Kidneys Function

Science is wonderful and full of amazing discoveries, granted, but sometimes our ancient ancestors were a lot smarter about their diet than modern man is. The human body is designed to eat a very rustic diet of organic raw foods, or foods that have not been processed half to death, with all the goodness taken out of them. The kidneys are designed to remove the products that were broken down during the digestive process, filter out the waste products and flush out the excess fluids. The way to lessen the stress on the kidneys and improve kidney function is to decrease the amount of toxic materials we expose them to, such as high salt foods. When the kidneys are not stressed as much, natural healing can take place and the kidneys can rest in order to return to a healthy state.

Healthy kidneys require a lot of fluid in order to keep them flushed and to prevent the retention of fluid in the body. Damaged kidneys will not be able to handle large amounts of fluids and end up overworked, resulting in fluid retention. Patients with damaged kidneys are often instructed to reduce their intake of fluids so that they do not consume more fluids than their kidneys are able to handle.

Natural Treatments That Can Assist Kidneys That Are Under Duress Are:

• The herb Schisandra is used to treat dehydration and urinary frequency. It is an adaptogen that amplifies the strength of the kidneys and helps the body fight disease.
• Dandelion leaf is an excellent herb to flush toxins out of the kidneys, and reduce edema. However this herb needs to be avoided with advanced kidney damage as it is high in potassium.
• The reduction of sodium or salt is essential to reduce stress upon the kidneys. A no sodium diet is very difficult to maintain, as sodium occurs naturally in many foods, but restricting the amounts that you take in is very important. Sodium is an electrolyte, an essential component of the diet required to help the body stay healthy. Take away and packaged foods are high in sodium and should therefore be avoided. Using other types of seasoning, such as culinary herbs, rather than salt can change the way your diet tastes and looks because the flavors are exquisite.

Herbal teas and supplements help to rest the kidneys in order to allow them to recover, repair and function optimally once more. A delicate balance of diet, fluids, supplements and exercise are needed in order to repair the kidneys and provide the rest that the kidneys need to repair. As you can see there is a lot that can be done naturally to both help heal your kidneys and protect them for a long and healthy future.

Overall, the kidneys are pretty tough organs, they can withstand quite a bit of abuse before their health seriously declines. The big problem comes from not stopping the abuse before serious damage occurs. When the small declines in function start to appear, most people don’t even realise that it is happening, as initially there are usually no symptoms. A small decline in kidney function poses no major health problems…yet. Once the kidney function percentage drops by more than half, the other vital organs are in trouble as well. The kidneys keep everything healthy and balanced, but when they can’t do their job, the whole body suffers.

What Causes Kidney Function To Lower To The Point That Is Noticeable?
Continued abuse to the kidneys will cause the kidneys to lower to the point that is noticeable. Early signs that your kidneys are not working correctly are fatigue, changes in your skin, headaches and lower back aches. As the progress of the disorder or disease continues on, many patients urinate with more frequency or urination clearly decreases. Many people experience a loss of appetite accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Later the body’s extremities swell, fluid can back up eventually placing pressure on the heart and lungs with the fluids the kidneys should have eliminated. But what causes this damage? Alcohol, excess sugar, poor diet, inactivity, not enough water, too little acid, infections, stress and disease are the major causes of kidney damage.

A healthy person should have a physical with labs about every five years up to the age of thirty-five, after this point it is wise to step up tests to every two years. By the time an individual reaches their fifties, they should have yearly tests that will measure the functionality of the kidneys. As the body ages, there are certain hormonal changes that take place in both women and men that will have a direct connection to how well the kidneys are working.

Every person should have screenings for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes. If caught early all of these diseases can be treated and your body can be back on the road to whole body wellness, including optimal kidney health. Those who are at risk the most are people that have a family history of one or more of these diseases and individuals who have a compromised immune system, such as those who are infected with hepatitis, HIV or AIDs. These individuals should have the full spectrum of tests that will determine kidney function.

Here Is A List Of Tests That Detect Kidney Function:

• A urine test for high protein
• A blood test for creatinine
• Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)
• Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
• Kidney Imaging
• A Kidney Biopsy

The latter tests would only be considered in specific cases, after using blood and urine testing. The majority of kidney disease patients will only require regular blood and urine tests to assess kidney damage and treatment progress. No matter what form of kidney treatment you choose to adopt, it is essential to be aware of the causes of kidney damage, and ensure you are doing all you can to avoid them in order to give your kidneys the best chance of recovery.

Small declines in kidney function may initially pose no health problems. In fact, it is possible to function at half of normal kidney function, provided function remains stable. Initially in cases of kidney damage, no symptoms may be experienced, but as the kidneys decline further the symptoms can be very widespread.

Early symptoms may include headache, fatigue, and dry, itchy skin. As more function is lost, people may need to urinate more (or less), lose their appetite, or experience nausea and vomiting. Sometimes the hands and feet swell, and if left untreated, fluid may eventually back up in the heart and lungs, prompting heart failure. High blood pressure and anemia commonly develop in kidney disease patients. Problems become very serious when kidney function declines to about 20%. End stage renal disease (ESRD) is diagnosed at or less that 14% of capacity; at this point dialysis or transplantation is necessary.

