March 10th is World Kidney Day

Should it actually be called World Kidneys Day since we have two? Just a thought. Anyway, World Kidney Day was created for the same reason other special “days” were created, to raise awareness about the things in the title of that day, in this case, your kidneys and, more specifically, chronic kidney disease. Here’s the full quote from the World Kidney Day website (located here): “…to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.”

Your kidneys are quite remarkable as internal organs go. Located deep in your abdomen, just below your rib cage, your fist-sized kidneys filter the entirety of your blood approximately 400 times every day. They perform this arduous task in order to filter out toxins and excess water from your blood which is then converted into urine and ultimately expelled from the body. In essence, your kidneys control what is contained within your blood as they also control the levels of various minerals, such as sodium and potassium, as well as blood acidity levels. Oh yeah, your kidneys also help control your blood pressure level, produce red blood cells and help keep your bones healthy.

Despite how important our kidneys are to our well-being, they’re often overlooked and overshadowed by other organs, such as the heart and lungs. However, the same preventative measures that are recommended to stave off cardio-pulmonary disease also help prevent the onset of chronic kidney disease, or CKD. CKD afflicts one of every ten adults worldwide and, if left untreated, can be fatal. CKD is the gradual loss of kidney functions which can cause dangerous levels of toxins to build up in the blood stream and body. It can eventually cause kidney failure which can only be treated with dialysis or a kidney transplant. However, if treated properly and quickly, kidney failure can be reversed.

CKD is caused by other conditions or diseases that affect kidney function such as type one and two diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity (in fact, obesity causes an 83% increased risk of developing CKD), glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney’s filtering units), interstitial nephritis (inflammation of the kidney’s tubules and surrounding structures), polycystic kidney disease (an inherited kidney disease), vesicoureteral reflux which causes urine to back up in the kidneys, prolonged obstruction of the urinary tract by an enlarged prostrate, kidney stones and/or certain cancers and recurrent kidney infection.

However, there are lifestyle choices you can make to help ensure you never suffer from CKD and the World Kidney Day website lists them as the “Eight Golden Rules for Good Kidney Health” and they are:

1. Keep fit, be active.
2. Eat a healthy diet.
3. Check and control your blood sugar (especially if you’re diabetic).
4. Check and control your blood pressure.
5. Ensure appropriate fluid intake.
6. Don’t smoke
7. Don’t take over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory/pain killer pills regularly.
8. Get your kidney functions checked on a regular basis if you have one or more of the high-risk factors, which are: diabetes, hypertension (or high blood pressure), obesity, or a family history of kidney disease.

I’ve written numerous health related articles for MagicKitchen over the years, everything from heart disease to bone health and there are always two preventive measures that are cited by my research sources; a healthy diet and regular exercise, every time. We know this, yet millions die prematurely every year from preventable diseases and conditions. I am continually amazed by this fact. But I guess that’s a subject for another blog post. In the meantime, take care of your kidneys on March 10^th and every day.