KIDNEY ESSENCE: PERSPECTIVES AND SUPPORTIVE STRATEGIES
“the kidneys store the essence and rule birth, development and maturation. They are the source of life and its unfolding. the entire body and all the organs of the body need essence in order to thrive”
THE KIDNEYS ARE PAIRED ORGANS THAT SIT BEHIND THE ABDOMINAL CAVITY ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SPINE. conventional MEDICAL understanding acknowledges their key role IN FILTRATION, ELIMINATION AND AS THE PRIMARY REGULATORS OF THE BODY’S FLUIDS YET IT IS IN TRADITIONAL and alternative MEDICINE SYSTEMS that we find INSIGHT IN TO the expansive nature of the kidneys and “kidney energy”.
KIDNEY FUNCTION - THE CLASSIC VIEW
The kidneys [renals] work to maintain whole-body balance [homeostasis], undertaking the FILTERING OUT OF WATER SOLUBLE TOXINS from the system while REABSORBING the majority of this filtered water alongside the essential minerals and nutrients needed by the body. The regulation of these minerals, salt, acid and fluid levels, blood volume and blood pressure all fall under the action of the kidneys which work in close affinity with the hormonal system particularly the adrenal glands [suprarenals] which sit on top of each kidney.
The production and maintenance of healthy red blood cell [erythrocytes] levels relies on the kidneys ability to detect a reduction in circulating red blood cells and as such circulating oxygen. In response the kidneys release the hormone erythropoietin which triggers erythropoiesis, the process by which new red blood cells are produced in the bone marrow.
The kidneys are primarily responsible for the conversion of VITAMIN D (in actual fact a hormone itself and not a vitamin) in to its active form, regulated in conjunction with substances including calcium, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone which are all factors in the building and maintaining of strong bones and teeth.
KIDNEYS IN METAPHOR AND ESSENCE
The kidneys are yet more complex when we are able to draw our perspective back and appreciate that their physiological functions are inseparable to the underlying energetic fabric from which they arise. In Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM] the kidneys are the root of REPRODUCTION, MATURATION and DEVELOPMENT. They are as noted in conventional understanding, responsible for the regulation of the body’s fluids however as interpreted through the metaphoric qualities of a dynamic landscape.
The kidneys are associated with the element of WATER AND ITS FLOW, the movement of the body’s rivers, streams and reservoirs, which includes the blood, are propelled by the force of Kidney FIRE. The combination of water and fire not only drives the circulation but creates the vapour that infuses the entire system with moisture and importantly - COHESION. Water as a cohesive force is reflected in the Aryuvedic (Traditional Indian Medicine) concept of KAPHA, a functional process that provides the growth, repair, stability, strength and cohesion in the body. In Aryuveda the kidneys are correlated with the fluids of fat, blood and the channels that transport the materials required for the production of fat forming tissues which includes the bone marrow. A testament to the recognition in TCM that the kidneys hold an individual’s “essence” the memory of the entire organic system being held in the Bone Marrow - an interesting keynote when we come to prescribe Bone Marrow as a homeopathic sarcode remedy.
Indeed it is in the submersed waters of our body that we connect to our ancestral memories, our kidney system holding both our ESSENCE and ANCESTRAL HEALTH. Homeopathically we can “access” and affect change in these deeply held patterns through MIASMATIC NOSODE REMEDIES which seek to address the negative expression of these familial inherited tendencies that may be resulting in DIS-EASE.
FEAR, ANXIETY AND PANIC
Where there is motion there is the facility for EMOTION - here the symbiotic relationship between the adrenal glands and the kidneys are clear. FEAR, ANXIETY and PANIC are the hallmark emotions that correlate to an imbalance in this system. The fear of death, the dark, the future, growing old, of existential threat and a primordial lack of safety are all indications of kidney deficiency. These energetic states are reflected directly through the body’s physiology, rather than a healthy balance in the production of rest & digest chemicals such as the main parasympathetic nervous system transmitter - acetycholine, the emphasis is instead on the secretion of the fight & flight hormone adrenaline the overproduction of which results in a cycle of inflammation and tissue breakdown.
