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Renotonia and Vesicotonia both belong to the Soeumin group, so people tend to understand the two as much the same thing. In fact the differences between them are reasonably clear.
In Summary
- What the two share: abundant kidney energy and deficient spleen-and-stomach energy.
- What differs is the order of the other pair, lung and liver. In Vesicotonia the liver is stronger than the lung; in Renotonia the lung is stronger than the liver.
- Renotonia can be timid in the way Vesicotonia is, but is often outgoing as well.
- In stress and in relationships, where Vesicotonia tends to store things up, Renotonia tends to let them out.
- For that reason Renotonia is less prone to headache than Vesicotonia.
- This is because headache arises either when excessive thinking loads the head, or when excessive thinking keeps the digestive tract from moving properly.
- Headache in Renotonia does not tend to become an entrenched complaint. Keep an unhurried mind and keep digestion working, and that is largely enough.
What Separates Vesicotonia and Renotonia
Begin with what they have in common: both have abundant kidney energy and deficient spleen-and-stomach energy. That is the basic frame of the Soeumin.
The difference lies in the remaining pair — the order of lung and liver. In Vesicotonia the liver is stronger than the lung; in Renotonia the lung is stronger than the liver. That single step of difference makes for a considerable divergence in temperament and in how illness presents.
Renotonia has a timid side, as Vesicotonia does, but is frequently outgoing too. The more important difference is in how emotion is handled. Under stress and in personal relationships, Vesicotonia tends to store things up inside, while Renotonia tends to discharge them outward.
Discharging It Means Fewer Headaches
Because of that difference, Renotonia is less prone to headache than Vesicotonia.
The reason lies in how headache is generated. Headache arises when excessive thinking places a heavy load on the head, or when excessive thinking prevents the digestive tract from moving as it should. So the more a person stores things internally, the more readily headache forms; the more a person lets them flow outward, the less. Renotonia is closer to the latter.
Managing Headache as a Renotonia
If you are a Renotonia currently troubled by headaches, you can take some reassurance first: headache in this constitution does not tend to become an entrenched, chronic complaint.
Two measures are enough. Hold an unhurried mind, and keep digestion working well. The first reduces the load on the head; the second keeps the digestive tract from stalling. Between them they block each of the two routes by which headache forms.
Reference Notes
All food is best eaten warmed. Reishi, aloe, abalone and vitamin E are unsuitable, while ginseng and honey suit this constitution. For exercise, swimming, calisthenics, walking, strolling, meditation and yoga fit well.
Foods not listed are unproblematic in moderation for a healthy person. (I don’t follow it diligently myself either.)
In Summary
Headache in Renotonia is easiest to grasp by comparison with its fellow Soeumin, Vesicotonia. The strong kidney and weak spleen-and-stomach are the same — but the disposition to let emotion flow outward means less load accumulates in the head. So keep the mind unhurried and protect the digestion; for this constitution, that much usually sends the headache on its way.
Related reading: Headache Is Heat Above, Cold Below · Dieting as a Renotonia
This article reflects the teaching and research of Professor Seungho Baek, Professor of Korean Medicine at Dongguk University College of Korean Medicine, specializing in Pathology and Oncology.
