Healthy Kidneys

 Healthy Kidneys

The kidneys perform important functions in our bodies. Each kidney is a filter, helping the body eliminate waste products and excess fluid. The kidneys balance your body’s electrolytes and acidity, help control blood pressure, and produce hormones. 

Kidney problems include kidney stones, acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and end-stage renal failure. Chronic kidney disease is the gradual loss of kidney function. The two main causes of chronic kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

Overview

Tests for low renal function include BUN, creatinine, GFR, albumin, insulin, HgA1c, and urinalysis. High levels of sodium, potassium, chloride and phosphorus may also indicate kidney problems.

One of the most essential strategies is to follow an anti-inflammatory, healing diet using ketogenic guidelines.

Foods that support the kidneys include cucumbers, celery, dandelion greens, beets, lemons, limes, and berries. Helpful herbs are parsley, cilantro, horsetail, burdock, stinging nettle, milk thistle, Gynostemia, and marshmallow root.

It is important for renal health to test your oxalate levels and take steps to reduce these levels if they are high. More natural healing strategies for the kidneys are gentle massage on your kidney reflex centres, supporting glutathione levels, and detoxing the kidneys with targeted supplementation.

The Important Functions of Kidneys

The kidneys filter and return to the bloodstream about 120–150 quarts of blood every 24 hours

Each kidney contains up to a million nephrons. Nephrons consist of a glomerulus attached to a tubule. The glomerulus has glomeruli, tiny blood vessels that filter the blood. The remaining fluid passes along the tubule where chemicals and waste are added or removed according to the body’s needs. The final product is urine which the body excretes.

The primary role of the renal and urinary system is to aid detoxification by filtering and removing waste products, drugs, and toxins. They regulate blood pressure and your body’s salt, potassium and acid content.

The renal system also regulates the body’s water balance by releasing excess fluid. They produce the hormones erythropoietin, which produces red blood cells, and calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D

Types of Kidney Problems

Kidney problems include acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and kidney failure or end-stage renal disease.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones, also known as nephrolithiasis, are solid, pebble-like masses that can form in one or both of your kidneys. They occur when high levels of certain minerals, such as calcium, oxalates, and uric acid are in your urine. Symptoms of kidney stones include blood in your urine and sharp, severe pain in your back, side, lower abdomen, or groin.

Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury or acute renal failure are terms used to describe a sudden failure of a person’s kidneys to function normally. Common causes of this include a heart attack, illegal drug use or drug abuse, renal infections, low blood flow to the kidneys and urinary tract problems.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the gradual loss of kidney function. CKD affects at least 10-16% of adults around the world. When CKD reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes, and wastes can build up in the body.

Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease

Symptoms of chronic kidney disease can develop over time depending on how fast the kidney damage progresses. Your kidneys adapt and compensate for lost function, so signs and symptoms may not appear until irreversible damage has occurred. Symptoms include:

·        Nausea

·        Vomiting

·        Loss of appetite

·        Fatigue and weakness

·        Sleep problems

·        Changes in how much you urinate

·        Decrease mental sharpness

·        Muscle twitches and cramps

·        Swelling of feet and ankles

·        Persistent itching

·        Chest pain (if fluid builds up around the heart)

·        Shortness of breath (if fluid builds up in the lungs)

·        High blood pressure that is difficult to control

Nephrotic syndrome is a group of symptoms showing your renal system is not working as well as it should. These symptoms are too much or too little protein in your urine, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and swelling in your legs, feet and ankles.

Kidney Failure

When your kidneys stop working well enough to keep you alive, you have kidney failure. Kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is the last stage of chronic kidney disease. A person with end-stage kidney failure must have artificial filtering with dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

ESRD is associated with high mortality, high morbidity, and disability. African Americans are five times more likely to progress to end-stage kidney disease than non-Hispanic Whites.

Causes of Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) - the damage to your kidneys continues to worsen and your kidneys are less able to function, you have CKD.

The leading cause of CKD and ESRD is diabetes mellitus. Additional common causes of CKD are high blood pressure, obesity, and dyslipidaemias. Autoimmune diseases and genetic diseases (such as polycystic kidney disease) can cause CKD.  Periodontal diseases and obstructive sleep apnoea are also risk factors for chronic kidney disease.

Exposure to toxins can impair kidney function. The kidneys are the primary defenders against harmful external toxins entering the bloodstream. The constant exposure of the renal system to toxins can cause nephrotoxicity (toxicity in the kidneys) which affects renal function. Smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs are nephrotoxins and have been linked to the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Another condition that can damage your renal system is glomerulonephritis. Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the glomeruli, the tiny filters in your kidneys. Glomeruli remove excess fluid, electrolytes, and waste from your bloodstream and pass them into your urine. Severe or prolonged inflammation from glomerulonephritis can damage your kidneys.

Lab Tests for Kidney Function:-

BUN                                      

Creatinine                           

GFR

Albumin

Sodium         

Potassium                           

Chloride                   

Phosphorus                        

Fasting Insulin

 

Healing the Kidneys Naturally

An anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle are critical. Following ketogenic guidelines can be very helpful. - Intermittent fasting, hydration, gently massaging kidney reflex centres, supporting glutathione levels, and detoxing the kidneys with targeted supplementation. It is also important to test your oxalate levels and take steps to reduce these levels if they are high.