FEAR and the TRAUMA from which it so often originates, whether in one’s own history or as acquired ancestrally, will not only block the ability to progress and heal on a physical level but also on the energetic level - thwarting both PURPOSE and SPIRIT by overriding the connection to our inner wisdom. “The problem” is not trauma itself but rather the way that way we respond to it both physiologically and energetically. Our relationship with our traumas is a co-creative one that alongside well-chosen homeopathic remedies, nourishing foods, good quality water and exercise requires us each to practice undertaking a CHOICE IN THE WAY WE WANT TO FEEL.
We can face the inevitable unknown with either FEAR OR WISDOM. When our kidney energy is compromised we feel unsafe, unprotected with the inability to TRUST hence we face the inevitable with FEAR. Through the cleansing, nourishment and support of the kidneys we help to transmute this negativity, enabling an individual the facility to face the inevitable unknown with WISDOM, TRANQUILITY and GRACE.
ADDRESSING TOXICITY
There are three pivot points that I work from in my practice that are relevant in every person and in every condition that I treat - TRAUMA, TOXINS and DEFICIENCIES. When I see kidney/adrenal weakness I am wanting to address these pivots according to the features of an individual’s story. Severe panic and fear may be what has lead a person to come to see me, however without addressing indicated deficiencies or the accumulation of water soluble poisons whether that be a history of excessive non-steroidal anti-inflammatory [NSAIDs] use, glyphosate toxicity or the build-up of body-own waste metabolic or other, there will be obstacles to “cure”.
Instead we must work in a comprehensive way using COMPLEX HOMEOPATHY alongside all the common-sense nourishing practices that include good food, exercise, breathing and importantly - healthy thinking. Our physical body will respond to the state of our mind and spirit, with this in balance our nerves, muscles, and other bodily tissues will respond in-kind with healthy function.
Minimising our TOXIC LOAD is important by avoiding WATER SOLUBLE POISONS as mentioned NSAIDs like paracetamol, GLYPHOSATE, CHLORINE, FLUORIDE, ALUMINIUM and as such all products that contain this substance including ANTIPERSPIRANTS, ANTACIDS and V*CCIN*S. Homeopathic tautopathic remedies which involve the prescribing of indicated poisons in homeopathic potency like GLYPHOSATE, ALUMINIUM or TYLENOL are effective aspects of a comprehensive treatment plan. It is in addition essential to ensure that the body’s fat soluble eliminative pathways are functioning well hence liver and gallbladder support is key.
KIDNEY SYSTEM AFFINITES
THE TEETH
THE BONES
THE BONE MARROW
THE BLOOD
THE EARS
THE HEAD
THE HAIR
SIGNS OF KIDNEY WEAKNESS
FEAR OF THE DARK
FEAR OF DYING
FEAR OF AGEING
LACK OF SAFETY
EXISTENTIAL ANXIETY
PREMATURE AGEING
MEMORY LOSS
PANIC + DREAD
EXHAUSTION + WEAKNESS
LOW LIBIDO
joint sTIFFNESS
LOWER BACK PAIN
WEAK, BRITTLE, SOFT or STIFF BONES
ear issues including issues with HEARING
INCOMPLETE CLOSING OF THE CRANIAL BONES
hormonal imbalances
FERTILITY issueS
CYSTITIS
OEDEMA
DRYNESS
SKIN ITCHING, DRYNESS, ECZEMA
DARK CIRCLES UNDER THE EYES
RED NOSE TIP
BLOOD PRESSURE ISSUES
STRONG DESIRE FOR SALT
YELLOW or brown teeth
KIDNEY SUPPORTIVE REMEDies
Listed below are keynotes of a selection of KIDNEY supportive and drainage remedies with an outline of modalities, urinary and concomitant symptoms. This is by no means an exhaustive list however a depiction of the remedies with a premise of action that can help facilitate CLEANSING, STRENGTH and TRANSFORMATION in this system.
Follow the guide below on dosage and frequency and always check with your Homeopath before self-prescribing as they will have an understanding of your constitutional picture and will be able to advise you accordingly.
