Patient's question:
I am a bit overweight, checked for endocrine disorders, irregular menstruation, and luteal phase deficiency.Doctor's answer:
1. Kidney Deficiency and Liver Qi Stagnation Type: Mainly characterized by irregular menstruation, prolonged menstrual periods, or excessive menstrual flow. Accompanied by soreness and weakness in the waist and legs, dry skin, depression, breast tenderness before menstruation, wiry pulse, and yellow-white tongue coating. The liver and kidneys are interconnected; the kidneys store essence and are the water organ, while the liver stores blood and is the wood organ. The kidneys are the mother of the liver, and the mother and child mutually support each other, with essence and blood generating each other. Thus, the (Chong) and (Ren) meridians are harmonized. The Chong meridian is the sea of blood, and the Ren meridian governs conception. The Chong and Ren meridians are subordinate to the liver and kidneys. Regulating the liver and kidneys is regulating the Chong and Ren meridians. Nourishing the liver and kidneys is benefiting the source of the Chong and Ren meridians. When the liver and kidneys are harmonized, the Chong meridian is strong and the Ren meridian is unobstructed, allowing menstruation to return to normal and enabling the transformation of essence into pregnancy. Kidney water nourishes liver wood, and when liver blood is sufficient, the Chong meridian is strong, which can nourish and stabilize the fetus. Kidney deficiency can also lead to liver qi stagnation, hence the irregular menstruation and prolonged periods. The waist is the mansion of the kidneys; kidney deficiency causes soreness and weakness in the waist and legs, and dry skin. Liver qi stagnation causes breast tenderness and a wiry pulse.2. Kidney Deficiency and Phlegm-Dampness Type: Mainly characterized by irregular menstruation, excessive sticky leukorrhea, fatigue, soreness and weakness in the waist and legs, obesity, wiry and slippery pulse, pale and swollen tongue, and thin white or greasy tongue coating. Phlegm is turbid fluid, resulting from the dysfunction of the spleen's transportation and distribution functions, leading to the stagnation of water-dampness and phlegm. This is also known as "spleen deficiency generating dampness." If one has a naturally obese constitution and excessive phlegm-dampness, or consumes too much greasy and sweet food, damaging the spleen and impairing its healthy functioning, it can lead to the transformation of water into dampness and phlegm. The spleen's transportation relies on the warming and transformation functions of kidney yang. Therefore, internal dampness is not only a pathological state caused by spleen yang deficiency and impaired fluid transformation but is also closely related to kidney yang. Thus, kidney-phlegm-dampness is the main pathological mechanism of this condition.
3. Qi and Blood Deficiency Type: Main manifestations include: scanty, pale menstrual flow or prolonged postmenstrual bleeding, sallow complexion without luster, shortness of breath and weakness, fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, thin and pale pulse, and pale white tongue coating.