KIDNEYS MANIFEST ON THE HAIR
Kidney chi is internal but it is manifested externally in the hair. Kidney chi being the root must rise to the top of the head, when it is strong and abundant the hair will be abundant, radiant and lustrous. When kidney chi declines, the hair looses its pigmentation, withers and falls off. This is an inevitable process of aging.
Hair pigmentation. Hair receives its color from different amounts of melanin pigments in the outer layer (cortex) of the hair. Melanin is also responsible for skin pigmentation and both skin and hair is effected by exposure to sunlight.
As with other functions governed by TCM kidneys, the formation of melanin is regulated by the endocrine system, especially the adrenals. It is believed that the formation of melanin is regulated by aldosterone which is the most active mineralocorticoid hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex. This hormone is in itself stimulated by ACTH (adrenocorticaltropic hormone) from the pituitary. With a balanced and uniform secretion of cortisol from the adrenals, melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) is secreted which regulates hair and skin coloring.
Individuals with a deficiency of kidney yin and essence or a lack of adrenalcortical hormones, will tend towards loss of hair pigmentation or greying. As a result of this, there is a definite relationship between the effects of a sudden shock or stress on the adrenal glands that can deplete one's adrenalcortical reserves as shock absorbers, so to speak, and result ultimately in either hair loss or greying.
At the base of each hair follicle is a loop of capillaries enclosed in a connective tissue covering called the hair papilla. Atop each papilla there are clusters of epithelial cells that reproduce and eventually form the hair shaft. In addition, to this there are small bundles of enervated muscles which under sudden stress such as cold or fright, causes the hair to stand on end. While the coloring is regulated by adrenalcortical hormones, the proper nerve strength which ennervates the arrector pili muscles attached to the base of the hair follicle, and is, I believe, responsible at least in part, for helping to hold the hair in place, is regulated by the sympathetic nervous system.
From this we see that hair is essentially nourished by blood and held in place and maintained by the sympathetic nervous system. A lack of proper nutrition will effect both hair coloring and growth while congestion and nervous exhaustion will diminish the body's ability to conduct nutrients to the area as well as maintain retaining power.
The best results for treating alopecia or hair loss is to encourage hair growth with herbs that stimulate the scalp and hair bed. Alcoholic extracts, tinctures and oils are made using herbs such as echinacea root, rosemary, nettles, birch leaves, burdock root, and seed together with a small amount of essential oils such as oils of, rosemary, lavender and calamus. This mixture is rubbed vigorously into the scalp. If possible, one can follow this occasionally with a light tapping over the affected areas of the scalp with a Chinese dermal hammer.
Treatment should be applied regularly and daily for anywhere from a few weeks to months according to the severity of the condition. Many who have been consistent in their attempts, have stimulated new hair growth. This has been well documented by many cases both in Western and Asian countries including China.
The TCM internal treatment for hair loss is tonifying for either or both kidney yin or yang. Again, the approach is directed to strengthen the autonomic nervous system. Evidently a similar approach in the West is followed with the use of B Vitamins and mineral supplements, especially Zinc.
Two herbs in particular are used in TCM for helping to restore hair and skin pigmentation. These are Polygonum multiflorum (ho shou wu) and Rehmannia glutinosa (shu dihuang). Both are classified as blood tonics which nourish liver and kidney essence.
He Shou Wou (Polygonum multiflorum)
The use of He shou wuo for the hair emanates from an ancient story of a famous Chinese military officer who was condemned to death by confinement in a remote cell with no food or drink. He was able to survive by consuming the leaves and roots of a common vinelike weed (polygonum multiflorum). After one year his keepers went back to dispose of the remains of the condemned military officer, that found him fully rejuvenated with his lustrous black hair color fully restored. Since that time, the herb that General He Shou Wou consumed while incarcerated for a year has been named in his honor.
He shou wou, commercially misnamed in recent times, fo ti tieng, contains lecithin, anthraquinones, chrysophanic acid, emodin, rhein, and chrysophanic acid anthrone. Normally He shou wou has been cured by cooking it with black beans. It is bitter, sweet, astringent and slightly warm.
It is used as a tonic for the liver and kidney and also to nourish the blood, benefit the essence, and kidney and liver yin. It is therefore used for deficient yin and blood conformations including dizziness, blurred vision, prematurely gray hair, weak lower back and knees, soreness in the extremities and insomnia. All of these are basic signs and indications for adrenal depletion included under the signs of kidney yin deficiency. As it contains some anthraquinones it also possesses some demulcent and detoxifying properties making it useful for lubricating the intestines and promoting bowel movement especially in anemic individuals.
