"Yu Ke Fa Hui" says, "Various deficiencies and weaknesses are all related to kidney diseases." This means that various deficiencies and weak diseases are attributed to the kidneys. The kidneys store essence and are responsible for growth and development. In the process of a child's growth, the abundance of kidney essence plays a decisive role.
Bedwetting - Insufficient Kidney Qi
Bedwetting is not uncommon in children. Under normal circumstances, children can gradually control urination during the day after the age of 1. As the child's meridians become more abundant, qi and blood become more plentiful, and zang-fu organs become more solid, the control and expression abilities of urination gradually improve. If a child is still unable to control urination during deep sleep after the age of 3, it is called enuresis or bedwetting. What secrets about children's health are hidden behind bedwetting?
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that enuresis is often related to the dysfunction of the bladder and kidneys, especially kidney qi deficiency and bladder coldness. The opening and closing of the kidneys mainly rely on the regulation of kidney qi. If the kidney qi is insufficient, it will lead to lower jiao deficiency and coldness, dysfunction of qi transformation, and failure to control the water pathway, resulting in enuresis. Congenital kidney qi deficiency and children with a weak constitution and hidden spinal bifida often belong to this condition. Children with enuresis caused by kidney qi deficiency and bladder coldness may experience frequent bedwetting during deep sleep, clear and long urine, as well as other symptoms of kidney qi deficiency, such as pale complexion, fatigue, slightly lower intelligence than peers, and cold limbs.
People often use the phrase "scared to wet their pants" to exaggerate someone's extreme fear. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, this is a reasonable description. "Fear leads to qi descent," and wetting pants is a manifestation of "qi descent." Therefore, children may involuntarily urinate when frightened or wet the bed at night even if they did not wet their pants at the time. Therefore, fear as an emotional factor is also one of the TCM etiologies of enuresis. In addition to kidney qi deficiency and fear damaging the kidneys, other causes of enuresis include lung and spleen qi deficiency, heart-kidney disharmony, and liver meridian stagnation and heat.
If enuresis is not treated for a long time, it can cause many harms to the child. Foreign studies have shown that the main harm of enuresis in children is psychological. Usually, children with nocturnal enuresis lack self-confidence, have poor social abilities, anxiety, fear of collective living, and in severe cases, it can even lead to difficulties in communication, paranoia, and a tendency towards violence in adulthood. In addition, enuresis can also affect the intellectual development of children. Children with enuresis have an IQ 15% to 20% lower than normal children, mainly manifested as lack of concentration, poor coordination between brain nerve development and fine movements, etc. Enuresis can also lead to low immunity, poor digestion, picky eating, anorexia, etc. In extreme cases, it can even affect the development of secondary sexual characteristics in children, with boys having a small penis and small testicles, and girls having a small uterus and small ovaries, which can easily lead to infertility in adulthood. Therefore, parents must not delay the best treatment time due to the wrong belief that "bedwetting is not a disease," which can cause dual psychological and physical damage to children.
In TCM, the diagnosis of enuresis is often related to kidney qi deficiency and bladder coldness. The treatment principles mainly focus on warming and tonifying the lower jiao and consolidating the bladder. Medications with the effects of warming and tonifying kidney yang and consolidating the bladder, such as Sang Piao Xiao and Tu Si Zi, as well as formulas like Suan Quan Wan and Tu Si Zi San, can be used. In addition, parents should also provide good care and give love, help, and support. They should provide psychological guidance to create a loving living environment for their children.
Five Delays - Deficiency of Kidney Essence
Under normal circumstances, children can sit for a while at around 6 months, crawl at around 8 months, stand with support at around 9 months, walk independently at around 10 months, and have hair from birth. Milk teeth usually come out between 4 to 6 months after birth, and children can speak simple words at the age of 1. After the age of 2, they can have simple conversations, and after the age of 5, they can express themselves using complete language.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, if a child is unable to stand or walk at the age of 2 to 3, it is called standing delay or walking delay. If a child has no or sparse hair at birth, and the hair remains thin and slow to grow as they grow older, it is called hair delay. If a child has not erupted any teeth by the age of 12 months or if the teeth erupt slowly after that, it is called tooth delay. If a child does not start speaking at the age of 1 to 2, it is called language delay. These are the "Five Delays" of delayed development in children.
