02.22.26 The Kidneys & Urinary Bladder in TCM

When we compare Western Medicine vs. Eastern Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine lands with Eastern Medicine. In TCM, we are not seen only as flesh and blood, but as energetic beings of thought, emotions, and spiritual aspirations as well. Nature is deeply intertwined in TCM and our environment, everything around us is just as important. Everything influences each other-whether that’s genetics, the environment we grew up in, the air we breathe, the food we eat, or how we relate to our bodies, or many other different contexts.

In TCM, problems in the Kidneys can show up as issues in the ears or genitals. Problems may result in anxiety or emotions of fear arising at inappropriate times. The Kidney’s govern water utilization. Blood and Bones are closely connected to water, the Kidney’s are also responsible for their proper function. Determination is said to be stored in the Kidney’s, and that also is directly connected to reproductive health and function.

The urinary bladder is paired with the Kidneys. In TCM, the Yang organ is the Bladder and the Yin organ are the Kidneys. The simple function for the bladder is to store excrete urine. Signs of disharmony in the urinary bladder may include backaches, headaches, mental problems, inability to urine, and disease of the lower limbs.