From a Traditional Chinese medicine perspective, most imbalances that we would lump into the “sexual dysfunction” category would be considered a kidney imbalance. The kidney is associated with the water element which controls the emotion of fear. It is said that like the kidneys, fear is deeply rooted. And when we experience fear in excess, we injure the kidneys and “block loving feelings.”  (In the destructive cycle, weak kidneys fail to reduce excess water and so the water douses the fire of the heart.) The good news is, if we support our kidneys, we can regain our vitality and reignite our loving hearts.

Within this imbalance lives a few sub categories that we must address: There are kidney YIN or YANG deficiencies, and kidney QI (chi) deficiency:

Kidney yin deficiency: Some symptoms of kidney yin deficiency include dizziness, ringing in ears, spontaneous sweating, weak legs, low back pain, fever and involuntary seminal emission. Emotions include irritation, agitation, insecurity and fear.

Kidney yang deficiency: Symptoms include an aversion to cold, pale complexion, weak knees and lower back, mental lethargy and poor spirit, lack of sexual desire, irregular menses, clear vaginal discharge, sterility, frequent urination, inability to urinate, edema, asthma, lack of willpower, inactivity and decisiveness.

Kidney qi deficiency: Symptoms include minor cold signs, frequent urination, incontinence, inability to urinate, dribbling urine, involuntary seminal emission, low back pain and weak knees and pale tongue. Kidney qi imbalance is related to kidney yang deficiency, but is not as deep an imbalance.

Since many symptoms overlap, I’d suggest consulting with a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner such as an herbalist or acupuncturist (check them out!) to find out what specific foods and herbs would serve you best and which ones you should avoid.  Yes, simple food substitutions can make a difference. And the great thing about making changes with food is the lack of pharmaceutical side effects!

If you want to go it alone, I’d suggest the book Healing with Whole Foods, Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition, by Paul Pitchford. This book is a great reference book to have in any home for this or many other imbalances.