1. Research on the Kidneys

1. Research on the Kidneys

The kidneys are the foundation of innate vitality, the source of original yin and original yang. The yin and yang of all five viscera and six bowels are rooted in the yin and yang of the kidneys. Throughout history, medical practitioners have placed great importance on the changes and transformations of kidney yin and kidney yang, considering them crucial determinants of human health, development, growth, aging, disease, and death.

In the 1950s, Shanghai First Medical College was the first to employ kidney-tonifying and yang-strengthening methods to treat six diseases—bronchial asthma, functional uterine bleeding, and others—that were considered completely different from a Western medical perspective—and achieved satisfactory results, thereby revealing the essence of traditional TCM's "treating different diseases with the same method." Building on this, extensive work was subsequently carried out to explore the nature of the kidneys, discovering that patients with kidney yang deficiency generally have lower-than-normal 24-hour urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroid levels, indicating a connection between kidney yang deficiency and adrenal cortical function in modern medicine. Subsequently, plasma cortisol diurnal rhythm measurements reflecting hypothalamic function, metyrapone SV-4884 tests reflecting pituitary function, and ACTH stimulation tests reflecting adrenal cortical function were adopted. Together, these three levels of testing provide a comprehensive view of the functional status of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Through these tests on individuals with kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency, it was proven that patients with kidney yang deficiency exhibit dysfunction in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, confirming that kidney yang deficiency has a material basis. After repeated experiments by scholars both domestically and internationally, a consistent view emerged: the kidneys in TCM are closely related to the endocrine system in modern medicine.

Since the 1980s, the Shanghai First Medical College Institute for Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine has expanded its research to include thyroid and gonadal axes, discovering that in patients with chronic bronchitis, those with kidney yang deficiency show normal T3 levels. Additionally, a complete set of tests on the male gonadal axis was conducted on male patients with kidney yang deficiency and sexual dysfunction, revealing that those with kidney yang deficiency exhibit varying degrees of gonadal axis dysfunction, whereas those with sexual dysfunction but no kidney yang deficiency have essentially normal gonadal axis function. Furthermore, tests on the thyroid and gonadal axes were conducted on elderly individuals averaging 69 years old, finding that their changes closely resemble those of patients with kidney yang deficiency. The appearance of kidney yang deficiency is positively correlated with aging, with the key factor being dysfunction in hypothalamic regulation. Thus, the exploration of the nature of kidney yang deficiency has gained a more precise meaning.

Guided by the above theories, domestic scholars have widely used kidney-tonifying and yang-strengthening medicines to treat aging, and experimental studies have demonstrated that these medicines can enhance T-cell immune function in the elderly, while also having a significant anti-aging effect on the gonadal axis. This confirms the validity of the notion that "the aging clock is the hypothalamus."

The Shanghai First Medical College Institute for Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, following the traditional asthma treatment principle of "treat the lungs in emergencies, treat the kidneys in routine cases," formulated a kidney-tonifying and yang-strengthening tablet. A total of 419 asthma patients across seven batches received preventive kidney-tonifying treatment during the remission phase, achieving an effectiveness rate of 63.4% to 75.0%, compared to only 14% to 22.2% in the non-kidney-tonifying control group. Based on these results, endocrinological research was conducted, revealing that even asthma patients without clinical manifestations of kidney yang deficiency exhibit potential changes in adrenal cortical function similar to those of kidney yang deficiency. The yang-strengthening tablet can adjust adrenal cortical function at the microscopic level and improve asthma attacks at the macroscopic level. Additionally, the tablet also regulates the immune system and neuroendocrine system, which may be another reason for preventing asthma attacks.

Traditional TCM holds that the kidneys store essence and govern reproduction; in men, the kidneys store essence, while in women, they are associated with the uterus, indicating a close relationship between the kidneys and reproductive functions in both sexes. The Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Shanghai First Medical College treats polycystic ovary syndrome, characterized by ovarian dysfunction and ovulation disorders, using kidney-tonifying and phlegm-resolving methods, achieving an effectiveness rate of 82.7%. To further explore the underlying mechanism, a complete set of ovarian function tests was conducted on nine patients (vaginal smear for erythrocyte count, urinary FSH bioassay, LRH stimulation test). The results confirmed that the true cause of ovarian dysfunction in these nine cases was hypothalamic dysfunction. Subsequently, another nine patients underwent dynamic hormone analysis for nine hormones, further confirming that the effect of kidney-tonifying and yang-strengthening medications is a comprehensive action on multiple levels—hypothalamus, pituitary, and ovaries—rather than a single, isolated effect.

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