We first need to make clear why kidney function decline occurs.
1. The causation of kidney damage varies. It can be Diabetes, Long-term high blood pressure, Immune complex deposition in kidneys (like IgA Nephropathy), long-term and large amount of protein leakage, and so on.
2. No matter what reason starts kidney damage or which kidney part firstly occur damages, when kidney function decline takes places, there must be damages to glomerulus. This is because that glomerulus is the very place where blood filtration takes place.
3. Glomerulus is made up of massive blood capillaries, when blood flow through these capillaries, toxic substances and excessive water are filtrated out. These blood capillaries are called blood filtration area.
4. Many factors can lead to blood filtration area reduction (or damages to these blood capillaries). As mentioned above, high blood pressure, diabetes, squeeze from proliferated kidney cells, pressure from immune complex deposition, blood circulation obstacles and so on. And these factors lead to two results: block of micro-blood circulation within kidneys, and insufficient blood inflow to kidneys.
5. Finally, fewer amount of blood can be filtrated through kidneys, and there is creatinine, BUN accumulation in blood, and water and sodium retention within body. And these retention lead to various complications in heart and brain.
Then, treating kidney disease should focus on two aspects
1. Controlling primary causations like high blood pressure or blood sugar level, overreacted inflammatory response, squeeze from proliferated kidney cells or immune complex deposition. All of these methods is to make sure fluent blood circulation within the whole body, and especially within the kidneys.
2. Repairing damages in glomerular blood capillaries and improving kidney function is the key to resolve kidney problems.
What curative effects does Traditional Chinese Medicine have?
Dilating blood vessels and degrading blood stasis and thrombus paves the way for fluent blood circulation.
2. Anti-coagulation and anti-viscosity prevents further blood circulation obstacles taking shape.
3. Inactivate inflammatory response of immune system eliminates further kidney damages caused by inflammatory activities and immune complex deposition.
4. Degrading excessively proliferated kidney cells and deposition of immune complex, and this relieves blood capillaries external pressure.
All of the above mentioned curative effects contributes to promoting blood circulation of the whole body, and, most importantly, within the kidneys.
To what extent can Traditional Chinese Medicine treat kidney disease?
When glomerular damages occur, there are two situations among glomeruli (except for healthy ones).
1. Completely sclerosed glomerulus (no blood flow in these capillaries), for which no method can restore its function.
2. Partially sclerosed glomerulus (blood capillaries are blocked partially)for which, if blood and oxygen supply can be guaranteed, damaged capillary cells can process self-repairing. And Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on restoring function of these damaged but reversible cells.
Under the help of above mentioned curative effects, further kidney function decline can be prevented, and after the restoration of damaged cells, there will also be improvement of overall kidney function.
In summarization, Traditional Chinese Medicines mainly focus on rectifying overall body dysfunction, and providing favorable self-repairing environment for damaged but reversible kidney cells. And it most featured effect is promoting blood circulation of whole body, and especially within the kidneys.