APIS
URINE frequent, dark, milky, scanty, profuse, involuntary, foul smelling, strongly coloured, greenish, with sediment, burning, sharp, stitching, like hot needles; CONCOMITANT anxious, restless, fidgety, fussy, busy, constrictive, swelling including of the kidneys themselves, kidneys feel sore, bruised; BETTER from cold air, applications WORSE heat, pressure, touch
ARNICA
URINE retention, scanty, bloody, brick-red, offensive: CONCOMITANT bruised, aching, dull; BETTER lying down, head low, motion; WORSE overexertion, trauma, rest
ARSENICUM ALBUM
URINE pus, blood, dark brown, dark yellow, scanty, beer-like, rotten; CONCOMITANT clinging, anxious, restless, fearful, fastidious; BETTER heat/warmth, sitting up, company; WORSE cold, exertion, midnight
BELLADONNA
URINE retention, dark, scanty, profuse, sediment, yeast-like, turbid, burning, stinging, throbbing, shooting, dull, sensitive, bladder paralysis, incontinence; CONCOMITANT argumentative, forgetful, anxious, confused, delirium; BETTER standing, resting; WORSE heat, noise, light, touch, pressure, afternoon, after midnight
BENZOIC ACID
URINE strong smell, foul smell, like horses urine, dark, brown; CONCOMITANT anxiety, depression, delusion, gout, sensitive chest, headache; BETTER heat, pressure; WORSE uncovering, movement, changing weather
BERBERIS VULGARIS
URINE incomplete elimination, bright-red, thick mucous, clear mucous, smells like coffee, stiffness, burning; CONCOMITANT weary, melancholic, apathetic, indifferent, swelling sensation in the kidneys, sensitive kidneys, shooting, bubbling, stinging, gnawing, kidney stones; BETTER after urination; WORSE standing, deep pressure
BORAX
URINE urgent, ineffectual, strong smelling, acrid, painful, burning; CONCOMITANT nervous, easily startled, oversensitive to noise, angry, irritable; BETTER cold weather; WORSE after menses, warm weather, downward motion, upward motion
CANTHARIS
URINE dripping, hot, dribbling, jelly-like, bloody, cloudy, intolerable urging, sediment ; CONCOMITANT anxious, restless, irritable, complaining, burning, cutting, BETTER warmth; WORSE slightest touch
CAusticum
URINE retention, involuntary, desire without relief, black, cloudy, white ; CONCOMITANT timid, nervous, anxious, lacking in control, pessimistic, complaining, sensation of abdominal pressure; BETTER cold, damp, warmth; WORSE darkness, exertion, coffee, fats
CHIMAPHILLA UMBELLATA
URINE bloody mucous discharge, sediment, offensive, scalding; CONCOMITANT burning, cutting, BETTER walking; WORSE damp weather, first urination
CLEMATIS ERECTA
URINE flow stops and starts, violent burning on last drops, scanty, dribbling; CONCOMITANT cheerful alternating with sadness, dissatisfied, irritable, fearful of being alone; BETTER open air, sweating; WORSE touch, motion, new moon, waning moon
COLCHICUM
URINE dark, bloody, raw pain after urination, tickling ; CONCOMITANT difficulty in understanding, depressed, irritable, indifferent, gout ; BETTER warm, bending, fresh air, lying quietly ; WORSE cold, damp, changing weather
EQUISETUM
URINE frequent, profuse, urgent, prickling, retained, sharp, burning; CONCOMITANT easily fatigued, irritable; BETTER continued motion, lying down; WORSE touch, pressure, end of urination
EUPATORIUM PURPUREUM
URINE sweet smelling, ; CONCOMITANT restlessness, anxiety, moaning with aching pains, deep dull pain in the kidneys, diabetes insipidus, cystitis, ; BETTER sweating, on hands and knees; WORSE cold air, night, coughing, motion
KREOSOTUM
URINE urgent, uncontrollable, involuntary, nighttime , brown, red, colourless, bedwetting, white sediment; CONCOMITANT forgetful, extreme changeable mental state, nervous, dissatisfied; BETTER warmth, sleep, pressure, motion; WORSE eating, touch, rest
LYCOPODIUM
URINE retention, hot, slow; CONCOMITANT aching in the kidneys before and after urination, pain in the back before urination, anxiety, nausea, gas, oedema, headaches; BETTER WORSE movement, touch, beer, eating
MERCURIUS CORROSIVUS
URINE burning, cutting, stinging, bloody, dark, scanty, absent, spasmodic pains; CONCOMITANT changeable, restless, anxious, mistrustful; BETTER morning, rest; WORSE heating, sweat, weather change
