Is white hair due to kidney yin deficiency or kidney yang deficiency

White hair may be related to both kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency, and should be judged based on specific symptoms. Kidney yin deficiency is often manifested as hot flashes, night sweats, dry mouth and throat, while kidney yang deficiency is mainly characterized by chills, cold limbs, and soreness and weakness of the waist and knees. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that white hair is mainly related to liver and kidney deficiency, qi and blood deficiency, loss of essence and blood, emotional disorders, genetic factors, etc.

1. Kidney Yin Deficiency and White Hair

White hair caused by kidney Yin deficiency is often accompanied by symptoms such as restlessness of the five hearts and night sweats. When there is insufficient Yin fluid, the hair loses nourishment and is prone to premature whitening. Daily consumption of foods such as black sesame seeds and mulberries that nourish kidney yin can avoid staying up late and damaging yin blood. If it is accompanied by obvious yin deficiency and fire hyperactivity, you can use Liuwei Dihuang Pill, Zuogui Pill and other traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations as instructed by your doctor.

2. Kidney Yang Deficiency and White Hair

White hair caused by kidney Yang deficiency is often accompanied by cold pain in the waist and knees, and frequent nocturia. The weakness of yang qi cannot promote the flourishing of qi and blood in the hair, resulting in hair loss. It is recommended to consume moderate amounts of walnuts and lamb as isothermal tonics, combined with moxibustion at the Mingmen acupoint. For severe cases, warm yang drugs such as Yougui Wan and Jinkui Shenqi Wan can be considered, but they must be used based on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation.

3. Loss of Essence and Blood

Long term overwork or chronic diseases can lead to deficiency of essence and blood, causing the hair roots to lose nutritional supply. In such situations, attention should be paid to balancing work and rest, and appropriate supplementation of blood nourishing ingredients such as animal liver and goji berries should be taken. If necessary, prescriptions such as Danggui Buxue Tang should be taken.

4. Emotional factors

Long term anxiety and depression can cause liver qi stagnation, affecting the circulation of qi and blood to the scalp. It is important to maintain a relaxed mood by massaging the Taichong acupoint to soothe the liver and relieve depression, drinking rose tea to assist in regulation, and in severe cases, using liver soothing drugs such as Xiaoyao Powder.

5. Genetics and Natural Aging

Genetic or natural aging induced white hair in the SEP family is a physiological phenomenon that can be covered by hair dye. Eating more seafood and nuts rich in copper in daily life can help delay the degeneration of hair pigment cells.

To prevent white hair, comprehensive conditioning is necessary. It is recommended to comb and massage the scalp daily to promote blood circulation, ensure sufficient sleep, avoid staying up late, and pay attention to supplementing black foods such as black beans and black rice in diet. Pay attention to keeping your head warm in winter and avoid direct cold winds. If white hair is accompanied by severe hair loss or other discomfort, timely medical examination should be conducted to investigate pathological factors such as thyroid disease and vitiligo. Maintain an optimistic attitude and avoid exacerbating symptoms with excessive anxiety.