Enuresis is a common pediatric disease in children over 3 years old, characterized by involuntary urination during sleep, commonly known as "bedwetting". Although this condition can be prevented to some extent, it often recurs and can have an impact on the physical and mental health as well as the growth and development of affected children.
Etiology and Pathogenesis
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, enuresis is believed to be caused by insufficient kidney qi, deficiency and cold in the lower yuan, or weakness after illness, leading to deficiency of lung, spleen, and kidney qi, dysfunction of the three jiaos, and inability of the bladder to retain urine. In a few cases, excessive damp-heat in the liver meridian can lead to abnormal excretion and internal heat, which in turn affects the bladder and causes enuresis.
In Western medicine, excitement, fear, excessive fatigue, difficulty adapting to new environments, lack of care and training, or small bladder capacity can all cause dysfunction of the bladder sphincter and result in enuresis. Approximately 10% of affected children have a genetic predisposition.
Tuina Treatment
1. Treatment Principles
The treatment principles for enuresis are to warm the kidneys and consolidate the essence. For deficiency patterns, tonifying the spleen and boosting qi is used, while for excess patterns, soothing the liver and clearing heat is employed.
2. Basic Techniques
(1) The child is placed in a sitting or supine position with the parent's support: Kidney water tonification is performed 300 times. The abdomen is massaged with the palm, focusing on the lower abdomen, for about 5-8 minutes. Acupoints Qi Hai, Dan Tian, Zhong Ji, and San Yin Jiao are kneaded and rubbed for about half a minute each.
(2) The child is placed in a prone position: The spine is pinched 3-5 times, and acupoints Lung Yu, Spleen Yu, Kidney Yu, Large Intestine Yu, and Bladder Yu are kneaded and rubbed for about half a minute each. The tail of the turtle is rubbed 100 times. The Ming Men, Kidney Yu, and Ba
