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GLENN ELLIS' STRATEGIES FOR WELL-BEING: A Better Understanding Your Kidneys
*Kidney problems are one of the leading health conditions in our society:
Your chances of developing a kidney stone in your lifetime are 1 in 10.
More than 3 million people in the U.S. have some form of a kidney condition such as an infection, kidney stones or cancer.
300,000 people suffer from kidney failure each year and undergo dialysis or are waiting for a kidney transplant.
With such alarming increases in the issues with the kidneys, I saw need to write a column which, hopefully, would result in a better understanding of the kidneys, and their role in good health.
Your kidneys are two “bean-shaped” organs, each about the size of your fist. They are located in the middle of your back, just below your rib cage, on either side of your spine. Now, although they are small in comparison to other body organs, they receive a huge amount of the blood pumped through the body by the heart – approximately 20 percent. This translates to about 200 quarts of blood.
These organs are very valuable in the overall process of bodily functions. The enormous amount of blood they receive is required for the kidneys to perform the many daily tasks.
Among these tasks the kidneys perform are:
To regulate the composition of your blood
To remove wastes form your body
To help to regulate your blood pressure
To maintain your body’s calcium levels
To stimulate the production of red blood cells
To keep the amount of water in your body at a steady level
One function of the kidneys that impacts their demise in many is the filtration process. Have you ever seen a cappuccino or espresso machine in action? Every time I see one working, it reminds me of the kidneys filtering. In these machines, water is forced under pressure through a sieve (filter) containing coffee. In the kidneys, the blood gets filtered under pressure. This blood is filtered at a rate of 45 gallons of blood a day. Your entire blood volume gets filtered roughly 20 to 25 times each day!
These 200 quarts of blood generate about 2 quarts of waste products and extra water (together known as urine), which flows to your bladder. Your bladder stores the urine until you go to the bathroom and urinate.
The waste in your blood comes from the normal breakdown of active tissues and from the food you eat, and your body uses the food for energy and self-repairs. After your body has taken what it needs from the food, waste is sent to the blood. If your kidneys did not remove these wastes, the wastes would build up in the blood and damage your body.
Most kidneys diseases cause the kidneys to lose their filtering capacity. The two leading causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes.
If you have two healthy kidneys, you have 100 percent of your kidney function. The human body is so amazing. This is more than you really need. That is why some people are born with one kidney, or give one of their healthy kidneys to a loved one, and are able to lead a normal, healthy life. So you see, even with declines in kidney function, you can still be healthy with 50 percent of your kidney function, if it remains stable. But many people with 50 percent of their kidney function have a kidney disease that will continually get worse. You will have some serious health problems if you have less than 20 percent of your kidney function. If kidney function drops below 10 to 15 percent, you cannot live long without either dialysis or a transplant. Damage to the kidneys may happen quickly, as the result of injury or poisoning. But most kidney diseases are slow and silent. It can take many years for the damage to become apparent.
Here are some of those slow, silent destroyers of healthy kidneys:
Diabetic Nephropathy – this means that the glucose (sugar) that stays in your bloodstream as a result of diabetes can act like a poison and damage the kidneys.
High Blood Pressure – can cause damage to the blood vessels in the kidneys. The damaged blood vessels can’t filter poisons from your blood.
Glomerulonephritis – refers to several types of kidney diseases. The presence of protein, blood, or both in the urine is the first signs of this disease.
There are other causes of kidney disease, as mentioned earlier, like poison and trauma that can cause disease. Some over-the-counter medicines can be poisonous to your kidneys if taken regularly over a long period of time. Products that combine aspirin, acetaminophen, and other medicines such as ibuprofen have been found to be the most dangerous to the kidneys.
People in the early stages of kidney disease may not feel sick at all! The first signs that you are sick may be limited to frequent headaches or feeling tired or itchy all over your body. If your kidney disease gets worse, you may need to urinate more often or less often. You may lose your appetite or experience nausea or vomiting. Your hand or feet may swell or feel numb. You may get drowsy or have trouble concentrating. Your skin may darken. Or you may have muscle cramps.
As you can see, the kidneys are important to your body. The best thing you can do to show them some love is not to smoke, and get in the habit of drinking adequate amounts of water every day..
Remember, I am not a doctor. I just sound like one.
TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF AND LIVE THE BEST LIFE POSSIBLE!
Glenn Ellis is a Health Advocacy Communications Specialist, and author of "Which Doctor?: What you need to know to be Healthy."
e-mail at info@glennellis.com
For more good health information, visit: www.glennellis.com
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