Your kidneys are very important to your overall health and wellbeing.
The kidneys are a vital part of your excretory system and are responsible for filtering and expelling waste from the body via the blood and urine, as well as controlling the hormones that regulate blood pressure, balancing pH and keeping your bones healthy.
Often, kidney ailments are simply short-term problems like infections or kidney stones, which can be healed by following some basic protocols which we will share here.
However, for more serious conditions such as renal failure, more rigorous forms of cleansing or fasting are usually required to restore proper function.
What are the kidneys and what is their function?
The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, which are located below the ribs toward the middle of your back.
The kidneys are your body's primary blood filters. They work to remove extra water and wastes from the blood and then convert it to urine for elimination.
The kidneys also maintain a stable balance of salts (minerals) and other substances in the blood and they produce hormones which help to build strong bones and form red blood cells.
What causes kidney dis-ease?
As the filtration system of your body, your kidneys are responsible for the important function of filtering out harmful substances that aren't meant to stay in the body.
The problem is when the kidneys are overloaded with toxins they become overwhelmed and their function begins to break down.
Your kidneys can become stressed by a number of factors, such as dehydration, trauma, processed sugars, artificial sweeteners and excessive medications.
The kidneys are extremely sensitive to emotional stress and will reflect one’s tension or anxiety if there is impaired functioning.
Therefore, kidney problems may indicate emotional trauma such as indecisiveness, being too forceful, repressed anger, feelings of shame, intolerance or hostility; emotional stress from relationships or loss, fear of being alone or abandoned, and even obsessive thinking.
In other words, kidney malfunction may not necessarily always be due to dietary and lifestyle factors, but just as likely, due to stress and emotional imbalances.
Types of Kidney Dis-ease
There are a number of different kinds of kidney disease.
A disease of the kidney is not always permanent or long term.
Instead, it may be short-term in the form of a common ailment such as a kidney infection or kidney stones that can be dealt with by following some basic protocols and lifestyle adjustments.
However, acute renal failure is a sudden or rapid loss of kidney function is an example of a more serious form of kidney disease that can occur gradually and which may require other forms of intervention if the symptoms get out of hand.
Signs & Symptoms
Generally, signs of underperforming kidneys, kidney infection or kidney stones, include the following:
- Frequent chills and fever;
- Constant need to urinate;
- Fluid retention and constant bloating;
- Consistent abdominal, back or groin pain;
- Regular nausea or vomiting:
- Dark skin or bags under the eyes.
Tips For Cleansing The Kidneys
A "kidney flush" can help rid your body of accumulated toxins in your bloodstream and digestive tract, which may be placing unwanted stress on your bladder and kidneys.
Try this 7 day kidney flush recipe to help cleanse and restore function:
- Add the juice of 1 lemon, 1 lime and a pinch of cayenne pepper to 500 mls of chilled filtered water;
- Drink first thing in the morning, at noon and again at night for 7 consecutive days;
- Only eat fruit and/or fresh fruit juices (containing plenty of celery, parsley and carrots) during this period;
- Drink 250-500mls of water every hour during the day throughout the 7 days;
- Consume a tablespoon of organic, cold-pressed flaxseed or wheat germ oil each day, preferably in the morning before your first meal.
Once the 7 day kidney flush is complete, avoid all meat, fried and processed foods that can place additional stress on the kidneys. Instead, weight your diet in favour of an abundance of seasonal fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Specific foods known to support kidney function include:
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Watercress
- Asparagus
- Potatoes
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Papaya
- Bananas and
- Watermelon and...
- Legumes (particularly kidney beans which of course look just like the kidneys and are named "kidney beans" for a reason).
Be sure to add cold-pressed plant oils such as extra virgin olive, macadamia and even raw coconut oil at meal times whenever you can, as well as plenty of good nature-made salts, like Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt as well.
Learn more in Top 7 Reasons to Embrace a Plant-Based Diet & How To Do It
What are Kidney Stones?
A kidney stone develops from tiny crystals that separate from the urine, which become a hard mass that builds up on the inner surfaces of the kidneys.
In a normal functioning kidney, the urine contains chemicals that prevent or inhibit the crystals from forming. However, some people form stones because these inhibitors break down over time and fail to work, due to any of the variety of stressors already mentioned.
Usually, crystals that contain toxicity or residues will remain tiny enough to travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body via the urine without being noticed. But if a kidney is stressed or struggling to function optimally, blockages can occur which can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Kidney stones may contain various combinations of chemicals.
The most common type of stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. These chemicals are usually part of a persons normal diet and make up important parts of the body, such as bones and muscles.
Not only can chemicals create kidney stones, but they can also be caused by an infection in the urinary tract. This, however, is a much less common type of stone. This type of stone is called a struvite or infection stone. Even less common than the struvite stone is the uric acid stone.
Kidney stones are one of the most painful of the urologic disorders and unfortunately, are also one of the most common. Kidney stone pain can be excruciating and blood may appear in urine as a result of them passing through the urinary tract.
What causes kidney stones?
The exact cause of the formation of a stone is not always clear. It is known that eating certain foods may promote stone formation in people who are susceptible, but scientists do not believe that eating any specific food can cause stones to form in people who are not susceptible.
A person with a family history of kidney stones may be more likely to develop stones themselves.
Urinary tract infections, kidney disorders such as cystic kidney diseases and certain metabolic disorders such as hyperparathyroidism, are also linked to stone formation.
In addition, more than 70 percent of people with a rare hereditary disease called renal tubular acidosis develop kidney stones.
Eliminating Kidney Stones
Most of the time, stones will pass out of the body during the process of a 7 day cleanse without the need for intervention or kidney stone removal.
However, some stones can cause lasting symptoms or complications that may then need to be treated by a doctor or medical procedure.
Another natural dietary "cleanse" option that may help speed up the elimination of kidney stones if a cleanse doesn't do it for you, is a kidney stone "purge" with the following drink mix:
- 1 Litre of Tomato Juice
- 1 Litre of Sauerkraut Juice
- 12 drops of Peppermint Pure Essential Oil
Combine and drink this mix in the morning before your first meal and again at night before you go to bed to see if the stones pass and discomfort subsides.
If you believe you have a kidney infection or kidney stones and you're unsure about the suitability of either a 7 day cleanse or purge for you and your personal circumstances, talk to your doctor first.
The Main Takeaway
Your kidneys are responsible for filtering waste and regulating vital processes within your body, so it's important to maintain healthy kidney function over the long term.
As always, a clean diet that is rich in fresh seasonal produce, as well as occasional cleansing or fasting, can help ensure ongoing kidney health.
However, if from time to time you notice signs or encounter symptoms of kidney infection or kidney stones, its usually a good indication that you need to support your body to cleanse and reset.
It's generally also a sign that you should consider making some simple lifestyle adjustments by following the tips and suggestions offered to you here.
Tolman Self Care.
