WaterFilter.com

Kidney Success - How to Keep Yours Happy and Healthy

What do you know about your kidneys? Most of us know that they are responsible for producing urine which is how we get rid of waste products, but that's about it right?

My next-door neighbour passed away last month – from some kind of kidney failure. He'd been on dialysis for a couple of years so I assume he was on the waiting list for a transplant, but sadly, it didn't happen in time. I'd known him since 1989 when he was fit and well and working full-time. Witnessing his decline over the years was sobering to say the least.

And figures from the US, show that in 1995 more than 3 million people had some type of kidney condition such as an infection, kidney stones or cancer.

If we are to avoid becoming one of those statistics and going the same way as my poor neighbour, it's time to talk about kidney success instead of kidney failure and that means making sure we have healthy, happy kidneys. To do that, we need to better understand what they do and how to take care of them. Now as you know, I'm neither a doctor nor a nutritionist and 'kidneys' are a complex subject, so keeping things nice and simple and in layman's terms, here we go...

What Your Kidneys Do - in a nutshell

You'll find your kidneys (two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of your fist) in the middle of your back, just below your rib cage, on either side of your spine. Although the kidneys are small organs (about 0.5% of your total body weight), they receive about 20% of the blood pumped by your heart and that enables them to do the following:

- Regulate the composition of your blood and eliminate wastes

- Influence your blood pressure

- Stimulate the making of red blood cells

- Maintain your body's calcium levels and vitamin D activation

So let's look first at the function we all know about:

Once your kidneys receive the blood, it's processed and returned to the body free from the wastes and other unwanted substances which have been filtered out to be expelled via the urine. Urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder where it's stored until we take a tinkle.

But I bet you don't know that your entire blood volume (about 7 to 8 litres) gets filtered approximately 20 to 25 times each day, on a good day. That's a lot of filtering! And given that there is a limit to how many molecules can be filtered out in a given period of time, you can appreciate how easily we can overtax our kidneys when we introduce too many toxins into our body through diet, drugs and pollutants.

Kidneys and Calcium

I've talked before in this newsletter about the relationship between your kidneys and calcium. Your body stores calcium in your bones, but it also relies on maintaining constant levels of calcium in the blood through diet.

If the blood calcium level falls, then a hormone is released which increases calcium reabsorption in the kidneys to restore the blood calcium level. The same hormone, along with Vitamin D, also stimulates calcium release from bone and calcium absorption from the intestine, so healthy kidneys, along with diet, are important in protecting against osteoporosis. Kidney stones are often caused by problems in the kidneys' ability to handle calcium.

3 Surefire Ways to Kidney Success

- #1 - Reduce the workload you place on your kidneys by curbing your intake of toxins and acid forming foods eg. red meat, salty foods, tea, coffee, additives, too much booze, cigarettes etc.

- #2 - Increase your intake of foods that strengthen kidney function. My favourite grain Quinoa is an excellent choice, as is Barley. Aduki, Black, Kidney and Mung beans will all help. Salmon and Trout are a good idea, as are the following vegetables and herbs – fennel, onions, spring onions, celery, beetroot, parsley, chives, garlic, ginger, cloves and dandelion.

- #3 - Make sure you drink enough water. This will help keep your kidneys flushed of excess acid. Enough is at least 2 litres over a day.

Follow these 3 pointers and you will certainly improve your kidneys' health. It might also reduce lower back pain too and, as an added bonus, your hair will be beautiful, fast growing and strong.

Go on – because you really are worth it.

Claire Raikes is a Wellbeing Coach, Speaker and Writer who 'cured' herself of a chronic, disabling and potentially life-threatening bowel condition without the use of steroids, surgery or any other traditional medical intervention. She now shares her passion for natural and vibrant health through coaching, speaking and writing about the importance and power of a truly healthy diet.

She publishes a free weekly eZine, In Essence and is compiling an eBook of Healthy Fast Food with 25% of the proceeds going to The Cancer Project, a charity set up by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and nutritionists to educate the public on the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival. If you have a recipe you would like to submit, visit http://www.LiveInEssence.com for further details. To book Claire to speak at your event, email her at Claire@LiveInEssence.com.

MORE ARTICLES:

Healthy Smoothie Recipes
Healthy Smoothie Recipes are great for a 'pick me up' after a run or a jog. But, it is most important you know what you are drinking in that smoothie. A lot of smoothies you buy are loaded with sugar which isn't going to your best choice. Natural sugar is going to be your best choice so be sure to ask your vendor what they are putting into your smoothie and try to stay away from artificial ingredients. Caffiene loaded coffee smoothies are very popular but again, that isn't going to be your best choice after a workout. It might taste good but it won't replenish your body after a good run.