NUX VOMICA
URINE severe, sharp, ineffectual urging, itching, burning, tearing, involuntary on coughing, laughing, sneezing, spasmodic; CONCOMITANT irritable, sensitive, confusion, workaholic; impatient, pessimistic, nagging; BETTER damp, strong pressure, hot drinks, fats; WORSE overeating, coffee, anger, exertion
PHOSPHORIC ACID
URINE frequent, profuse, colourless, thick, stringy, foul smelling, watery, milky; CONCOMITANT forgetful, slowness of mind and of the senses, homesickness, fatigue ; BETTER after stool, short sleep, warmth; WORSE loss of fluids
PICRIC ACID
URINE dribbling, dark, bloody, scanty; CONCOMITANT lack of will power, mental fatigue, anxiety; BETTER cold air, cold water, tight pressure; WORSE exertion, hot weather
SARSPARILLA
URINE bloody, slimy, severe pain before and at end of urination, ; CONCOMITANT easily offended, depressed, anxiety from the severity of the pain, pain from right kidney downward; BETTER uncovering, warmth; WORSE spring, cold, wet, damp
DETERMINING THE OBSTACLES TO HEALING
Homeopathy is essentially the art and science of whole-person healing . TO ACHIEVE THIS WE MUST FIRST determine what THE obstacles to cure ARE?
TRAUMAS, TOXICITIES, FAMILY INHERITED PATTERNS (MIASMS) &/or DEFICIENCIES ARE KEY - UNDERSTANDING HOW ONE SEQUENCES THE UNRAVELLING OF THESE THREADS IS THE ART OF PRESCRIBING.
Any block to the healthy flow of the system will impact the body’s vital resources and ultimately create an imbalance in the organs and their accompanying systems. As the toxicity, trauma, deficiency and miasm is addressed it will often need to be underpinned by a method referred to as ORGANOTHERAPY or ORGAN SUPPORT.
PRESCRIBING ORGANOTHERAPY
Rather than the whole-person symptom-similarity of Constitutional Classical prescribing, in Organopathy the focus is the imbalanced, dysfunctional or diseased organ itself.
Depending on the level of health of the individual, the extent of imbalance or indeed pathology of the organ, either herbal mother tinctures or low potency homeopathic remedies are used. Where there is the need to drain the organ, where an individual is very unwell or presents with low vitality - herbal mother tinctures may be advised. Potentised homeopathic preparations ranging from 1X to 6X in dilution are used to drain, detox and strengthen. To find out more about homeopathic potency you can read my blog post here.
MOTHER TINCTURE:
5 drops in a little water 3 times a day.
Considered predominantly for drainage and support
Pathology is advanced
Vitality is low
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY:
1X to 6X either 1 to 2 times daily (not 1D to 12D in Europe)
Taken over a longer period usually between 2 to 3 months.
Considered for drainage with more emphasis on detoxing.
Select one remedy and determine the one potency when self-prescribing.
WHAT CAN BE TREATED?
A Homeopath will determine which organ or body system is in most need of support within the context of why an individual has sought treatment.
This may be obvious for instance urinary tract infections requiring kidney support however many conditions are less discernible for instance hormonal imbalance requiring liver drainage and detox.
Organ Support can be applied to any body system and organ, we have remedies that will cover everything from the spleen to thymus, lungs to pancreas, lymphatic system to the liver. .
ABOUT HOMEOPATH PAILIN BRZESKI BSc(hons) lche r.hom.hint.
Pailin has a Bachelor of Science Honours Degree through Middlesex University and Licentiate to practice from the College of Homeopathic Education in London United Kingdom and is a Human Chemistry Integrated Healing Method Practitioner incorporating Chinese Traditional Medicine [TCM], Aryuvedic Medicine and New Biology perspectives in her treatment approach.
Working with all ages, Pailin runs her clinic via VIDEO CALL worldwide, specialising in conditions arising fro trauma, toxicity and deficiencies from the neurological to musculoskeletal, hormonal to mental and emotional.
