My Favorite Points: Dawn on Kidney 3

In this blog I will be talking about one point I have been using a lot lately during winter time, Kidney 3. When I speak of the Kidneys in this blog, I will be talking about the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) view of the Kidneys (which will be capitalized). This view does have some overlap in the western medical view of the kidneys, but also encompasses a lot more, which I will discuss below.

The Kidneys are related to the energy of Water, which does make sense as they filter the fluids we drink, distributing it through the body to moisten all over and lead the waste to the urinary bladder to be expelled as urine. The Kidneys are related to our foundations. The low back as the foundation of the back, the bones as the foundations of our bodies. They relate to the Essence which is like our genetic substance inherited from our parents and give us our life span. Each Kidney, Left and Right, has its own functions in TCM. 

The Left Kidney is responsible for the physical fluids in the body. The blood, the sweat, the saliva. This helps to cool the body down. This is the Yin of the body. A good example of what this Kidney does is thinking of when a person goes through menopause, their Yin becomes depleted leading to dryness and feelings of heat because the fluids of the body are not there to cool off the fire of the Right Kidney. 

The Right Kidney is related to the Yang, with more energetic qualities. This is the fire that keeps us warm, this is the energy to get us up in the morning. Think of it like a fuel pipeline, taking the gasoline to power us up each day. When we do not have sufficient Right Kidney energy, one may feel depressed, they could feel cold especially in the low back area. Fluid retention could happen as well. Fertility may be affected in both sperm mobility and egg development due to Kidney Yang Deficiency.  

There is a school of thought in TCM that the main power generator of the body is the Kidneys. This makes sense because in TCM the Kidneys are responsible for growth and development, for when youth go through puberty, the quality of eggs and sperm for reproduction, and for the decline of health as we age. The Kidneys are related to the Ming Men (translated as Life’s Gate) Fire of the body. This is a concept about an energetic fire between the two anatomical kidneys that heat up the body’s organs and give us energy for the movements of life. This is the area that takes the Yin, substantial, fluid energy of the Left Kidney and the energetic, immaterial Yang energy of the Right Kidney and alchemizes these energies for use through the whole body. 

Kidney 3 as an acupuncture point that helps to rejuvenate the Yin, the Yang, the Essence and the Qi (or energy) of the body. I love to use this point in the winter time because it helps to give a boost when the body is in hibernation mode and we are feeling like it’s hard to get moving, maybe due to the cold weather or due to seasonal depression. This point has been one I have been often using for when patients have chronic fatigue and long covid exhaustion. It is like plugging in an outlet which, sometimes, when needled, you may feel a zing of energy. This point is good for strengthening the bones in cases of degeneration and teeth issues. It helps with night sweats by nourishing the Kidney Yin, but also can relieve feelings of coldness deep in the body with the boosting of the Kidney Yang. Kidney 3 boosts up the reproductive processes and can help with fertility issues or help maintain a healthy pregnancy. It can build up the reserves of the body postpartum or post illness. 

Come in for some Kidney medicine! The Oakland Acupuncture Project is here to help build up your energetic reserves during these cold months. The heaters are warm and the acupuncture naps are plentiful. 

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