What is the TCM differentiation of urinary incontinence?

Urinating is something the human body must do every day. It can excrete excess water and other metabolic products from the body. Due to various reasons, the human body may suffer from urinary incontinence, which refers to the inability to control the excretion of urine. Traditional Chinese medicine has a deep connection and understanding of this situation. Here we will introduce what is the traditional Chinese medicine differentiation of urinary incontinence?

Enuresis refers to a disease in which children over 5 years old cannot control their bowel movements and often urinate in their sleep and only wake up after waking up. Enuresis can be divided into primary enuresis and secondary enuresis. The former refers to persistent or long-lasting enuresis, during which the period of urination control never exceeds 1 year; the latter refers to children who have controlled urination for at least 1 year, but then have enuresis again.

Traditional Chinese medicine has a comprehensive understanding of this disease. " Suwen·Xuanming Wuqi" clearly points out: "The bladder is not controlled by enuresis" and "Zhubingyuanhoulun·Xiaobianzhuzheng·Bedwetting" also says: "Some women urinate without realizing it during sleep. This is because their constitution is dominated by yin and weak yang, and their bladder and kidney qi are both cold. If they cannot be warmed by water, they will urinate frequently or even cannot control themselves and will enuresis." Subsequently, doctors in successive dynasties believed that enuresis in children was mostly caused by deficiency and cold, and often used warming and tonifying methods. Modern knowledge of this disease has a deep understanding, the combined therapy of internal and external application, acupuncture and massage has not only improved the therapeutic effect of this disease, but also further enriched and improved the theory, method and prescription of this disease.

【Etiology and pathogenesis】 1. Cause 1. Insufficient endowment. Congenital endowment is insufficient, the body is weak, the kidney qi is insufficient, and the lower abdomen is cold, which will lead to failure of storage and dysfunction of bladder qi transformation, resulting in enuresis. 2. Disharmony after illness: After a serious or prolonged illness, lack of recuperation can lead to spleen dysfunction, weak lung qi, and "the upper deficiency cannot control the lower" and cause enuresis. hfs old Chinese medicine doctor online 3. Internal accumulation of dampness and heat may be caused by disease or dietary disorders, which may lead to internal accumulation of dampness and heat, which accumulates in the liver meridian. The liver meridian fails to function properly, and the heat is transferred to the bladder, causing enuresis. 4. Emotional disorders, sudden fright, or lack of education since childhood, resulting in the failure to develop good nighttime urination habits; or excessive play during the day, deep sleep at night, and unawareness of calls; or sudden change to a new environment, etc., can all cause enuresis. 5. Other factors in a small number of children are caused by organic diseases, such as pinworm disease, urethral malformation, spina bifida (occult or accompanied by myelocele), myelitis, spinal cord injury, epilepsy, incomplete brain development and small bladder capacity. 2. Pathology 1. The kidney is congenital and is responsible for urination and defecation. It is the exterior and interior of the bladder. The bladder is the capital of the state and is responsible for storing urine. The storage and excretion of urine are controlled by the bladder's gasification function, and the normal functioning of the bladder's gasification function depends on the regulation of the kidney's gasification function. If a child is born with deficiencies, becomes imbalanced after an illness, or has a weak constitution, his kidney qi will not be solid, his lower body will be cold and weak, and his bladder's qi transformation function will be disordered, leading to enuresis. As stated in Treatise on the Origin and Symptoms of Various Diseases in Children, Symptoms of Enuresis, “Enuresis is caused by the coldness of the bladder, which cannot hold water.” In Children’s Complete Works, Symptoms and Treatments of Incontinence, it is also stated, “Bedwetting is caused by the coldness of the bladder and the inability to hold water.” In Children’s Complete Works, Symptoms and Treatments of Incontinence, it is also stated, “Bedwetting is caused by the coldness of the kidney and bladder.2 When both the spleen and kidney are deficient, the kidney controls water, while the spleen controls water. If the spleen and kidney function normally, water can be properly held and gasification can be orderly. Since children have the physiological and pathological characteristics of “spleen deficiency” and “kidney deficiency”, if they are not properly cared for or their spleen and kidney are weak due to other diseases, water metabolism will be disordered and enuresis will occur.