Winter & the Kidneys: Supporting Your Body's Deepest Reserves
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the Winter season is connected to our kidneys, it's a time to go inwards, to a deeper part of our body; to nourish and replenish our organs attuned with winter.
TCM observes the emotion of the kidneys to be fear. Those with weak kidney energy might feel a sense of fear during this time particularly, so it's important to support these organs.
Main functions of the kidneys:
Filter the blood and passes the waste product as urine.
Control of blood pressure – partly by the amount of water passed out of the body as urine, and partly by creating hormones which are involved in control of blood pressure.
Kidneys make a hormone called erythropoietin (‘epo’) that stimulates bone marrow to make red blood cells.
They also control and maintain various salts and chemicals in the blood at the right level.
How to support your kidneys during winter:
Conserve energy: Winter is a time to conserve energy so it can be enjoyed throughout the year.
Support kidney health: The kidneys are responsible for growth, development, and fertility. When the kidneys are out of balance, health issues can arise, including problems with urination, libido, reproduction, and more.
Reflect inward: Winter is a time to look inward and reflect on yourself through meditation, writing, or other practices such as Yoga and Qi Gong. These practices can help support kidney energy and relax the mind.
Eat well and rest: Eat well and in-season, and get plenty of rest.
Drink fluids: Drink lots of fluids, such as soup and herbal drinks, which contain nutrients that help the body work optimally.
Beneficial food for the kidneys: blueberries, blackberries, mulberries, black beans, flax, pumpkin, sunflower, black sesame, and walnuts.
Homeopathic Remedies for Kidneys
The creativity and vitality inherent in the kidney and bladder meridian are regarded as underlying basic health in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Our "Jing" or basic vital force is down to the health of these organs. In her facinating book, 'Kidneys and Bladder - Basis of Self Realisation' a synthesis of east and west, TCM, eastern spirituality and homeopathy, Rosina Sonnenschmidt describes pathologies that may manifest from an imbalance in the kidney chi: problems such as being stuck in grief, not going with the flow, not hearing and processing information (kidney energy is linked to hearing) and inflexibility with our musculoskeletal support (eg: ankles).
She explores the kidneys' link to Karma and family history, and examines homeopathic remedies in the context of both physical and pathology (eg: cystitis, stones), and emotions (grief and fear). Whilst giving a detailed account of the physical structure of these paired organs, their link to water, air, the musical octave and winter, she also advises on diet, supplements and herbal remedies - along with exercises to support the physiology and emotions of our kidney/bladder energy. Homeopaths take into account emotions of the patient when treating their physical symptoms, we have a handful of remedies to do this, some listed below:
KIDNEY REMEDIES
1. Apis Mellifica
2. Phosphorus
3. Berberis
4. Cantharis
5. Lycopodium
When it comes to homeopathic remedies there are over 5000 and it's worth remembering we experience emotions differently and present symptoms individually. Homeopaths prescribe remedies to match the whole 'picture' of the patient, taking into account the causation, so I would always recommend a full case taking in order to make a bespoke prescription for you and your family.