One of the most remarkable effects of He shou wou is its effects on lipid metabolism. It is believed that the lecithin in He shou wou is responsible for preventing the accumulation of cholesterol in the liver and the retention of lipids in the blood stream and finally the penetration of lipids into the arterial endothelium, hence reducing arteriosclerosis. (14)
The lecithin, besides being good for the hair, is found in He shou wou as a main component of nerve tissue, particularly of the brain and spinal cord. It is also an important raw material for the membranes of erythrocytes and other cells, promoting their growth and development. (15)
One of the most commonly available and effective forms of He shou wou is in a Chinese patented formula called "Shou Wou Chih". It is a liquid extract containing Shou wou along with Dang gui, Ligusticum, Polygonatum, Rehmannia root and other herbs that aid circulation and digestion. It is used as a liver tonic, tonifying, warming and invigorating the blood, nourishing the liver and kidneys, benefiting the eyes and tendons, strengthening the bones and tendons of the back, relieving joint pains and depletion caused by sexual excess, childbirth, or illness. Shou Wou Chih is suitable to take daily for a long period of time (3 months or more). The daily dose is 2-3 tablespoons, 3 x daily.
Another good remedy for restoring hair color is Black sesame seeds. Chinese medicine finds that herbs and foods that are black colored are usually particularly good for the TCM kidneys. Black sesame is rich in certain oils and is taken regularly, about one tablespoon daily, to prevent greying and help restore normal hair color. Black sesame seeds can be dry roasted and ground with a little salt to make a delicious condiment that can be sprinkled on rice and other foods. I have also combined about a third portion of ground he shou wou with the black sesame gomasio to increase its benefits. A delicious sweet version can be made by mixing the ground black sesame with honey or dry powdered pure sugar cane juice extract.
As with the discussion of other aspects of the TCM Kidneys and indeed herbal medicine generally, attempting to diagnose and treat a specific symptom such as premature hair loss or greying, leads one to use herbs and formulas that are indicated for the whole person. By treating hair symptoms, one eventually also finds that their energy and well being improves, joint pains disappear and perhaps is beneficial even, to one's sex life. In this way one herb or formula can treat 100's of symptoms while at the same time by applying TCM diagnostic criteria we can arrive at the correct approach that will achieve the best results for a specific symptomology
ENEGRY AND DISEASE
JON BURRAS
Energy is the natural law. Energy needs to flow like a river flowing to the ocean. When you block the natural flow of the river it becomes stagnant and dead.Fish die and mosquitoes flourish. The river looses its vibrancy and aliveness.
We are not much different than the river. We are part of the natural cosmic energy cycle. When we block our flow of energy we become stagnant and create diseases. In fact, it is this blockage of our energy flow that is responsible for most diseases.
Stress, Trauma, Repression, are responsible for causing our energy flow to back up. Stress occurs when we are nearly always in our “Fight or Flight Response”. This is characterized as being “hyper-alert” and always “Vigilant”.We are unable to relax and enter our “Relaxation Response”. Trauma occurs when large amounts of energy enter our body in a short period of time. Repression occurs when we hold back our feelings and sensations and very seldom let go. Just like a dam holding back the water of the river, we use our muscles to hold back the natural flow of emotions.
Together or separately, these three forces help to create energy stagnation within our body. Where the energy collects the most, comes to be known as energetic cysts. These energy cysts are balls of frozen energy that begin to reside in the bodies’ tissues. Just like a sponge that soaks up water once the energy that becomes dammed the body begins to hold this stagnant energy.
When enough energy collects in a specific pattern, then “physiological changes” begin to occur in the body. Cells begin to change. The flow of energy is diminished. The flow of blood and vascularity changes. Muscled become shortened and harden. Joints stiffen from holding. Connective tissue begins to glue together in a process called “Hydrogen Bonding”. The body is in slow decline.
Now you are beginning to get a wake-up call. Your back goes out on you. You have the flu for three weeks. You are always tired and weak. You have been diagnosed with Lupus of Fibromyalgia. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome becomes your daily fight. You have now entered the world of “Symptomatic Medicine”. Now you are labeled as “sick” with a terrible disease.
Under the “Symptomatic Medicine System” you are treated as a “Machine”.
“The machine is broken so let’s fix it” is the approach. Drugs and surgery are the two common tools. The goal is to conquer the “Symptoms” but little is done to address the real problem. This type of thinking comes from the same that INSISTS that pain is a disease in and of itself. Pain is only a messenger for a deeper problem!
