Healthy Kidneys: Best Foods and Natural Remedies

byMELISSA NOHR

comments4shares582

• FDA Disclaimer
  The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body. We do not aim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. Information is shared for educational purposes only. Learn More
• Affliliate Disclosure
  In compliance with the FTC guidelines, please assume the following about links and posts on this site: Many of the links on DrJockers.com are affiliate links of which I receive a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same for you. If I post an affiliate link to a product, it is something that I personally use, support and would recommend without an affiliate link.Learn More
• Privacy Policy
  Please read the Privacy Policy carefully before you start to use DrJockers.com. By using DrJockers.com or by clicking to accept or agree to Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by the Privacy Policy. Learn More

Kidney Health: Best Foods and Natural Remedies

The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that perform important functions in our bodies. Each kidney acts as a filter, helping the body get rid of waste products and excess fluid. The kidneys balance your body’s electrolytes and acidity, help control blood pressure, and produce hormones.  In this article, you will discover the major causes of kidney problems and the best foods and natural remedies to heal your kidneys.

Your kidneys can become damaged in various ways. Kidney problems include kidney stones, acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and end-stage renal failure. Chronic kidney disease is the gradual loss of kidney function. The two main causes of chronic kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

Overview

The kidneys are also called the renal system and are a key part of the bodies urinary system.  It is important to monitor your kidney function through testing. Tests for low renal function include BUN, creatinine, GFR, albumin, insulin, HgA1c, and urinalysis. High levels of sodium, potassium, chloride and phosphorus may also indicate kidney problems.

Fortunately, there are many natural remedies and foods that are beneficial for your kidneys. One of the most essential strategies is to follow an anti-inflammatory, healing diet usingketogenic guidelines.

Foods that support the kidneys include cucumbers, celery, dandelion greens, beets, lemons, limes, and berries. Helpful herbs are parsley, cilantro, horsetail, burdock, stinging nettle, milk thistle, Gynostemma, and marshmallow root.

It is important for renal health to test your oxalate levels and take steps to reduce these levels if they are high. More natural healing strategies for the kidneys are gentle massage on your kidney reflex centers, supporting glutathione levels, and detoxing the kidneys with targeted supplementation.

The Important Functions of Your Kidneys

Most healthy people have two kidneys which are the size of a fist and located on each side of the spine at the bottom of the ribcage. The kidneys filter and return to the bloodstream about 120-150 quarts of blood every 24 hours (1).

Each kidney contains up to a million nephrons. Nephrons consist of a glomerulus attached to a tubule. The glomerulus has glomeruli, tiny blood vessels that filter the blood. The remaining fluid passes along the tubule where chemicals and waste are added or removed according to the body’s needs. The final product is urine that the body excretes.

The primary role of the renal and urinary system is to aid detoxification by filtering and removing waste products, drugs, and toxins. They regulate blood pressure and your body’s salt, potassium and acid content.

The renal system also regulates the body’s water balance by releasing excess fluid. They produce the hormones erythropoietin, which produces red blood cells, and calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D (2).

Types of Kidney Problems

There are different types of kidney problems that people may experience. Most people have heard of kidney stones and how painful they can be. Other types of kidney problems include acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, and kidney failure or end stage renal disease.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones, also known as nephrolithiasis, are solid, pebble-like masses that can form in one or both of your kidneys. They occur when high levels of certain minerals, such as calcium, oxalates, and uric acid are in your urine. Symptoms of kidney stones include blood in your urine and sharp, severe pain in your back, side, lower abdomen, or groin.

If kidney stones are small, they may pass through your urinary tract with no problems. Larger stones can cause blockages and cause severe pain. In some cases, kidney stones must be surgically removed. For more information about kidney stones including ways to prevent kidney stones, read this article.

Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury or acute renal failure are terms used to describe a sudden failure of a person’s kidneys to function normally. Common causes of this include a heart attack, illegal drug use or drug abuse, renal infections, low blood flow to the kidneys and urinary tractproblems.

