Your kidney is an essential part of your body’s processes that your body can’t function without. Every day they filter enough blood to fill a large 200-liter bathtub and produce about half a gallon of urine. Your kidneys are multi-functional. But their main job is to get rid of waste. They remove the waste products that arise when you digest food and drink, as well as excess organic molecules (such as glucose).
They are an essential part of your urinary system. Kidneys filter your blood and remove water-soluble wastes that are sent to your bladder. Your kidneys also regulate electrolytes, maintain the acid-base balance, and keep your levels of salt, potassium, and phosphorus in check. By maintaining the salt and water balance, and producing the enzyme renin, they help regulate your blood pressure.
How Our Kidneys Function
Many people don’t realize that, as we age, we lose kidney function. Kidney disease can develop at any time, but those over the age of 60 are more likely than not to develop kidney disease. As people age, so do their kidneys. Kidney problems are very common in older adults and can significantly diminish the quality of life in one’s later years or even be fatal. Older kidneys, however, may not be as resilient as younger ones if they have been stressed.
Because the kidneys are important in regulating a variety of bodily functions, you may eventually develop problems requiring medical attention if your kidneys are not working well. Your kidneys can be affected or damaged by a variety of diseases and conditions also increase the risk of other conditions such as cardiovascular diseases. At the same time, there are many things that lead to kidney failure. High blood pressure, diabetes, lupus, genetics and kidney stones, to name a few. Kidney problems will lead to chronic kidney or renal failure if left untreated.
Understanding Kidney Disease
There are several types of kidney disease, such as diabetic kidney disease and polycystic kidney disease also an acute and chronic renal failure, so there are many aspects to what kidney disease is. Most of which damages the structure of the kidney. Kidney disease often develops slowly with few symptoms, and many people don’t realize they have it until the disease is advanced. Awareness of kidney disease, especially for those at risk, is the first step to preventing or slowing the progression of kidney disease.
A number of signs that point to problems with kidney function includes Hypertension (high blood pressure) that is difficult to control with medication, Electrolyte imbalances, and increased serum creatinine in the blood, an elevated level of protein in the urine or blood in the urine, puffiness of the legs and ankles, pain in the kidney area, tiredness, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, headaches, lack of concentration, itching, shortness of breath, nausea, and vomiting.
Structural changes also affect all components of the kidney. This result of Kidney disease is more common in older adults. Kidney disease can have several causes: prerenal disorder with decreased volume secondary to poor oral intake with loss of thirst sensation, loss of concentrating ability of the renal tubule, loss of fluid through the gastrointestinal tract and kidney, intrinsic renal processes with ischemic and septic acute tubular necrosis, drug-induced and infection-induced allergic interstitial nephritis, and vascular causes such as vasculitis.
The normal medical treatment for kidney failure involves the use of drugs, kidney dialysis, and kidney transplants. This method, however, offers no cure, but only slows down the delay of complete kidney failure. To help treat damaged kidneys and stimulate the body’s immune system, you should consider the following:
The use of natural remedies in cases of kidney damage can be very effective. Herbs and nutrients have shown to both treat the cause of kidney damage and to even reverse kidney damage. When combined with the correct diet and lifestyle changes, the use of natural remedies means that kidney damage does not have to be progressive.
Healthy kidney diet plan
A healthy kidney diet plays a major role in the management of kidney problems and the prevention of kidney disease. Whether food is “kidney friendly” or not depends on how much – or little – of the following five items are in it: fluids, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. Generally speaking, drinking a lot of fluids like water is good for your kidneys – especially for preventing kidney stones.
But if you are experiencing kidney problems, you have to be careful about fluid intake. When a kidney is damaged or diseased, it has trouble filtering out excess fluids and flushing them from the body in urine. Taking in even more fluids at a time like this can trigger swelling, high blood pressure and shortness of breath.
So it’s important to watch your fluid intake carefully if you already have kidney trouble of any kind. Protein is another factor to consider in formulating a healthy kidney diet plan. We definitely need protein because it promotes strong muscles, helps us fight infections, and plays an important role in repairing tissue.
A healthy diet plan kidney and eating kidney-friendly foods are essential for anyone with a serious kidney problem, as well as those who want to avoid kidney trouble in the future. Always remember that as kidney function declines, kidney dialysis or even a kidney transplant may become necessary.
Kidney dialysis:
Kidney Dialysis is a treatment that does some of the things done by healthy kidneys. It is needed when your own kidneys can no longer take care of your body’s needs. You need kidney dialysis when you develop end-stage kidney failure, usually by the time you lose about 85 to 90 percent of your kidney function. Kidney dialysis keeps the body in balance also helps control blood pressure keeping a safe level of a certain chemicals in your blood.
Kidney transplant:
Your kidneys are highly versatile and have built-in redundancy. If you are missing a kidney or one of your kidneys is damaged or has been removed, the remaining one can grow until it is nearly as large as two kidneys together. That helps the sole kidney do the job of both.
Since the occurrence of kidney problems is mostly age-related, early detection through some simple tests is so important. Early treatment is equally important and may include controlling your blood pressure and blood glucose, eating a low-protein diet, and keeping your cholesterol levels healthy.