One of the most important organs in your body is often overlooked and ignored until a problem arises. This article will hopefully change that and give your kidneys the spotlight they deserve. It will cover what the kidneys do, some of the most common kidney issues that arise, and ways to keep it healthy.
Whether you have a risk for kidney issues of any kind or not, this knowledge will benefit you, whether that just means you are more aware of your diet or it stops you from hesitating to begin recovering compensation for kidney treatment failure.
The Role of The Kidneys
When you hear the word “kidney,” you probably associate these organs with the production of urine. While this is true, their role and the role of urine in the body is often ignored as we focus on other vital organs such as the heart or the liver.
The kidneys clear waste from your blood. As blood enters the kidney, waste and extra fluid are removed. Most of the fluid is then put back alongside any necessary minerals. The rest is sent from the tubule it is held down until it rests as urine in your bladder, and the rest of its journey from there is well-known.
Without this process, your blood would collect waste, extra fluid, and cell acid with no way to remove it, which would impair the way your body functions. Your kidneys also assist the body by producing the hormones necessary for red cell production and blood pressure control.
Potential Maladies That Can Affect Them
Despite or perhaps because of the importance of its role in the body, the kidneys can encounter a variety of problems and diseases. One of the most well-known kidney maladies is kidney stones.
These are formed when the problems of excess waste and not enough urine combine. Much of this water is left sitting in the kidney, so it begins to combine and crystalize. It then attracts other waste products to it, compounding the problem until a small stone is formed. Some will be small while others can be as large as a golf ball. They are painful as they move around the kidney, squeeze themselves through the ureter, and eventually out the bladder.
Kidney infections and kidney disease are just two of the countless other problems your kidney may encounter. Infections can usually be treated easily but that requires you to recognize that the kidneys are experiencing a problem. This isn’t always easy as the kidneys rest on either side of the spine just below the rib cage.
It’s not uncommon for kidney pain to be attributed to back pain as a result. If you notice pain in that location often, have chills, fevers, pain while urinating, or even blood in your urine, seek a doctor.
Ways to Keep Them Healthy
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to keep your kidneys healthy and prevent any kidney problems before they arise. One way is to monitor your blood sugar.
While it is your kidneys’ job to filter water, including extra sugar, out of your blood, they may have to work extra hard if your blood sugar is consistently too high. Doing this for long periods of time will cause damage and can be life-threatening if left unaddressed for too long.
Don’t let your blood sugar get too low, either. This has a multitude of other consequences. Speak to a doctor if you’re unsure of what to do to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
Before we continue, we suggest stopping for a second and considering when the last time you took a drink of water was and maybe taking a quick drink.
Keeping hydrated has a large number of benefits since every system of your body needs water, and this is especially true for the kidneys. This water will allow your body to flush waste without giving it time to crystallize and form kidney stones. It also reduces your risk of kidney disease by ensuring excess sodium leaves the body.
The final way to keep your kidney healthy is to avoid taking too many over-the-counter pain medications. The ones to watch for are NSAIDs and include medications like ibuprofen (more commonly known as Advil).
If you find yourself suffering from frequent headaches or pain that requires you to take too much pain medication, consider consulting with a doctor or finding other ways to treat this pain. Exercise, stretching, and gentle massages of your back or various locations around your head may help alleviate back and headache pain.
What to Avoid
Avoiding too many OTC pain medications is just one of the many things to avoid if you’re looking to increase the health of your kidneys. Another is to watch your sodium intake.
Salt is the most if not the most common seasoning. It has many positive properties for foods, from enhancing the flavor of sweet things when used in small amounts to removing bitter flavors or even just by adding the flavor of salt itself.
While these benefits are amazing, most of us overdo it and intake way more sodium than our body needs and this has a negative affect on our kidneys. To reduce your sodium intake, don’t add salt to your food while cooking or before eating and instead use other spices, read food labels, and avoid notoriously salty meats such as ham, bacon, and lunchmeat.
You may be told to rescue your intake of certain minerals such as potassium if your doctor diagnoses you with a kidney disease or other problem. This means you’ll need to avoid various fruits such as oranges and melons.
Some vegetables like broccoli are out as well. Potatoes can still be eaten, but it will require extra preparation to rescue their potassium content. You may also be told to reduce the amount of phosphorus. Eating only a small amount of things like bran and mushrooms will help you do this.
The Importance of Good Kidney Health
You now understand how important your kidneys are, some of the common problems they can have, and what to do to mitigate your risk of contracting kidney disease. We will leave this article off with one more suggestion: avoid too much soda.
Soda not only dehydrates you but also contains many waste products that the kidneys would have to filter out. One every now and then is fine, but try not to drink them every day. Even small steps like this will improve not only the health of the kidneys but of the rest of the body as well.
Leave a Reply