This type of issue is not always permanent and your kidneys may begin functioning normally again.  Following the strategies listed later in this article will be key to healing and optimizing renal function throughout the rest of your life.

Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also referred to as chronic kidney failure, is the gradual loss of kidney function. CKD affects at least 10-16% of adults around the world. When CKD reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes, and wastes can build up in the body.

Symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease

Symptoms of chronic kidney disease can develop over time depending on how fast the kidney damage progresses. Your kidneys adapt and compensate for lost function, so signs and symptoms may not appear until irreversible damage has occurred. Symptoms include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Loss of Appetite
• Fatigue and Weakness
• Sleep problems
• Changes in how much you urinate
• Decrease mental sharpness
• Muscle twitches and cramps
• Swelling of feet and ankles
• Persistent itching
• Chest pain (if fluid builds up around the heart)
• Shortness of breath (if fluid builds up in the lungs)
• High blood pressure that is difficult to control

Nephrotic syndrome is a group of symptoms showing your renal system is not working as well as it should. These symptoms are too much or too little protein in your urine, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and swelling in your legs, feet and ankles.

Kidney Failure

When your kidneys stop working well enough to keep you alive, you have kidney failure. Kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is the last stage of chronic kidney disease. A person with end-stage kidney failure must have artificial filtering with dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive.

ESRD is associated with high morality, high morbidity, and disability (3). African Americans are five times more likely to progress to end stage kidney disease than non-Hispanic Whites.

Causes of Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is usually caused by other health problems that have damaged your kidneys over time. When your renal system is damaged, it may not function as well as they should.  If the damage to your kidneys continues to worsen and your kidneys are less able to function, you have CKD.

The leading cause of CKD and ESRD is diabetes mellitus. Additional common causes of CKD are high blood pressure, obesity, and dyslipidemia (3). Autoimmune diseases and genetic diseases (such as polycystic kidney disease) can cause CKD. Periodontal diseases and obstructive sleep apnea are also risk factors for chronic kidney disease.

Exposure to toxins can impair kidney function. The kidneys are the primary defenders against harmful external toxins entering the bloodstream. The constant exposure of the renal system to toxins can cause nephrotoxicity (toxicity in the kidneys) which affects renal function. Smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs are nephrotoxins and have been linked to the progression of chronic kidney disease.

Another condition that can damage your renal system is glomerulonephritis. Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of the glomeruli, the tiny filters in your kidneys. Glomeruli remove excess fluid, electrolytes, and waste from your bloodstream and pass them into your urine. Severe or prolonged inflammation from glomerulonephritis can damage your kidneys.

Lab Tests for Kidney Function

BUN                                      

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) constitute the final product of protein metabolism. BUN is the nitrogen portion of urea. BUN is made by the liver and cleared by the kidneys. If BUN is elevated, it can indicate renal problems. The optimal range is 13-18 mg/dL.

Creatinine                           

Creatinine is a result of energy metabolism and is a byproduct of muscle creatinine phosphate.  It is removed by the kidneys at a constant rate depending upon the muscle mass of the individual.  A renal problem will decrease the amount excreted and increase the blood creatinine. The optimal ranges for creatinine are 0.85 -1.10 mg/dL for men and 0.65-0.90 mg/dL for women.

GFR

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is used to check how well the kidneys are functioning. GFR is a measure of how well your kidneys filter blood. Optimal GFR is over 90. If your GFR is less than 60 for three months or more, this indicates poor renal function. If your GFR is below 15 this can indicate renal failure. 

Albumin

Albumin is a protein found in the blood. Made in the liver, it retains elements like calcium, sodium and potassium, certain hormones (steroids and thyroid hormones) and certain drugs in circulation by binding to them to prevent their filtration by the urinary system.

Albumin acts to regulate the movement of water between tissues and the bloodstream by attracting water to areas with higher concentrations of salts or proteins. A healthy kidney will not let albumin pass into the urine. The less albumin in your urine, the better. The optimal range is 4.0-5.0 g/dL. A urine albumin above 30 may indicate CKD.