Treatment of Urinary Retention – May 10, 1978

Treatment of Urinary Retention – May 10, 1978

Although urinary retention is primarily attributed to the bladder, the San Jiao is the organ responsible for drainage and is always related to whether the waterways are open or blocked. If the qi of the upper jiao does not transform, the lungs cannot regulate the waterways and transmit them down to the bladder; if the qi of the middle jiao does not transform, the nine orifices are blocked and the body lacks the ability to excrete; if the qi of the lower jiao does not transform, fire deficiency prevents the transformation of water and dampness, leading to heat and moisture blocking the flow of qi at both ends. For upper jiao issues, one can use Shenmai Powder with added schisandra and a larger dose of purple aster; for those with heat, add Huangqin Qingfei Drink, consisting of Huangqin and ShanZhi. For middle jiao problems, use the diuretic method—Si Ling Powder, supplemented with Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang plus Mu Tong and Che Qian Zi. For lower jiao issues, if urination is painful and difficult, and the abdomen is distended, use Zishen Wan (containing Zhizi, Baihe, and Rougui); if the lower yuan is deficient and the Mingmen fire is weak, use Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan; if there is severe lower abdominal pain and urinary retention accompanied by thirst, treat in the qi category with Liu Mo Tang; if there is no thirst, treat in the blood category with Di Dang Wan.

During the Qing Dynasty, Wang Xugao treated a patient with middle yang deficiency who had difficulty urinating. Conventional methods failed, so he used dried ginger, cinnamon, fennel, poria, zeolite, white atractylodes, woody vine, nutmeg, and achyranthes.

During the Qing Dynasty, Wu Dongyang treated a patient with liver stagnation and urinary obstruction, using gallbladder herb, poria, pig苓, che qian zi, raw coix seed, dendrobium, huangbo, raw grass, gui zhi, fangfeng, qianghuo, chai hu, apricot kernel, chenpi, ginger peel, and loquat leaf.

External treatment: crush one clove of garlic, three gardenias, and a pinch of salt, mix them together, spread on paper, and apply to the navel. After a while, urination will resume.