Hello readers!

Today I’m going to talk a bit on the benefits of Acupuncture in patients that suffer from Kidney Failure.

In Chinese Medicine, kidney failure is defined as a kidney inability of filtering blood with the purpose of eliminating substances that might be toxic to the body when in huge concentrations on the blood, like for example urea and creatinine. A change in the normal behavior of the kidney can happen due to dehydration, sepsis or kidney damage caused by presence of stones on these organs (https://www.tuasaude.com/insuficiencia-renal)

In Chinese Medicine, besides the reasons already mentioned by Occidental Medicine that cause kidney failure, there are also other reasons that might take the Kidney to it’s weakness, they are:

• Overwork without proper resting
• Overdoing physical activities or having a sedentary lifestyle
• Excess of sexual activity / pregnancy and successive births
• Bad eating habits
• Emotional stress

Kidney Failure is a severe disease and may result in death. In Occidental Medicine it’s usually treated with medications and, in more severe cases, with hemodialysis.

What can Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine do for the patient who suffers from Kidney Failure?

In fact, Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine cannot revert a Kidney Failure condition, but for sure there are benefits on this technique.

According to Jung-Sheng Yu e cols (https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2016.0119) acupuncture applied on points LI4, ST36 and KI3  associated to electrotherapy of 2HZ, once a week, for 12 weeks in a row, reduced the concentration of creatinine and raised the glomerular filtration rate for chronic kidney patients.

Alencar Melo e cols. (https://www.scielo.br/j/reben/a/TLGQjkFqPNm7VCH3DsBzBWj/?lang=en&format=html) made a systematic revision of articles that comprove that acupuncture improves life quality, fatigue and sleep in chronic kidney patients. In the presented articles, the most utilized points were: KI1, KI3, KI11, HT7, ST36, SP6, LI4 and GB34.

When we think about kidney failure, we should also think about improving both the structure of the kidney (Yin) and its function (Yang). Using this line of thought, some points can certainly be regarded as a treatment to improve the patient’s life quality and assist on the actions of medications, such as decreasing the need of dialysis (and not replacing it).

Thinking this way, we may use:

• KI3 – balance the Yin and Yang energies of the Kidney
• KI6 – tone Kidney’s Yin 
• KI7 – tone Kidney’s Yang
• BL23, B52 – balances the Kidneys Yin and Yang energies 
• GV4 – tone Kidney’s Yang 
• CV4 – tone Kidney’s Yin 

We may not be able to heal a patient that suffers from Kidney Failure, but surely we can improve the quality and life time of the patient.

Hope you enjoyed it.

A big hug!

Profa. Fernanda Mara

Hello readers,

Given the many requests on my social networks, today I will write about Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system, incurable, which worsens over time and affects mainly people between 60 and 90 years old.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by dementia or loss of cognitive functions (memory, orientation, behavior, language, calculus), caused by the death of brain cells.

It is not yet clear why Alzheimer’s disease occurs, although some lesions and brain changes characteristic of this disease are known, such as:

• Senile plaques resulting from the abnormally produced beta-amyloid protein deposit;
• Neurofibrillary tangles, fruits of the hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein;
• Reduction in the number of nerve cells (neurons) and the connections between them (synapses), with progressive decrease in brain volume.

As in Western Medicine, in Chinese Medicine the cause of the development and progression of Alzheimer’s is not known, however, there is a suspicion that the disease is related to the Kidney, which is the organ that has the Vital Essence and controls all the diseases. body functions, including aging and death.

Alzheimer’s is divided into classic symptoms, which will be described below in relation to the organs and how we can treat them in Chinese Medicine:

1. Aggressiveness

Many people suffering from Alzheimer’s have this stage quite evident. They get aggressive, speak loudly, blame people for having hidden or even stolen something of their personal use.

In Chinese Medicine we can understand that due to a Deficiency of the Essence, especially the Kidney Yin, it does not nourish the Liver Yin thus generating an excessive Yang. It is the excessive Yang of the Kidney that we correlate with anger, stress, excessive attitudes.

It is up to the therapist, not only to strengthen the Kidney Yin but also to calm the Yang Liver. Points like KI-6 and LR-8 are of great help, as well as black sesame tea.

2. Loss of Recent Memory

The most well-known stage of Alzheimer’s is memory loss. You start by forgetting a lighted lamp, or the stove on. Then it is no longer known if he took a shower that day, or tells the same story several times a day.

In Chinese Medicine, chronic Kidney deficiency leads to chronic Spleen deficiency. It is the Spleen that is responsible for recent memories and daily activities. So, once again, the therapist must strengthen the Kidney Yin and in this case, strengthen the Spleen Qi. In addition to KI-6, SP-2, SP-3 and ST-8 can be used. The consumption of roots at this stage is also very important, with yam being the most suitable.

3. Loss of consistency, discernment and logical reasoning

After a period without ideal memory about the knowledge of everyday life, the Alzheimer’s patient begins to suffer from memory difficulties of things he previously knew by heart. The path to a place “x”, or how to speak a word and another language or even ride a bicycle.

It is in this phase that in addition to the loss of another type of memory, we have a sudden change in behavior. The Alzheimer’s patient loses his logical reasoning, the conversations are “crossed and incomplete”, he cannot decide between the right, the wrong and what must be done first in a task. You lose track of time and space. It is common for you to remember only the past.

A classic example is the desire to “come home” when you are already at home. This is because there is no memory of where you live today, you only remember the past.

Based on the loss of Kidney Essence, there is, by law of Dominance in Chinese Medicine, an excess of the energy of the Heart, bringing the mind agitated (disturbed Shen).

Once again, the therapist aims to strengthen the energy of the Kidney, but at that time, he also needs to work on the energy of the Heart. Points KI-3, KI-6, PC-7, and HT-7 are indicated, as well as fresh Heart foods, such as melons, can be used.

4. Loss of connection with the past

This is the terminal phase of Alzheimer’s.

The patient not only does not remember the day to day and has already lost the coherence of the acts, but also has no memory of the past. He does not know who he is, where he came from, and he does not remember the closest people, such as children, spouses. He does not even know where a pain is in the body, because he does not remember the name of the affected body part.

It is the time when the Kidney Essence (Jing) is at its lowest concentration. Remembering that it is when Jing ends, that life comes to an end.

At that point, the only thing the therapist can do is try to keep the little Jing left. Points such as CV-3, CV-4, KI-3, KI-6, or even the use of Wonderful Vases can give the patient survival, but it will not cure him.

Maintaining healthy living habits, especially good food and respecting rest, will prevent the end of life from being so memoryless.

I hope I helped you.

A big hug.

Profa. Fernanda Mara