Vitamin Formula Helps Women Taking Menopause Hormone Replacement
Women's Health Issues of Menopause and Hormone Imbalance Highlighted During National Women's Health Week

Cool Summertime Cooking
Summertime--and the living is easy! But the kitchen is hot!! It's time for some cool cooking recipes and tips!1. Cook outdoors.

INN Cooking Breakfast Recipe Column featured in Illinois newspapers
INN Cooking, a breakfast recipe column, will appear in the Woodstock Independent, Woodstock, IL. and the Herald & Review, Decatur, IL. Inn Cooking is making breakfast "in" by keeping it simple, but making it yummy. Focusing on the American breakfast, INN Cooking's recipes come to the rescue of today's busy home cook with simple recipes that can be used by anyone in a low-tech kitchen. "Breakfast is one of the most important social and nutritional meals of the day," notes INN Cooking creator Merida Johns and Bundling Board Inn Bed & Breakfast Innkeeper. "However, busy lifestyles have pushed breakfast to the back burner in many of today's kitchens. INN Cooking's aim is to change that."

Healthy Diet: Great Natural Acne Treatment
The fast lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits are becoming the cause of a number of health problems such as multiple skin disorders including acne. Skin is the most affected body organ; it becomes rough and looses its natural color and softness due to the consumption of improper and irregular diet.

Representing a Healthy Perspective on Cancer Treatment
Alternative cancer treatment facility in Mesa AZ, An Oasis of Healing, launches AnOasisOfHealing.com. Thomas Lodi, MD, Homeopathic Physician and owner of An Oasis of Healing, explains the fundamental steps needed to take to naturally heal cancer.

An Introduction To The Solar Water Heater
The solar water heater of today is as equally effective as water heaters powered by more conventional power sources, namely: gas and electric. A solar hot water panel can heat your home?s water to temperatures of up as much as 140? F.

Healthy Eating Shopping List
Healthy eating starts with careful planning and organization. Since fresh produce has a very limited shelf life, regular grocery shopping is a must. Creating a menu for the week and writing out a shopping list will save you time and money; while helping you stick to healthy recipes. Local health food stores and farmer markets are very money-wise solutions. Plus, frequent visits will allow you expand your culinary horizons as well as mingle with other health-concerned people.

Healthy Eating Guidelines - Why Vitamins?
Vitamins are something we must have in our diet if we are to follow healthy eating guidelines but do we actually know what those all important vitamins do? Do we know why we should eat some daily and some less often? The main reason for that is that some vitamins are soluble in water and some in fat. Those which are water soluble such as Vitamins B and C need to be eaten daily because the body finds it very difficult to story them in the body. The fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K are stored in the liver so you don?t need to have them daily, once or twice a week is adequate in most cases.

Color Changing Coffee Cup Lids Win 'Best of Show' AmeriStar Award
The Institute of Packaging Professionals Honors Australian Firm Smart Lid Systems with 'Best of Show' Packaging Award beating over 100 packaging companies across 15 categories.

Is The Zone Diet Weight Loss Program Healthy?
Most of us have heard of Atkin's diet which calls for almost a complete carbohydrate cut from our diet for the first 2 weeks (induction phase)and then to add carbohydrate to our meals progressively thereafter. Whilst there are many success stories for this weight loss diet, there are also many criticisms claiming that Atkin's diet weight loss program is very unhealthy.

An Introduction to Coffee Cupping
Coffee cupping is one of the tasting techniques used by cuppers to analyze coffee aroma and the flavor profile of a coffee. To know the trivial differences among coffee growing regions, it is significant to taste coffee from around the world side by side. Cupping is as well used to find out coffee defects or to make coffee blends.

Dubois Homes & Developing Selects Environmentally Friendly CleenWater? as its Preferred Whole Home Water Filtration Partner for its Homes.
CleenWater?, L.L.C., a Utah company based in Salt Lake City, announced today that it was selected by Dubois Homes & Developing as their preferred choice for residential and commercial water conditioning and filtration systems. CleenWater? has already installed a system in the Harvest Park Development in Mapleton, Utah where Dubois Homes & Developing is building.

Red, White and Blue Can be Safe, Fun and Healthy Too
RevolutionHealth.com Offers Critical Safety Reminders for Parents This July 4th Holiday.