Today, let’s talk about how to gauge the health of your kidneys based on your water-drinking habits. I’ll teach you a simple self-check method that only takes 30 seconds to learn. Just follow along and give it a try.

If you frequently feel a dry mouth and throat, as if your mouth is on fire, and you constantly crave water throughout the day. Moreover, you have a strong preference for cold or iced water, gulping it down eagerly, only to feel thirsty again shortly after. This condition is likely due to kidney yin deficiency. In our bodies, kidney yin acts like a large water tank. When yin deficiency leads to excessive internal heat, it’s akin to a small fire igniting in that tank, drying up the body’s fluids.

In addition to a dry mouth and throat, you might also feel restless, as if there's a little rabbit thumping in your chest. The palms of your hands and soles of your feet may feel warm, as if you're holding two small heating pads. At night while sleeping, you might experience hot flashes and night sweats, waking up with your body feeling sticky and covered in sweat. If you have these symptoms, you may consider using Zuo Gui Wan (Left-Restoring Pill) to nourish kidney yin, essentially adding water to the body's "large water jar" and cooling down the heat.

Another scenario is when you barely feel like drinking water throughout the day. Even if you do drink a little, you find yourself running to the bathroom frequently soon after, and the number of nighttime trips to the bathroom is particularly high. You usually feel especially sensitive to cold, and your hands and feet are always icy, as if just taken out of the refrigerator. Your lower back and legs also often feel weak and sore, making it hard to muster energy for walking. This is typically due to kidney yang deficiency.

Kidney yang is like a little sun inside the body. When kidney yang is insufficient, this little sun's warmth is not strong enough, leading to abnormal water metabolism. Fluids tend to go straight to the bladder, which is why symptoms like frequent urination and increased nighttime urination occur, and you don't feel easily thirsty. In this case, you may consider using You Gui Wan (Right-Restoring Pill) to warm and tonify kidney yang, essentially adding fuel to the body's "little sun" to help it warm up again.

Everyone, if you find it hard to remember all this, please like and save this information for easy reference later. We should pay more attention to these small signals from our bodies. Early detection and early adjustment are key to maintaining good health! Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes diagnosis and treatment based on pattern differentiation. Different symptoms require different formulas to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. If anyone experiences similar conditions, the first step is to observe your tongue. Send me a photo of your tongue coating along with your symptoms, and I'll provide a free pattern differentiation for you to determine the general direction for adjustment.