The kidneys govern the bones, and if the kidneys are deficient, the bones will not be nourished properly, leading to standing and walking delays. Teeth are the surplus of bones. If the kidney essence is insufficient, delayed eruption of teeth can be observed. Hair is the surplus of blood and the seed of the kidneys. If kidney qi is insufficient and blood is deficient, hair may be delayed in growth or become thin and dry. Speech is the expression of the heart, and the brain is the sea of marrow. If the heart qi and kidney essence are insufficient, the sea of marrow will be insufficient, leading to slow speech and slightly lower intelligence. From this, we can see the importance of the kidneys in growth and development.
Five Softness - Insufficient Essence and Marrow
In traditional Chinese medical terminology, "Five Softness" is often associated with "Five Delays." Five Softness refers to softness of the head and neck, softness of the mouth, weakness of the hands, weakness of the feet, and soft muscles. When a child is around 6 months old, if the neck still appears weak and drooping, it is called softness of the head and neck. If a child has weak chewing power and has clear saliva flow, it is called softness of the mouth. If a child cannot grasp or lift objects with their arms, it is called weakness of the hands. If a child is still unable to stand and walk after the age of 2 and a half, it is called weakness of the feet. If a child has loose and weak muscles, it is called soft muscles.
Since the conditions of Five Delays and Five Softness often coexist, traditional Chinese medicine usually treats them together. When a child shows symptoms of Five Delays and Five Softness, timely medical consultation is necessary.
"Yu Ke Fa Hui" summarizes the causes of Five Delays and Five Softness as "insufficient prenatal endowment." The treatment principle is to "supplement the deficiency." In addition to supplementing the specific deficiencies, a famous Chinese medicine formula called Liu Wei Di Huang Wan can be tried. Qian Yi, the creator of this formula, is considered the founder of pediatric medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. The creation of Di Huang Wan was initially used to treat insufficient prenatal endowment. When a child shows symptoms of Five Delays and Five Softness and has the cause of insufficient prenatal endowment, this formula can be considered. It is now recognized as an effective medicine for treating kidney deficiency, but originally it was used in pediatrics. This formula is more suitable for treating liver and kidney yin deficiency, and its effect is not good for yang deficiency, or it may even have a negative effect.
ADHD - Yin Deficiency and Yang Excess
ADHD has three main characteristics: difficulty in focusing or concentrating, excessive physical activity, and weak self-control. However, these characteristics are natural to children, so how do we distinguish between normal "lively and active" behavior and pathological "hyperactivity"? The diagnosis criteria for ADHD are complex, but the simplest method is to compare the child with peers of the same age. If the child shows significantly more excitement in the three characteristics mentioned above compared to same-age children, medical attention should be sought. Based on the three main symptoms mentioned, ADHD can be classified into three subtypes: inattentive type, hyperactive/impulsive type, and combined type.
Although there are no corresponding disease names recorded in ancient Chinese medical texts, based on the symptoms of mental distraction, excessive speech and movement, and impulsivity, it can be classified as "Zang Zao" and "Zao Dong". Because the intelligence of children with ADHD is close to normal or completely normal, but they are excessively active and have difficulty concentrating, it is related to "forgetfulness" and "hearing loss". The physiological characteristics of children are "immature yang and insufficient yin." Combined with liver and kidney yin deficiency, "yin deficiency leads to heat," so the manifestation of excessive yang and restlessness is more prominent. The treatment of the above symptoms can be treated with formulas that nourish the liver and kidneys, subdue liver yang, and calm the mind and settle the will, such as Qiju Dihuang Wan and other formulas.
From a TCM perspective, liver and kidney yin deficiency is just one common type of ADHD. It can also be differentiated into heart-spleen deficiency, phlegm-fire disturbance, and other patterns. Therefore, the examples mentioned above are not a panacea for treating this condition.
The rehabilitation of children with ADHD requires a comprehensive treatment plan that combines medication, behavior therapy, psychotherapy, and exercise therapy. Therefore, in addition to seeking medical advice and medication, parents should maintain patience and perseverance in dealing with their child's unconscious "disobedience" behaviors.
