Hi Inga (and others with similar problems)
I'll quote from a text book "The Foundations of Chinese Medicine" by Maciocia pp. 97-98
on the functions of the Kidneys, (amongst others) they
-"Open into the Ears
The earls rely on the nourishment of the Essence for their proper functioning, and are therefore physiologically related to the kidneys. The 'Spiritual Axis' in chapter 17 says: 'The kidneys open into the ears, if the kidneys are healthy the ears can hear the five sounds'.
If the kidneys are weak, hearing may be impaired and there may be tinnitus."
-"Manifest on the hair
The hair also relies on the nourishment of the Kidney-essence to grow. If the kidney-essence is abundant, the hair will grow well and will be healthy and glossy. If the kidney-essence is weak or is declining, the hair will become thin, brittle, dull looking and may fall out altogether. The first chapter of the 'Simple Questions' says: 'If the kidneys are strong, the teeth will be firm and the hair grow well.... if the kidneys are declining in energy, the hair wil fall out and the teeth become loose'.
... if the kidney-essence is weak, the hair will be thin and become gray."
I included the bit about the ears because:
1. if you also have tinnitus, it may give you a hint that your Kidney Qi is a little low.
2. I saw a post by Dvivid (whose comments I enjoy reading and find most educational) about ringing in the ears being natural. Hence I thought I would provide the opinions of others on this here to increase the knowledge base. Namely, yes, hearing ringing in our ears when we are very quiet is probably quite natural. Some forms of ringing (eg. ringing at all/most times and drowning out other sounds) may be pathological - as suggested by the above quote.
One of my TCM teachers made the point that tinnitus pathology can be divided into 2 sources (clearly there may also be other sources, these are the ones I heard of). They are (if my memory serves me correctly, and I ask others to verify this prior to serious consideration):
1. Deficient Kidney Qi - High pitch ringing in the ears
2. Gall Bladder issues - low pitch ringing in the ears.
The bit on the hair speaks for itself.
In TCM (and hence QiGong) the Kidneys are closely linked to the FEAR emotion. Which one could also link to stress. Hence, excess stress will deplete/impair Kidney qi. Hence, I agree with Davids comments on stress reduction.
If western medicine has not provided you with answers yet, or you want another opinion, consider consulting someone who can do a proper TCM diagnosis (ie. reading pulse, tongue and asking relevant questions) and provide related treatment (typically in the form of foul tasting tea). It may be worth doing this regardless, as TCM is the only medical system I know of that can identify disharmony before it manifests into physical problems.
If your Kidneys are deficient, also consider eating foods that boost Kidney qi (eg. Pork and Sesame Seeds(Tahini)) - see book by Lun Wong "Food For the Seasons".
TCM also says that Kidney Qi becomes deficient automatically as we age.
"The Yellow Emperor asked, "Can anything be done to harmonize and adjust these two principles of nature?" Qi Bo answered: "If one has the ability to know the seven injuries and the eight advantages, one can bring the two principles into harmony. If one does not know how to use this knowledge, his life will be doomed to early decay. By the age of forty the Yin force in the body (Comment by Sascha: In TCM the Kidneys are the root of Qi including Yin) has been reduced to one-half of its natural vigor and an individual's youthful prowess has deteriorated. By the age of fifty the body has grown heavy. The ears no longer hear well. The eyes no longer see clearly By the age of sixty the life producing power of Yin has declined to a very low level. Impotence sets in The nine orifices no longer benefit each other".
Quote pinched from this link (which is an interesting read)
http://www.acupuncture.com.au/education ... dyang.html
This makes me wonder if hair loss in men is necessarily genetic. I'll leave that speculation for another time. Now, back on track.
A part of a QiGong form I learnt had us
1. putting our hands on our head
2. moving the hands away from head in 3 stages (ie. say ~3, 6, 9 cm or pick a distance)
3. at each stage saying "long', 'strong', 'black' (for those with black hair) respectively.
4. repeating 1-3 all over the head.
I believe this works on directing the qi to the hair and probably also on our subconscious (ie. programming/visualizing)
And finally, Dr Yang talks about massaging the Kidneys to boost Kidney Qi. Please refer to his materials for the correct direction, as the opposite direction will calm Kidney Qi (something you probably do not want). I believe this info was in the lecture on Sitting 8 Pieces of Brocade. Movement 6 of standing 8 pieces (ie. reach for sky and then touch toes) also strengthens Kidneys - if memory serves me correctly.
I hope that some of the above has been helpful.
Please let us know what happens/happened.
Perhaps others who have similar problems could comment - I believe hair loss is a common problem and TCM has many answers - hence this long winded response.
Best regards/wishes
Sascha