Essential Tests for Kidney Disease:
All adults should be screened for hypertension and diabetes — and treated for these conditions if they are present, to protect both the heart and the kidneys. These are the two most common causes of kidney damage. According to the National Kidney Foundation guidelines, people with diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of kidney disease are at high risk for kidney disease and require two additional laboratory tests: a urine test for extra protein (proteinuria) and a blood test for creatinine (a waste product created by normal muscle activity). At high levels, these are both reliable indicators of kidney damage.

A urine test measures albumin, a protein that appears in urine when kidney function is impaired. Results of creatinine testing permit calculation of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), an estimate of how efficiently the kidneys are functioning. Research is currently being conducted on the optimal interval for screening. Meanwhile, the American Diabetes Association recommends yearly urine and blood testing for diabetes patients. This is also a good guideline for those in other high-risk groups. If kidney disease has already developed, testing should be done regularly, and as often as every 3 months in advanced cases of kidney disease, to monitor treatment progress. It is essential to treat the cause of kidney damage as well as the kidneys themselves, to protect the future health of the kidneys.

Some humans are born with one kidney, or may need to have a kidney removed but generally speaking the human body has a pair of kidneys. It is possible however to fully live with only one kidney. The kidneys are responsible for a variety of vital functions that keep the blood cleansed and certain chemicals and nutrients in the body balanced. Understanding how your body works and the things you can do to help support the function of the vital organs in your body is an essential step to whole body wellness and vitality.

The kidneys are about the size of your fist and shaped like beans, hence the name “kidney beans”. The kidneys are often described as the body’s elimination unit, but they are actually so much than just that. The kidneys are located toward the back of the abdominal cavity, under the rib cage on both sides of the body. The kidneys filter around 180 litres of blood a day and excrete about a litre of urine. The toxins and waste that the kidney filters are converted to urine, which travels to the bladder through a set of tubes identified as ureters. The bladder will store the urine until your body tells you it is time to excrete it from the body.

Imagine two million tiny little robots running around collecting toxins and waste from the blood stream and emptying out the excess fluid from the body. This is accomplished with the tiny units called nephrons. Inside these nephrons are structures of capillary blood vessels called glomeruli. The glomeruli filter out the toxins, waste and extra fluids and while hanging on to the proteins and cells that the body needs to be healthy.

Another job the kidneys have is to balance the amount of sodium, potassium and phosphorus in the body. The kidneys job is to excrete what is not required and return what is necessary back to the bloodstream. This delicate balance is critical for life and when the kidneys are not functioning correctly these nutrients can build up in the blood and become dangerous. While these processes are occurring, the kidneys produce and release two vital hormones and an enzyme.

These hormones are:
Calcitiol – this hormone is the active form of vitamin D, which is essential to balance the amount of calcium required for healthy bones.

Erythropoietin – is known by the acronym EPO. EPO urges the bone marrow to make the vital red blood cells that the body requires.

Renin – is a protein enzyme released by special kidney cells, which helps regulate the blood pressure.

What Is Kidney Function?
Kidney function and renal function mean the same thing – renal is simply the medical term that is used. Small declines or problems with the renal system are often not noticed initially, as many people do not have symptoms until damage is quite advanced. Sometimes kidney damage is not discovered until a patient undergoes kidney function tests. A blood test to assess eGFR, which means estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate, is considered the most reliable assessment of kidney decline. By this measurement the doctor or specialist can tell the percentage of functionality that the kidneys have.

As you can see, the kidneys perform many essential functions within the body, and we cannot survive without them. If you are concerned that you may have a kidney problem you should see your doctor immediately to assess your kidney function.

“Take care of our bodies” is what we hear from health care professionals from all disciplines; conventional medical practice, as well as naturopathic medicine. The kidneys are the gatekeepers of the body, collecting the nutrients, vitamins and minerals we require, and filtering out the harmful toxins and wastes. The kidneys also help control the level of salts that are appropriate for good health. The delicate balance of acids and the production of some hormones are also some of the other jobs of the kidneys.

What Happens If The Kidneys Do Not Function Correctly?
If the kidneys become infected, damaged or diseased, the body will go into decline; as other organs shut down because the kidneys cannot do their job. It is essential that the kidneys be kept healthy so that the other organs in the body receive the nutrients and hormones they need in order to their jobs. Whole body wellness is essential for a life of vitality, enjoyment and enrichment. The alternatives are not attractive. Medical kidney disease treatments are life-altering processes and can be very invasive. Early stages of kidney damage often do not cause symptoms, so it can be a long period of time before you realize that there may be a problem. Often by the time the kidneys are crying for help, the damage may be quite severe.

Hormones And Enzymes
The hormone factory for erythropoietin, active vitamin D and the enzyme renin is located in the kidneys. Erythropoietin is responsible for stimulating the production of red blood cells and active vitamin D controls how much calcium the body absorbs, to build strong bones. Renin is an enzyme, which is involved in the regulation of blood pressure.

Inside the kidneys there are about one million little guys called nephrons, which are considered the functional units of the kidneys. The nephrons hold a filtering component that is known as the glomerulus, which is where the blood is filtered so that nutrients can be utilized, and wastes excreted. Clean blood is given back to the body through the renal vein. The toxins, waste, and excess fluids pass in the form of urine, through the ureters. Each kidney has one (ureter), and these lead to the bladder. The bladder holds the urine until our body signals that it is time to urinate.

Isn’t it amazing that such small organs can perform such essential functions? Proper care of the kidneys is extremely important to ensure that the rest of the body is able to perform as it should. Without our kidneys we would simply not survive. They work in harmony with the other organs in the body, while also performing essential functions that no other organ can.