The Healthy Kidney
The healthy balance of our body’s chemistry is due in large part to the work of two organs, the kidneys. These bean-shaped organs are located just above the waist in your back and are partially protected by the ribs. Each kidney is about the size of your fist.
Each healthy kidney contains about one million tiny units called nephrons, which filter and remove the excess liquids and the waste products from the blood.
The excess liquid and waste filtered out by the kidneys are expelled in the form of urine, which flows along tubes called ureters into the bladder, from where it is discharged.
In brief, the kidneys perform the following important tasks:
- » They remove the excess water from the body
- » They eliminate toxins from the blood which accumulate as a result of protein breakdown
- » They balance the important electrolytes e.g. potassium required for a healthy heart muscle
- » They produce two hormons - Renin, which helps to control blood pressure and Erythopoitin
- » Balance calcium, phosphate and activate vitamin D, which are all required for healthy bones
(metabolism)which helps to produce red blood cellsOur survival depends on these vital organs, even though you can live a normal life with only one kidney, or if both are functioning only partially.
However, in such cases more care has to be taken with diet and looking after the kidneys, to conserve their residual function.
