By Simon Yu, MD
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a common medical condition among aging adults. 15% of US adults – 37 million people – are estimated to have CKD, and most do not know they have it. CKD and related problems are exponentially rising. Kidney dialysis centers have been popping up along with cancer and heart centers, two of the most deadly modern diseases. The most common causes for kidney failure are poorly controlled diabetes and high blood pressure. It can suddenly get worse after taking certain medications like antibiotics or OTC pain meds like ibuprofen, or after medical or dental procedures.
The best ways for older adults to prevent CKD are by controlling high risk factors such as high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels, to have a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and physical exercise, and to avoid unnecessary elective surgery or medications that can potentially accelerate kidney damage. Simple blood tests for creatinine and urine test checking for proteins in the urine may detect early stage of kidney failure, but most people may not feel ill or notice until CKD is advanced. As CKD progress, patients may experience fatigue, anemia, loss of appetite, electrolyte imbalance, swelling, irritability, frequent infections, slow recovery, and/or depression.
Occasionally, there is sudden development of kidney failure without any risk factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure problems among young children and adults. In 2012, I saw a five-year-old boy from Iowa who came to see me with an acute episode of nephrotic syndrome with swelling, extreme weakness, puffy, abdominal bloating and spilling heavy amounts of protein in the urine. Only significant history had been he fell on his face one month before the development of nephrotic syndrome. He was evaluated by a pediatrician and dentist; dental X-ray was normal, and had no significant medical findings from the falling incident. Otherwise, he was physically active and in good health before.
On my 40-point acupuncture meridian assessment (AMA, also called EAV), I found his dental, allergy-immunology and kidney meridians were out of balance, and recommended he extract four front teeth – his two front upper and lower teeth. For more information on AMA, please see my first book, Accidental Cure and my new book, Acci-Dental Blow Up in Medicine.
The green bars refer to normal, balanced meridians; blue means chronic “out of balance” meridians. The blue bars of “Ly” refers to the lymphatic system of jaw or dental on the left and right side, “Al” refers to the allergy-immunology point on left side, and “Ni” refers to kidney on the right side. One month after extraction of these four teeth, all the meridians were green, indicating the meridian system is balanced and his entire nephrotic syndrome was resolved. See below.
It is not uncommon to see older adults with chronic kidney disease without any risk factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure who are triggered by unsuspected dental trauma from playing sports when they were young, or after dental procedures and gradual development of silent dental infections, especially in the front teeth. The front teeth correspond to kidney, urogenital area, bladder, adrenal gland, rectum, pineal gland, back of the knees, front sinus, and other corresponding spines and bones. You may look at the Tooth-Organ Meridian Chart on my website, www.preventionandhealing.com. Most patients refuse to extract teeth, and prefer root canals or implants, creating impossible no-win situations for medical doctors.
The Kidney meridian is paired with the Bladder meridian, and they have paired circuitry with the Heart and Small Intestine meridians. Acute and chronic kidney diseases can be saved by dentists and sometimes, the other way around. AMA is especially helpful in detecting hidden dental problems and parasite and fungal infections, which I find are often overlooked causes of chronic illness, confounding doctors, dentists and patients alike.
To learn how to use acupuncture meridian assessment (AMA) to map, measure and navigate the body’s ancient subtle energy fields beyond X-rays or lab tests, I offer four days of AMA training in St. Louis on April 23-26th and August 27-30th 2020. This training is designed for MD’s, DO’s, DDS’s, and other licensed health professionals who can prescribe medications.
Dr. Simon Yu, M.D. is a Board Certified Internist. He practices Internal Medicine with an emphasis on Integrative Medicine to use the best each has to offer. For more articles and information about integrative medicine, patient success stories, and Dr. Yu’s new book, AcciDental Blow Up in Medicine: Battle Plan for Your Life, visit his website at www.preventionandhealing.com or call Prevention and Healing, Inc., 314-432-7802. You can also attend a free monthly presentation and discussion by on Integrative Medicine at his office on the second Tuesday each month at 6:30 pm. Call to verify the date. Seating is limited, arrive early.