women's good health, wellness, and well being.: THE KIDNEY

THE KIDNEY ARE BEAN SHAPED, ABOUT THE SIZE OF A FIST AND LOCATED ON EACH SIDE OF THE SPINE, JUST BELOW THE RIB CAGE. THEY SIT OPPOSITE EACH OTHER ON BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES OF THE BODY. THE RIGHT KIDNEY HOWEVER SITS A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE LEFT IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE LIVER.

FUNCTIONS OF THE KIDNEY

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE KIDNEY IS TO FILTER BLOOD. IT REMOVES WASTES FROM THE BODY, SEES THAT THE FLUID AND THE ELECTROLYTES IN THE BODY ARE BALANCED. THE KIDNEY ALSO PRODUCES HORMONES, ABSORB MINERALS AND PRODUCES URINE.

THE KIDNEY FILTERS WASTE PRODUCTS FROM THE BODY, PRODUCES RED BLOOD CELLS AS WELL AS REGULATES OUR BLOOD PRESSURE. THE KIDNEY IS A VERY IMPORTANT ORGAN FOR OUR SURVIVAL, INF ACT WE NEED AT LEAST ONE KIDNEY TO LIVE.

THE MAIN JOB OF THE KIDNEY IS TO FILTER WASTES OUT OF OUR BODY. WHEN OUR BLOOD DELIVERS NUTRIENTS TO OUR BODY, THESE NUTRIENTS HAVE TO BE BROKEN DOWN IN THE CELLS OF THE BODY. THIS BREAKING DOWN OF THE NUTRIENTS IN THE CELLS RESULTS IN SOME WASTES BEING PRODUCED. THIS IS WHERE THE KIDNEY IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THESE WASTES HAVE TO BE TAKEN SOMEWHERE. THE KIDNEY HAS MORE THAN ONE MILLION FILTERS AND FILTERS THE BLOOD SEVERAL TIMES IN A DAY. THE WASTE PRODUCTS ARE REMOVED THROUGH THE URINE. URINE IS PRODUCED THROUGH COMPLEX STEPS OF EXCRETION AND RE-ABSORPTION. THE KIDNEY ALSO REGULATES THE AMOUNT OF SALT, POTASSIUM AND ACID CONTENT IN THE BODY.

KIDNEY DISEASES

KIDNEY DISEASES OR INFECTIONS ARE INFECTIONS THAT INVOLVES THE URINARY TRACT. KIDNEY INFECTION STARTS WHEN BACTERIA ENTERS THE URINARY TRACT THROUGH THE TUBE THAT CARRIES URINE FROM THE BODY. ALSO WHEN YOU HAVE AN INFECTION SOMEWHERE ELSE IN YOUR BODY, BACTERIA CAN SPREAD TO YOUR KIDNEY THROUGH YOUR BLOODSTREAMS.

KIDNEY DISEASES NEED TO BE TREATED PROMPTLY OR THEY MAY LEAD TO MORE SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS OR EVEN DAMAGE THE KIDNEY.

THE INFECTION OF THE URETHA, BLADDER AND PROSTATE ARE KNOWN AS LOWER URINARY TRACT INFECTION BUT WHEN THE INFECTION MOVES UP TO INVOLVE THE KIDNEY, THEN IT IS CALLED AN UPPER URINARY TRACT INFECTION. KIDNEY INFECTION CAN ALSO BE CALLED PYELONEPHRITIS.

EXAMPLES OF KIDNEY INFECTIONS INCLUDE ;

1. KIDNEY STONES; THIS IS A CONDITION WHERE URINE FLOW IS BLOCKED BECAUSE MINERALS IN THE URINE FORM STONES THAT ARE LARGE ENOUGH TO BLOCK URINE FLOW. IT IS A VERY PAINFUL CONDITION AND MAY REQUIRE TREATMENT.

2. GLOMERULONEPHRITIS; THIS IS A DISEASE THAT CAUSES INFLAMMATION OF THE FILTERING UNITS OF THE KIDNEY WHICH IS CALLED THE GLOMERULIN. GLOMERULONEPHRITIS MAY HAPPEN SUDDENLY AFTER AN INFECTION IN THE THROAT. IT MAY DEVELOP SLOWLY OVER THE YEARS, REDUCING THE POWER OF THE KIDNEY TO FUNCTION VERY WELL.

3. POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE; THIS IS AN INHERITED CONDITION WHICH IS CHARACTERISED BY FORMATION OF KIDNEY CYSTS THAT GROW OVERTIME AND MAY EVENTUALLY DAMAGE THE KIDNEY OR CAUSE IT TO FAIL.

4. RENAL FAILURES; RENAL DISEASES SUCH AS HYPERTENSIVE NEPHROSCLEROSIS OR RENAL ARTERYSTENOSIS CAUSES THE RENAL TISSUES NOT TO GET ENOUGH BLOOD AND OXYGEN THEREBY AFFECTING RENAL FUNCTIONS.

5. DIABETES; DIABETES WHICH IS A DISEASE OF HIGH BLOOD SUGAR, MAKES THE KIDNEY TO BE OVERWORKED. THIS AFFECTS THE FUNCTION OF THE KIDNEY.

6. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE; HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE CAUSES HIGH PRESSURE, PERFUSION AND INFILTRATION IN THE KIDNEY THEREBY DAMAGING BLOOD VESSELS.

SYMPTOMS OF KIDNEY DISEASES

1. FREQUENT URINATION.

2. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

3. PUFFINESS AROUND THE EYES AND SWELLING IN THE LEGS.

4. LOSS OF APPETITE

5. NAUSEA AND VOMITING.

6. WEAKNESS – THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE ACCUMULATION OF WASTE PRODUCTS.

7. A BURNING FEELING OR DIFFICULTY WHEN URINATING.

8. BLOOD MAY BE FOUND IN THE URINE.

9. BACK PAIN.

TREATMENT FOR KIDNEY DISEASES

IN TREATING KIDNEY DISEASES, SOME IMPORTANT DECISIONS HAVE TO BE MADE. TREATMENT INCLUDES;

#HEMODIALYSIS -- A MACHINE IS REQUIRED TO FILTER THE BLOOD OUTSIDE THE BODY.

#PERITONEAL DIALYSIS—THE LINING OF THE STOMACH IS USED TO FILTER THE BLOOD INSIDE THE BODY.

#KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION—IN KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION, A NEW KIDNEY IS PLACED INTO THE BODY.

EACH TREATMENT HAS ITS OWN ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES. THE TREATMENT ONE CHOOSES WILL DEFINITELY AFFECT THE PERSON’S LIFESTYLE, BUT THE SUFFERER HAS TO MAKE THE CHOICE. THE NEED TO TREAT KIDNEY DISEASES IS TO SLOW DOWN FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE KIDNEYS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY AND MANAGE THE CONDITIONS THAT ARE CAUSING YOU KIDNEY DISEASES, FOR EXAMPLE, DIABETES AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

TRY AND CONTROL YOUR SUGAR LEVEL AS WELL AS YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE THROUGH DIET, EXERCISE AND MEDICATIONS. HIGH SUGAR LEVELS DAMAGE THE BLOOD VESSELS IN THE KIDNEY.

EAT A DIET THAT IS HEALTHY FOR YOUR KIDNEYS, EXERCISE REGULARLY, AVOID EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL INTAKE, TOBACCO OR HARMFUL DRUGS.