In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), each organ system is associated with a specific season of the year, along with many other related associations like smell, emotion, color, body tissue, organ systems, body functions, element, etc. Winter is associated with your Kidneys, making the winter months a fantastic time to boost and balance your Kidney energy and bolster your overall health. As we move into Spring and the Liver organ system, we still want to nurture and balance the Kidneys, since they are said to be the mother of the Liver organ system. In TCM, all the bodily systems rely on the Kidney for Qi, for their energy to function properly. They are the foundation for all Yin and Yang qualities within the body. They also maintain the balance between the Yin and Yang energies in the body, and within each of the different organ systems as well. This means that if the Kidney yin or yang is out of balance, it can affect other systems in the body. This is an extremely important function, so it is very typical to find the Kidneys at the root of many imbalances seen in the body.
Due to it’s importance, I am including some basic Kidney points to massage or tap on a regular basis at any time of year, particularly in the Winter.
3 kidney points – K1, K3. K27
K1 – It is the first point on the kidney channel and the lowest point on the body. Its location is on the sole of the foot, between the second and third metatarsal bones, approximately ⅓ of the distance between the base of the second toe and the the heel. K1 is located on the sole of the foot, in a slight depression created when the foot is pointed downward, about 1/3 of the distance between the tips of the toes and the heel.
Located on the bottom of the foot, Kidney 1 is the lowest acupuncture point on the entire body. This position allows the draining of excess energy from the upper part of the body, particularly the head.
K3 -Named for its ravine-like location on the body, Kidney 3 lives in the inner ankle, in a depression between the medial malleolus (your ankle bone on the inside) and your achilles tendon. This is a critical point for accessing the power of the Kidney organs, addressing issues of energy levels and destiny.
Functions: Tonifies the Kidneys (Yin and Yang), strengthens the low back, relieves heel/ankle pain. Notes: KID 3 is important to use for any Kidney deficiency pattern.
This point is used for low back pain, tinnitus (ringing of the ears), sore throat, cough and wheezing, insomnia, impotence, frequent urination, and more. If you rub this area with gentle pressure you will be nourishing your kidney Qi, strengthening your body’s vitality and increasing your longevity.
K27 – The K-27 points are versatile acupuncture points that relieve throat, chest and back pain, help you breathe deeply and help release endorphins. To find these points, place your fingers in the depression above your breastbone, where a man knots his tie. Stimulate K-27 points with firm rotary pressure for 15 to 30 seconds each or until pain at K-27 points is gone. The K-27s may be stimulated as often as necessary. When they are sensitive, they need attention.
The 27th and last points on the kidney meridians are the neurological center of the acupuncture circuit. This main switchboard is an important organizer of energy flow throughout the body. Energy travels in a figure eight pattern through the body. It enters the left foot, crosses at the navel, and surfaces at the K-27 points, crosses the navel again and exits out the right foot.