet, tofu, asparagus, seaweed, dark beans and fruits, fish, egg, duck, pork, kelp, blueberry, blackberry, comfrey, marshmallow, slippery elm.
- Support Kidney energy in general to get us going. Parsley, wheatberry, sweet rice, black sesame, string bean, kidney bean, walnut, millet, venison, kidney, miso, chestnut,fennel, star anise, caraway, rosehip, blackberry, nettle.
- The Kidney is always connected to the Heart. Support the Heart Qi: raw milk, reishi mushroom, barley water, corn, chicory, date, garlic, apple, oats, quinoa, sage, rosemary, skullcap, lavender, rose, Melissa and neroli oils.
- Winter is the Kidney season. If the Kidney is weak, most problems will happen during this season. Make sure you eat lots of warm foods, root vegetables in stews, and soups. Warmth is good, especially, soups in the evening. They are easy to digest and nourishing.
- Use the following cooking methods.
- Baking and roasting
- Boiling in red wine or sake
- Cooking vegetables in their own juices
- Blanching of spinach and lettuce
- Grilling and barbecuing, in moderation, as this is a very hot way of cooking
- Salt pickling with the use of warming herbs (Kimchi)