In order to get to the source of the problem we need to stop killing the messenger
Under a wellness model healing will occur when the energy begins to flow unimpeded once again. This means beginning to address our issues of Stress, Trauma, and Repression. Treating symptoms with drugs and surgery is great for doctors and pharmaceutical companies. But this is not really healing anything.
YOGA AND FASCIA
Jon Burris
Yoga has been around for a few thousand years. Within this discipline we have come to understand ourselves from a spiritual perspective. For many, yoga has become a belief system and a way of understanding the body and the world in which we live.
Science is a relatively new way of understanding our world, a rational and analytical way of thinking that is only a few hundred years old. While similar in many respects, yoga and science offer very different views of the body. Science offers us a perspective of soft and hard tissue, physical entities; yoga, lines of energy, and the concept of Chi. The goal of science has been to dissect us into many parts. Yoga’s strength is to bring us back to wholeness. Combined together, both viewpoints give us more insight than either one individually and enhance our ability to understand ourselves.
What Science has brought us.
Within the body there are four different types of cells. These cells are the following; epithelial, muscle, nerve, and connective tissue. (Epitheral cells are cells that flake off, like in the stomach lining or in the mouth or skin.) Connective tissue cells appear in many shapes and sizes. Bone is a form of connective tissue, so are cartilage and the membranes around red blood cells. Fascia and tendons are also forms of connective tissue. While it may take on many forms, the distinguishing characteristic of all of connective tissue is that it is a gelatin-based substance containing cells and fibers.
For instance, bone is made of this gelatin-based substance, called ground sunstance or matrix. There are mineral deposits, primarily mineral salts, within this gelatin to give bone its hardness. Bone also has some cells and many fibers, the majority being collagen fibers. Consequently, bone is very dense and hard. Blood and lympth, also forms of connective tissue, have many cells and few fibers within their matrix, which creates a more fluid form than that of bone. This ratio of cells to fiber and the density of ground substance are key factors in the type of connective tissue. Each type of connective tissue is like a jello salad. The basic ingredient is a liquid and the remaining ingredients help to determine the final outcome.
Fascia has many functions within our bodies. One of the most obvious is to serve as a container, a boundry for the liquid in our body; without it, we would leak out all over the place. Think of an orange-when it is sliced in half you see a quite a bit of white material. Each slice is carpartmentalized by white fibers. In addition, each tiny slack of juice is surrounded by more fascia to keep the liquid from draining out. Fascia does the same thing in our bodies. Every cell is carpartmentalized by fascia. A heart or a brain needs to have a container to hold it in place. As an embryo develops, its cells continue to grow and multiply and are held in place due to the containment properties of fascia.
Fascia anchors our intestines to our rib cage. Fascia membranes anchor the brain to the skull to minimize movement. Fascia encapsulates every bone and organ; fascia that wraps around the heart is called pericardium; that which covers bone, the periosteum. The fascia that covers muscle tissue is called perimysium. Fascia wraps around every muscle belly, muscle spindle, and myofibril. Fascia not only wraps around muscles and organs but also travels through them.
We are also supported, bound together, and held upright by the tensile strength od fascia. We would be just a puddle of liquid and a bad of bones lying on the floor if it weren’t for fascia. Under our old model of thinking we were taught to believe that vour skeleton is what holds us upright. Think of it like a column theory in engineering, the way most buildings are constructed. If we were built like a skyscraper, one column stacked on top of the other, then we would never to be able to lift our legs or bend our knees. The gravitational force would cause all of joints onto each other because of the weight from above. Buildings built with the column method do not move very well!
In fact, it is our fascia that holds us upright. Fascia functions like a guy wire, providing tensile strength in all directions. Wrapped around the muscles, it creates a system of cables and pulleys that provide life and movement. Fascia works like the cables that hold up a susoension bridge: our bones act as the pillars(a place to which the muscles and fascia can connect), the muscles are like tiny motors that provide the movement, and the fascia creates the tension to hold us upright.
We can think of the body as being connedted by a vast network of fascia. Tugging gently in the middle of the back one may be able to feel how the frontal sinus cavities are affected. A traumatic injury to the ankle may create tension around the eras and shoulder. Fascia travels everywhere and is responsible for connecting all of our parts of our body.
The joys of yoga.
Yoga has brought us many unique concepts and techniquesto guide us though our world. One of these valuable gifts has been the development, over time, of hatha yoga postures. These postures and specific movement and breath techniques can become vital in the maintenance of our heath and wellness.