Anti-Inflammatory, Ketogenic Diet and Lifestyle - One of the best strategies for healthy kidneys is to consume an anti-inflammatory diet. For low kidney function, the ketogenic diet and lifestyle can be particularly helpful.

Avoid Inflammatory Foods

Some of the worst offenders for causing inflammation are refined sugars and processed foods. Avoiding sugar is critical for kidney health. Consuming refined sugars, along with grains or any foods that are easily metabolized into sugar (high glycemic foods), causes a surge of blood glucose and a large release of insulin.

Processed foods and vegetable oils, which often contain toxic GMO ingredients and trans-fats, are highly inflammatory and create extra acidity in the tissues. They also contain high amounts of sodium and phosphorus (usually in the form of an additive or preservative). It is commonly recommended that people with kidney disease restrict sodium, potassium, and phosphorus because their kidneys cannot filter out the excess.

Meat and dairy from conventionally-raised animals and farmed fish also promote inflammation and contain large amounts of toxins. You should also avoid chemicals such as herbicides or pesticides by eating organic whenever possible.

Foods to Include

An anti-inflammatory diet includes whole, unprocessed foods. Clean-sourced protein, organic, non-GMO vegetables and fruits, and healthy fats are the basis of an anti-inflammatory diet.

Clean sources of protein are grass-fed meats, pasture-raised, organic chicken and eggs and wild-caught fish. People with low kidney function may need to limit the amount of protein in their diets Additionally, the phosphorus in animal foods is more easily absorbed in our bodies.

Healthy fats to include on an anti-inflammatory diet are those found in coconut, olives, avocados, and their oils and in grass-fed butter and ghee. Because of avocados’ high potassium content, you should limit or avoid avocados if you have kidney disease.

Low-carbohydrate, vegetables and small amounts of low-glycemic fruits are essential to an anti-inflammatory diet. Low-carbohydrate vegetables to include are cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms, yellow squash, leeks, shallots, cucumbers, and asparagus.

Berries, grapefruits, limes, lemons, and granny smith apples are all low-glycemic fruits. Vegetables and fruits are high in anti-inflammatory antioxidants and phytonutrients which are great for kidney health. You should also include plenty of kidney-healthy herbs which I will discuss below.

Optimal Hydration

Hydrating with clean, filtered water is important for healthy kidneys. Water supports many of your body’s functions by improving oxygen delivery to cells, transporting nutrients, flushing toxins, and supporting natural healing processes.

Drinking plenty of fluids helps the kidneys to clear sodium, urea, and waste products from the body. For people with chronic kidney disease, increased hydration may slow the decline in kidney function and dehydration may accelerate the loss of kidney function.

A great strategy to ensure you are getting enough water is to super hydrate first thing in the morning. Drink 16–32 ounces of water in the morning, then drink water throughout the day.

Consume Kidney Healthy Foods  

Foods that promote kidney health should be consumed as part of the anti-inflammatory nutrition plan. Some of the best foods for the urinary system are cucumbers, celery, dandelion greens, beets, lemons, limes, and berries.

Best Herbs for the Kidneys  

The best herbs for the kidneys are parsley, cilantro, horsetail, burdock, stinging nettle, milk thistle, Gynostemia, and marshmallow root. 

Test for and Reduce Oxalate Levels

Oxalates, or oxalic acid, are naturally occurring compounds in plants, animals, and humans. Oxalates are anti-nutrients which bind to minerals (like calcium) and prevent your body from absorbing them. Kidney stones, most commonly calcium oxalate stones, are associated with excess oxalates. Excessive oxalates can also cause painful inflammation and joint deposits.

It is important to follow a low-oxalate diet if your oxalate levels are elevated, you have had calcium oxalate kidney stones or have genetic susceptibility. Foods high in oxalates include chocolate, nuts, spinach, Swiss chard, berries, and potatoes. To reduce your oxalate levels, you can take one of these Mg-Potassium Citrate capsules with each meal to bind to the oxalates.

Intermittent Fasting

There is many health benefits associated with intermittent fasting. Using intermittent fasting strategies can boost the immune system, stimulate cellular autophagy, improve genetic repair mechanisms, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including kidney disease.

Support Glutathione Levels

Glutathione is your body’s master antioxidant. It is a special peptide molecule that protects the body from oxidative stress and maintains other antioxidants in the body. Glutathione is a critical part of your detoxification system. It carries toxins into bile and stool and out of your body. Glutathione is naturally produced in your body. It is a combination of three amino acids, cysteine, glycine, and glutamine.

Summary

The kidneys are one of the most hard-working organ systems in the body. The main role of the kidneys is to filter out and excrete waste products from the blood, maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance.

Your kidneys can become damaged and not function optimally. CKD is linked to other chronic disease processes, including obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.  There are numerous tests to help determine how your kidneys are functioning. These tests include BUN, creatinine, GFR, albumin, insulin, HgA1c, and urinalysis. Monitoring your levels of potassium, sodium, phosphorus, and chloride can also be helpful.

There are natural remedies and foods for urinary health. It is important to follow an anti-inflammatory, ketogenic diet avoiding refined sugars, processed foods, trans-fats, factory-farm meats and dairy, farm-raised fish, and GMO foods. Instead, eat organic foods including the foods and herbs that support the kidneys.

Drinking optimal amounts of water, practising intermittent fasting, gently massaging kidney reflex centres, boosting glutathione levels, and detoxing the kidneys are effective strategies for urinary health. It is also important to test for and reduce your oxalate levels.

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