@canucktea, this sounds really serious. Outside of the regular medical attention he must be be receiving now, which I think would be medications that deal with each individual symptom, I think it would be a good idea to seek out some fundamental remedial advice from an aptly capable TCM doctor. That’s because I think you are right in pointing out perhaps the renal deficiency issue is core to all that. However, it is quite key that you do not give him anything that suggests to be a supplement for it. Each person’s energy balance is unique and as such a supplement that works for one maybe bad for another. A TCM professional’s careful diagnosis is needed to build a solution upon.
As Hokusai has guessed, it is a yin deficiency issue, but the condition sounds very deep and serious. There are a few things you can do meanwhile that are only general help:
- Cut down on tea, esp green and black teas, also green style and ginseng oolongs
- Stay away from coffee, decaf or not
- Stay away from cold drinks
- Stay away from liquors
- Stay away from deep fried foods
- If when he is not having a flu or a cold, give him concoction of wild American ginseng.
- If that is too pricy for you, use ordinary American ginseng with any or all of these: fresh ginger, aged dried Mandarin orange peel, or a little bit of cinnamon. Use only raw sugar or honey if he needs to sweeten it.
Other times, these are some safe and easily available tea alternatives for him:
- hot water with lemon
- infusion of rose flower buds, whole
- broths of chicken, fish, pork or vegetables (not beef or mutton)
- concoction of pear with rock sugar and Chinese almond ( a smaller, heart shape version available in your local Chinese herbal shop)
- Hot drinks with pure powder of almond, sesame, or walnut, add milk and raw sugar if preferred
These are other things you can do with/for him regularly:
- Walk about in the park or even in the street; if he can’t walk, even an outing on the wheelchair is important
- Very moderate exercises if he has not been active (exercising with the elderly needs some basic concepts, pls research on that)
- Hot baths
- Massages
- Light, but good music
I hope you can find a good TCM practitioner where you live. Best of lucks!
