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Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease are both degenerative brain disorders, particularly common in the elderly. Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that the brain is nourished by "kidney water" (see Kidney Storing Essence). The constitutional factors of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (senile dementia) are related to what TCM calls "insufficient kidney water," which means a deficiency in the yin aspect. Kidney water is the most refined nutrient in the human body, primarily used for growth, development, and reproduction. Reproduction requires the production of a large number of gametes (sperm or eggs), while growth necessitates the generation of a large number of cells and the construction of many basic infrastructures of the body (including the routine metabolism of tissue cells). Brainpower and memory require the weaving of complex neural fiber networks in the brain, all of which consume a large amount of basic materials—namely, "kidney water."

As one ages, the five zang-organs will all become deficient, and both yin and yang will be depleted. This is an inevitable aging phenomenon. However, if one usually overconsumes their essence and blood, they are more likely to experience yang hyperactivity in old age. At this time, although both yin and yang are deficient, the yin aspect is more severely depleted. The result of yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity is withering. The areas most lacking in yin nourishment will wither first, such as blood vessels and lymphatic vessels becoming harder, leading to higher blood pressure. Women are more prone to menopausal syndrome, such as dry skin membranes, hot flashes, palpitations, night sweats, dysphoria, irritability, etc. Men also experience menopause, but the symptoms are not as obvious as in women. The brain, in particular, requires the most kidney water for nourishment. A lack of kidney water in the brain will lead to degeneration and atrophy, resulting in various degenerative brain diseases . Therefore, the brain is the victim, not the cause of the disease. Modern medicine has always focused on treating the brain, hence only lifelong medication can control the condition.

The human brain has about 100 billion neurons, connected by approximately 100 trillion synapses, forming neural circuits. Synapses are related to learning, memory, and thinking, and they continue to grow and renew throughout life with learning. The formation and maintenance of these "astronomical" numbers of synapses rely heavily on kidney water. Modern research has also found that several mental illnesses are caused by defects in synaptic proteins in the brain, with over 50% of synaptic proteins related to schizophrenia. From this, we can reasonably speculate that a lack of sufficient nourishment in the brain is the main cause of defective synaptic proteins and various brain degenerations.

There are also cases where kidney water is not insufficient, but the disease is caused by improper cervical vertebrae affecting the upward transport of nutrients to the brain. However, I personally believe these cases are few, especially in modern people, who mostly suffer from overwork, overconsumption, and depletion of essence and blood (by feeling the pulse, the sufficiency or deficiency of essence and blood in the five zang and six fu-organs can all be understood). Moreover, the cervical vertebrae are prone to misalignment due to insufficient essence and blood to nourish the cervical vertebrae and the surrounding muscles, leading to muscle tension imbalance, degeneration of intervertebral discs and ligaments, and easy loosening. Ultimately, it is due to overwork, overconsumption, and irregular lifestyle, leading to the depletion of essence and blood. Digging deeper, it is a matter of the human heart, so the root of all diseases lies in the heart.

Prevention and treatment of such brain degeneration primarily involve replenishing kidney water, and the production of kidney water relies on the cooperation of the entire zang-fu organs and tissues. Therefore, treatment should focus on regulating the overall function of zang-fu organs to ensure the continuous generation and transformation of kidney water. Modern medicine, on the other hand, places the emphasis of treatment on the brain. Recently, there have been reports of using dopamine to treat Parkinson's disease leading to heightened libido. The author's explanation is that dopamine's structure is similar to adrenaline, both belonging to the Black Catechu phenolamine class, which are hormones and can be considered a type of yang tonic that stimulates brain function. However, as mentioned earlier, the brain's operation requires the nourishment of kidney water, much like gasoline to an engine. If the engine accelerates, will it burn more gasoline? Similarly, when the brain is stimulated by drugs to operate faster, it naturally consumes more kidney water. A sudden deficiency in kidney water means that kidney yang temporarily lacks the balance of kidney yin, leading to a hyperactive state. Since kidney yang also governs libido, libido consequently increases. Some readers may have had this kind of experience: staying up late studying or excessive computer use (which depletes kidney water) can easily lead to an increase in libido, following the same principle. This further highlights modern medicine's ignorance of the holistic view of the human body. Simply administering dopamine to patients is akin to quenching thirst with poison, which may instead accelerate the depletion of kidney water. As long as brain degeneration is not too severe, promptly addressing the issue by replenishing kidney water can certainly reverse the decline, and even in severe cases, it can prevent further deterioration. Traditional Chinese Medicine is the true path.