Your kidneys are your batteries at least according to Chinese Medicine.
The more you deplete them through poor sleep, overtraining, or chronic stress, the less energy you have to sustain a long, healthy life.
Here’s something most people don’t consider: you’re an electrical being. Your charge runs on ions, what we call electrolytes. Sodium, potassium, and chloride are the primary molecules of energy exchange, or what ancient Asian medicine called Qi.
When any of these dip too low or spike too high, your body falls out of balance fast.
That’s the dramatic version like what causes people to faint during marathons or intense hikes. But the slow depletion? That’s harder to see.
It’s no secret that poor sleep, overtraining, and stress drain you. What often goes unrecognized is that the thoughts running in the background of your mind are also consuming energy. Depending on how deep and fear-based those thought loops go, no supplement, diet, or protocol will restore what your mental chatter is quietly spending.
The emotion associated with the kidneys in Chinese Medicine is fear — not just rational fears like snakes or storms, but the insidious kind masked as the stories you tell yourself about your life.
Are you looping on “I’ll never be able to do xyz”? Running worst-case scenarios? Living in the “what ifs”? That mental noise may be more draining than your day-to-day stress.
I’m not advocating toxic positivity.
I’m inviting you to honestly examine the stories circulating in your head and ask whether you have 100% proof that what your brain is telling you is actually true.
We’ll revisit those beliefs in Thursday’s email.
In the meantime, check your labs.
A comprehensive metabolic panel can tell me a lot about whether you’re burning up your Qi. Look for trends across at least two labs over the past year:
- Sodium below 140
- Potassium below 3.9
- Chloride below 100
These are within “normal” range but lab normals are based on the general population, not optimal health.
I use functional values that reflect what research shows for people who are thriving, not just average.
If your levels are low, you can course-correct:
- Low sodium → add a quality mineral salt like Redmond’s Real Salt
- Low potassium → eat more bananas or pistachios, or try a small daily pinch of cream of tartar
- General electrolyte depletion → consider a daily electrolyte supplement
Also check your blood sugar. If your fasting glucose is over 90 or your hemoglobin A1c is over 5.5 and you’re not eating excessive sugar your adrenal glands may be under stress.
These small glands sit directly on top of the kidneys and regulate your electrolytes, blood sugar, neurochemicals, and cortisol output.
In Chinese Medicine, I believe the adrenal glands were included in the concept of kidney energy all along.
The longer I practice, the more the ancient principles of balance make sense.
Coming Thursday: how long-standing fear and kidney energy depletion leads to low back and knee pain.
Here’s to looking at fatigue from a different angle,
Dr. J
