Winter and Your Kidneys
Winter is the season of stillness and conservation. It’s a period of hibernation and our time to rest, slow down and revitalize our reserves. Winter is a great time of year to reflect on our health, replenish our energy, conserve our strength and heal on a deeper level.
According to the traditional theories of the Five Elements, Water is the element that is associated with Winter and with the Kidneys, Bladder and Adrenal Glands. Our Kidneys are extremely important organs that have various functions – the main one is that they store our inherited constitution, also known as our Source Energy or Jing Qi. Consider it your body’s internal battery.
According to Chinese Medicine, our internal Kidney batteries are powered up with a supply of energy that will carry and sustain each of us throughout our lives. This power supply is imparted to us from our parents, and provides us with the energy for all of our bodily functions.
It is believed that every action we take deplete’s energy from this power supply. Some people quickly deplete their Jing Qi; others preserve it. Jing Qi is finite, so if not protected, it will be easily wasted and eventually, when it becomes depleted, various symptoms and signs may appear.
During the winter, it is important to conserve our battery reserves. Our bodies are instinctively expressing the fundamental principles of winter – rest, reflection, conservation and storage. The “downtime” that winter provides, gives us an opportunity to slow down, check in, take account as to how our lifestyle supports or detracts from our health, and to recharge our battery.
It is always healthy to get some form of daily exercise, but during the winter months, it is best to participate in gentler, less exerting workout routines, such as, yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, swimming, walking, and other low impact sports. Save the extreme exertion activities for the spring and summer months.
Your Kidneys According to Western Medicine
Filter waste from blood, and purify blood for your body.
Maintain homeostasis by balancing fluids and minerals in the body.
Your Kidneys According to Chinese Medicine
Store Jing Qi
Govern reproduction & development
Control water metabolism
Receive & grasp Qi
Control the bones
Produce marrow to fill the brain
Relate to the ears
Manifest in the hair
House will power
A few signs of kidney imbalance according to Chinese medicine
Sterility/impotence
Darkness under the eyes
Low back pain
Urinary problems
Fatigue/lethargy
Premature grey or loss of hair
Knee problems/weakness
Poor memory/confusion
Colds hands/feet