The gelatin matrix of our fascia can be changed by the applicatation of heat and stetching. Heat applied through pressure, as in connective tissue bodywork, or in our own muscle activity, as in hatha yoga practice, will dissolve the hardness of our fascia. Then the fascia can be stretched, through bodywork or the muscles own force of action, while practicing a yoga pose.
Using this approach, yoga postures become our tool to recreate our bodies each day as we warm up, stretch, and reshape our fascia, like carving a clay statuette. In yoga the focus is on lengthening and expanding the body, not only our muscles, out also our entire network of fascia. Over time, with a continued practice, a person will actually grow taller and such aliments as scoliosis can be corrected. We do not have to end up shortened and compacted as we age. Not only is the skeletal muscular system affected but our internal organs may change as well. Yoga helps to open our organs by allowing the fascia around each organ to lengethen, creating space for the organs to operate efficiently. Organs, which are made of smooth muscle fibers, also contain this vastnetwork of fascia. While practicing yoga poses not only are you stretching around an organ but you are also stretching through it.
Yoga is much more than a series of poses for exercise. It sends shock waves to the core of our being to energize and legthen our fascia tissue. This liquid “goo” that permeates our body is being stretched and expanded. This bag of water that represents our liquid existence is being coaxed into changing shape.
Fascia and energy
Another gift that the yoga world has given us has been our understanding of Chi, or vital energy. Chi is the electrical energy that travels to each and every cell in our body. Yoga has broadened our concept of lines of energy and meridians. We visualize our major energy centers in what have been called Chakras.
Unbeknownst to the yogis many years ago, our fascia system travels hroughout our entire body as a conduit for energy. In fact, it may very well be our fascia that the yogis were trying to describe as the means by which energy flows through the body. With our the benefits of science the yogis described this system the only way they know how. Now, with the help of scientific methods, we can update our belief systems.
Fascia acts like a copper wire to transport Chi, or life force energy, through the body. The condition of the fascia will thus affect the flow of the energy though our whole body. Unhealthy and hardened fascia does not transport energy very efficiently. This is like trying to send electric current through a rubber tire. It will not work very well. There is too much resistance for the electrons to flow.
Yoga also offers us the theory of “lines of energy”. This concept teaches us to feel the direct pull through the body. When lined up correctly in a pose these lines of pull can be felt. This concept directly translates to the idea of fascia. There are specific fascia lines which act as stabilizers in the body and also as energy conduits. Yoga and science are both right on track.
Fascia can also be responsible for the containment or the spread of disease. Fascia is the network in which energy travels. If disease is present in a specific area then healthy fascia will carpartmentalize it and thus restrain it from spreading. Diseased fascia, however, will tend to spread infectious disease throughout the body because of its lack of containment properties and the fact it travels to every cell in the body.
Fascia and aging
Throughout our lifetime most of us begin to stiffen and to shrink with age. This does not have to happen. It is not the accumulation of days that change our bodies- it is what we do with those days.
The health of our fascia determines the state of our body as we age. Immobility is death for fascia. Lack of muscle movement and increased pressure will stiffen it; when this happens the fascia tends to glue together through a process called hydrogen bonding. This process is futher advanced by stress because stress tends to shorten muscles as part of our protection from fear. Bacl-and-forth movements that are repetitive and machine-like, and movement that are contractive in nature, tend totighten the body. This tightness affects the body adversely and will lead to the demise of the fascia in the long term.
When our fascia becomes glued together in the hydrogen bonding process other complications may result. For example, consider the neck region and its many carpartments and layers:large blood vessels leading up to the head, such as the carotid artery; the esophagus and trachea; glands like the thyroid glad. Within this very delicate area there are many muscles that criss-cross about. Each muscle and muscle layer, gland, blood vessel, and nerve, is surrounded by fascia. As the fascia dries out and glues together all the tissues and organs within this region get pulled tighter. Diffulty in swallowing may result. Blood flow to the head may be reduced. The thyroid glad may be affected.
Fascia requires movement, warmth, and adequate hydration to remain healthy. Regular expansive movement like yoga, which is intended to warm the muscles, in turn heats the gelatin turning it to rubber. When the fascia is more expansive and fluid greater energy or Chi flows through the body. Remaining vigilant to stay fully hydrated is also an important consideration for maintaining the health of your fascia.
Science and yoga are now meeting at the crossroads, They bring us different and unique perspectives on who we are. Seperately they offer us understanding, Collectively they offer us a vision for a new future.
We do not have to shrink with age nor stiffen and become brittle. Oue spine does not have to shrink and compress. Our fascia does not have to harden. We will all age. How we age becomes the critical
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