Kidney water: thin face, swollen body

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This is a post for students on the list. It's another in a series of

posts on information taken from Steven Clavey's Fluid Physiology and

Pathology in Traditional .

 

" 'Shen shui' (Kidney water) results from failure of Kidney yang qi

transformation in the lower Jiao, so that urine ceases and the

abdomen and the umbilicus swell; the local excess fluid seeps out in

the groin causing continual wetness 'like the sweat on the nose of

cattle'; the lower back hurts due to lack of nourishment from the

weak Kidneys; the feet become cold as the sinking water obstructs the

flow of already weak Kidney yang through its channels; and because

jing-essence and blood cannot be carried upward due to the weakness

of yang, 'the face alone becomes thin' (alone' because the rest of

the body is swollen). " (Steven Clavey, Fluid Physiology and Pathology

in Traditional , p. 149.)

 

One of the key signs of edema with a Root of Kidney Yang Deficiency

is the thin face even though the rest of the body is swollen in

various degrees. Suspect " Kidney water " (shen shui) and rule in or

rule out any time there is an unequal distribution of edema or fat

with the person thinner at the top than at the bottom. This also can

be a pear-shaped person who carries most of the weight below the

waist with the torso above the waist being noticeably thinner than

below the waist and the face being thin. Or, the entire torso and

legs and arms may be uniformly swollen or fat with the face being

thin.

 

A reminder that a painful and weak lower back is not specific to

Kidney Yang Deficiency. Any Kidney Deficiency (Qi, Yin, Yang, and/or

Jing) can manifest with a weak and painful lower back. So can an

injury to and misalignment of the spine.

 

Clavey talks about the " urine ceasing and the abdomen and the

umbilicus swell " . In actuality, the more typical Kidney Yang

Deficiency symptom of profuse, frequent, and clear urination may be

present. Both Dampness (the lower body edema) and Dryness (in the

upper body and and lower arms and face) can be present at the same

time. The Lungs and the Blood may be too Dry at the same time as the

trunk or lower body are edemanous. At times the skin of the lower

arms become wrinkled and prune-like even though the trunk or lower

body is swollen. This scenario is more likely if Phlegm also is

present. Urination does not cease but as is more likely in cases of

Kidney Yang Deficiency, is too frequent. The key is that unequal

distribution of edema. No matter how often the person goes to the

bathroom, the water stays lodged in the trunk or lower body. Too

much fluid is being lost from the face, the arms (in particular the

lower arms and hands), the Blood, and in some cases, the Lungs. Both

Dryness and Dampness can be present at the same time in some cases of

Kidney water.

 

The continual sweating/ wetness in the groin area points very

strongly to shen shui (Kidney water). In extreme cases the person

may need to change clothing several times a day because of the

wetness. The excessive Fluid accumulation (edema) in the lower body

is seeping out through the skin in the groin area because the Kidney

Yang is too weak to perform its normal role in Fluid physiology.

( " The Kidney yang produces yuan qi through its steaming action on the

jing-essence of the Kidneys. The yuan qi then moves into the San

Jiao, where one of its functions is to ensure the continuous and free

movement of jin and ye fluids. " (Clavey, p. 10.))

 

Victoria