by Randal J. Watkins This is the first area that generally needs to be addressed in order to have good health. Individuals can go a long time without having a bowel movement and not have immediate problems. However, they can’t go very long without voiding their urine. Most of the herbs will attempt to flush toxins through the urinary tract. If a client’s system can’t eliminate the toxins, they will normally begin to experience discomfort. I have learned through the years that many herbalists consider the skin the “3rd Kidney.”
The skin is supposed to move at least 2 pounds of waste per day. Most of us work at a sedentary lifestyle or in air conditioned environments and we rarely sweat. Sweating is how the skin removes normal waste. This causes our kidneys to get over-burdened. I also ask folks these questions related to urinary difficulties.
Do you have a stiff neck or do your shoulders stay tight? The upper trapezius muscle will usually become tight when the client’s urinary system is having difficulty eliminating the toxins. Normally. this is related to an individual having a stressed kidney (this means the kidneys are healthy but they are surrounded by bands of stress that impair their normal function. Uva Ursi and Parsley are the herbs that I use the most. I select single herbs because the combinations have herbs that affect the liver. Until the stiffness passes I suggest that the client not attempt to purge the liver.
Do you feel that you completely void your urine? If the kidney is stressed then their can be a crimping of the ability to completely eliminate the client’s bladder. This can be usually assessed by whenever a client relaxes he feels the urge to urinate. This is best demonstrated if a client urinates more freely after they have rested in bed. I would use Uva Ursi or Parsley to begin relaxing the clients urinary system and begin to work on relaxing the entire body using the calcium assimilation knowledge mentioned .
How often do you urinate? If a client urinates too frequently they can begin to loose their minerals. Often, a client will urinate less when they can completely void their bladder. Using the stressed kidney herbs (Uva Ursi and Parsley) will usually help this problem. Horsetail may be required if the frequency of urination is not affected with the use of Uva Ursi or Parsley. Particularly, if the client exhibits a need to assimilate calcium and is considered an individual that won’t accept change easily.
How much water do you drink? I have worked with clients that didn’t want to drink water. This aversion was for purified or tap, it didn’t matter. In working to determine the client’s profile with respect to the kidneys I found this situation to get better. One client hated water and would rarely drink it. After giving her the herb KB-C, The following night she woke up and had an intense thirst. After 9 months had passed I asked her if she was still drinking water and she readily admitted that she now loves it. This situation has been repeated time after time and also with animals.
If the body can’t eliminate water, the desire for water will be reduced. Once, the ability for the body to eliminate water is improved, the body will begin to desire water. After all, we are made of 70% water and we have to have it to have good health.
Read more about the Urinary System.