Kidney Health Basics

Kidneys play perhaps the most important role in the ecosystem of our bodies and are fundamental to life. They are delicate crescent shaped organs whose location alone renders them vulnerable to trauma and they are held in place only by a thin layer of connective tissue and fat. It is their intricate filtration system that determines what needs to be excreted and what is vital to the body. Kidneys are incredible workers, carry a tremendous load in the body and are typically disease resistant. If infection or disease occurs, these can be concerning and serious in nature. Toxicity quickly accumulates in the blood stream and becomes a systemic problem.

These master filters of our body have several functions:

• Maintaining proper acid alkaline balance
• Fluid regulation, water balance in blood and body
• Production of hormones and enzymes that control blood pressure
• Regulation of the emotional state of our being

Emotional Being in Relationship to Kidney Health

According to Chinese Medicine, too much water in the body can lead to depression, mood swings, headaches, lower back pain, and PMS. Too little water can result in explosive anger, dehydration and anger.

Kidneys are the shock absorbers of our emotional experiences. They are the holding tanks for fear, loneliness and deep emotional distress. Just like plants they respond very well to a harmonious lifestyle, warmth and water. They beg to be treated ‘tenderly’ and recognized for the incredible work they do!

This was colorfully demonstrated by one of my chronic fatigue patients. One lady became so enraged at her husband that she tossed the freshly made birthday cake in his face in front of all the guests! Needless to say, this precipitated into a divorce and generated a very healthy woman!

Herbs

Nature has most generously provided us with diuretic herbs to assist the water aspect of kidney health. Natural diuretics support increased secretion and flow of urine by removing fluid from tissues within the body. Women have a particular propensity toward holding water in tissue therefore becoming familiar with these herbs is a good idea. These include herbs that specifically do one or more of the following: cleanse and disinfect, soothe irritated membranes, firm and tighten loose tissue (especially good when blood appears in the urine), and finally those herbs that prevent the formation of stones or gravel in the urinary tract. Although there is much overlap, the specific action of each herb will lend itself nicely to the condition being addressed.

Kidney herbs are:

• Uva ursi
• Buchu
• Cleavers
• Chickweed
• Cornsilk
• Dandelion leaf and root
• Juniper berries
• Gravel root
• Parsley root
• Marshmallow root
• Pippsissewa
• Gravel root

Signs and Symptoms

Do you have any of these symptoms? It’s quite a list but indicates the importance of kidneys to our health and well-being.

• Dark, puffy circles under eyes
• PMS
• Chills
• Itchy ears
• Lower back pain, tenderness in the back area
• Water retention
• Allergies/hay fever
• High or low blood pressure
• Ear/eye irritation
• Depression or moodiness
• Restlessness/insomnia
• Skin rashes
• Fever
• Urinary urgency, frequency or pain
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Appetite loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Cloudy or bloody urine
• Fatigue
• Pain when urinating
• Leg or shoulder pain

Maintaining Healthy Kidneys

Given our demanding lifestyles, maintaining healthy kidneys can be a challenge. They filter all the blood in our system therefore added exposure to drugs, toxins, heavy metals, solvents, chemotherapy, pesticides, etc. can wreak havoc.

Maintaining good function on a daily basis is necessary and easy!

1. Drink plenty of good water and herb tea daily as stagnation is frequently the root of any problem
2. Avoid coffee, alcohol, chemicals, drugs and rich foods
3. Hot baths, warm ginger tea and poultices quickly restore balance
4. Exercise, movement. Long periods of sitting make it more challenging for kidneys to do their job.
5. Kidney tonics and regular cleansing
6. A balanced lifestyle

Signs of Kidney Stress

• Chills
• Fever
• Urinary urgency
• Frequent urination day or night
• Fluid retention
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Appetite loss
• Lower back pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Cloudy or bloody urine
• Fatigue
• Pain when urinating
• Leg Pain
• Shoulder Pain
• Cramping
• Abnormal skin disorders
• Kidney Stones

One of the most common kidney ailments is the development of stones. Painful? Yes! As blood purifiers, the kidneys eliminate stones, pathogens, chemicals, and heavy metals. Proper blood pressure is important for forcing the blood through the descending kidney tubes during the cleansing process. Stones in the kidneys cause the heart to work harder and interestingly, not all kidney stones are visible by using ultrasound.

