by LaRee Westover & Sharon Moran
Butterfly Expressions, LLC
URINARY
KIDNEYS, BLADDER
The kidneys are the chief organs for cleansing the body’s internal fluid. They keep the system in balance and blood pressure normal by controlling the composition and volume of blood and fluids. They maintain electrolyte balance and manufacture hormones that regulate blood pressure, calcium metabolism, and red blood cell production.
DISEASES
Bed wetting, urinary tract infections, cystitis, kidney stones, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, glaucoma, dizziness, vertigo
Kidney stress is present in a very long list of complaints. The drugs prescribed for a great many conditions create stress on the kidneys. If the kidneys weren’t a problem to begin with, they become a problem as a result of drug therapies. Any time the kidneys are stressed, the adrenal glands are in danger of becoming a problem. The emotional connection here is very tight.
Any time that the body is fighting off a bacterial or viral attack, the kidneys are going to come under stress as the dead and dying organisms are being processed for removal from the body.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of early kidney problems are pain, pallor, swelling in the extremities, headaches, high blood pressure, blood in urine, burning and stinging, and tingling sensations everywhere.
STRESSORS
Alcohol, drugs (even prescription), infections, surgery, obesity
VITAMINS / MINERALS / FOODS
Water, vitamins A, C, E, and B-Complex, natural salt, cranberries
HERBS / SUPPLEMENTS
Corn silk, cleavers, plantain, chamomile, horesetail, juniper, parsley, hydrangea, goldenrod, uva ursi, buchu, marshmallow
EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
One of the important functions of the kidneys is to create and maintain a proper balance of fluids, minerals, electrolytes, and the pH balance in the body. Kidney stress can be related to a need to establish better balance in our lives, perhaps between job and family or between work and play.
Emotionally, the kidneys also represent the many things we fear in life. Perhaps it might be the fear of failure in our careers or family relationships. Stressed kidneys can be created by and can manifest as just about any type of fear you can imagine. When we are fearful, the adrenals rev up their production of adrenaline to aid us in either fighting or fleeing. For those of us who live constantly with various degrees of real (or only perceived) fears, if we are awake the adrenal glands are firing away at full speed. This eventually leads to adrenal failure and that is a nasty situation.
GENERAL COMMENTS
The kidneys are known to be closely tied to all types of heart problems. Eastern healing philosophies certainly agree with this. A stressed heart meridian draws energy from the kidney meridian until a problem develops there. Conversely, an inflamed kidney pushes excess and destructive energy forward into the heart meridian. For water/kidney meridian people, out-of-balance fire/heart meridian people can be very taxing and it is usually in the kidneys that the stress is felt.
All “itis” (including arthritis) is related to the kidneys. All heart pathology begins in the kidneys.
When the urinary tract is out of balance, so is the rest of the body, especially the body’s internal fluids which include the blood, urine, and lymphatic fluid. This is why the heart, and subsequently our blood pressure, is a product of how well our kidneys are functioning. This is another perfect example of how the body’s systems inter-relate and work together.
The kidneys, emotionally, represent fear. When we continue to live in a constant state of fear we risk over-taxing the adrenal glands which are situated on top of the kidneys. When the adrenal glands become depleted we are less able to cope with stress. The adrenal glands also play a vital role in the immune system function. (We will talk more about the adrenal glands when we cover the endocrine system.)
Oils which have an affinity for the urinary system include:
LeAcknowledge, LeBeloved, LeCherish, LeDreams, LeEndoRelief, LeEnergy, LeHeart Song, LeLetting Go, LeLiteN, LeMeditation, LeReflections, LeRevitalize, LeSafeGuard, LeTrust, LeVitality, basil, bergamot, birch, cajeput, cedarwood, celery seed, chamomile German, cypress, eucalyptus, fennel, frankincense, geranium, goldenrod, grapefruit, hyssop, juniper berry, ledum, pine, ravensara, rosemary, rosewood, sage, sandalwood, spruce, thyme
Herbal remedies which have an affinity for the urinary system include:
AD, IF, KB, KT, KS, RC, RC-L, buchu, corn silk, cleavers, plantain, chamomile, horsetail, juniper, parsley, hydrangea, goldenrod, marshmallow, slippery elm, uva usi
Cranberry fruit supplements are an excellent natural remedy for balancing the kidneys and bladder. Cranberry fruit acts on the lining of the bladder and kidneys, making them slick so that the bacteria and viruses can not adhere and proliferate. Drinking real cranberry juice is hard as it is very astringent. Commercially available cranberry juices contain too much sugar to make them effective against fighting urinary tract infections.