Stones are the perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and parasites and contain the accumulated debris being filtered through the kidneys. Kidney stones seldom exist without gallstones also being present, so both liver and kidney cleansing are most beneficial.
Stone development means the ratio of phosphorus to calcium is disturbed. Heavy meat consumption causes the phosphorus level to increase, thus decreasing the calcium level. Calcium is then leached from tissue to buffer the excess acid. Acidosis creates extra work for the kidneys frequently resulting in Gout.

Herbal Kidney Cleanse

Dr. Hulda Clark from her book “The Cure for All Disease”, explains in detail how to cleanse the kidneys of stones and debris WITHOUT surgery.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried Hydrangea root
• 1/2 cup Gravel root
• 1/2 cup Marshmallow root
• 4 bunches of fresh parsley
• Goldenrod tincture (leave this out of the recipe if you are allergic to it)
• Ginger Capsules
• Uva Ursi capsules
• Vegetable glycerin
• Vitamin B6 250mg
• Magnesium oxide 300mg or 1/4 cup Green Drink Beverage

Measure cup of each root and set them to soak together in 10 cups of cold tap water, using a non-metal container and a nonmetal lid (a dinner plate will do). After four hours (or over night), bring liquid with soaked herbs to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drink a cup as soon as it is cool enough. Pour the rest in through a bamboo or plastic strainer into a sterile pint jar (glass) and several freezable containers. Refrigerate the glass jar. Find fresh organic parsley. Boil the fresh parsley, after rinsing, in 1 quart of water for 3 minutes. Strain out the liquid, then drink cup when cool enough. Refrigerate a pint and freeze 1 pint.

Dose: each morning, pour together cup of the root mixture and cup parsley water, filling a large mug. Add 20 drops of goldenrod tincture and 1 tbsp. of glycerin. Drink this mixture in divided doses throughout the day. Keep cold. Do not drink it all at once or you will get a stomach ache and feel pressure in the bladder. If your stomach is very sensitive, start on half this dose.

Save the roots after the first boiling, storing them in the freezer. After 13 days when your supply runs low, boil the same roots a second time, but add only 6 cups water and simmer only 10 minutes. This will last another 8 days, for a total of three weeks. You may cook the roots a third time if you wish, but the recipe gets less potent. If your problem is severe, only cook them twice. After three weeks, repeat with fresh herbs. You need to do the kidney cleanse for six weeks to get good results, longer for severe problems.

Also take the following with food for the entire time of the cleanse:

• Ginger capsules: one with each meal (3/day)
• Uva Ursi capsules: one with breakfast and two with supper
• Vitamin B6 (250mg): one per day
• Magnesium oxide (300mg): one a day

This herbal tea, as well as the parsley, can easily spoil. Heat it to boiling every fourth day if it is being stored in the refrigerator; this resterilizes it. If you sterilize it in the morning you may take it to work without refrigerating it (use a glass container).

Notes

• Vitamin B6 and magnesium taken daily can prevent oxalate stones from forming
• Tea has 15.6 mg oxalate acid per cup. A tall glass of iced tea could give you over 20 mg oxalate acid therefore herb teas are a better choice. Sugar alone contributes to kidney stress.
• Cocoa and chocolate contain high levels of oxalate acid
• Avoid foods high in phosphate: meats, breads, cereals, pastas, and carbonated drinks,
• Drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. Add freshly squeezed lemon
• Kidney stones can be gone in 3 weeks, but new ones made in 3 days.