10 Ways to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy

Kidneys are the fist-sized organs at the bottom of your rib cage. It is present on both sides of your spine and performs several functions.

Most importantly, it filters the waste products, excess water, and other impurities from the blood. The waste products are stored in your bladder and later expelled through urine.

In addition, your kidneys regulate your body’s potassium, salt, and pH levels. They also produce hormones that control the blood production of red blood cells and regulate blood pressure.

Your kidneys are responsible for activating a form of Vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium to regulate muscle function and build bones.

If you want to maintain kidney health, it is essential for your general well-being and overall health. If you keep the kidneys healthy, your body will expel and filter the wastes properly. It will also produce hormones to help your body function properly.

Here are a few tips to help your kidney health:

Avoid medicine overtake

NSAIDs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen and ibuprofen. It may damage your kidneys if you take too much at once or take them too often. Using the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for GERD or ulcers for a long time may raise your chances of chronic kidney disease.

Take care with antibiotics

The bacteria-fighting drugs may damage your kidneys if you use them often. It may happen even if you are perfectly healthy, though it is more severe if your kidneys do not work well as they should. Few types like cephalosporins, sulfonamides, and penicillin, are more likely to cause problems.

Skin herbal supplements

Supplement makers do not need to prove the safety of their products. However, it may pose damage to your kidneys. Those can be especially harmful if you have kidney disease as it may worsen conditions or affect how the medicines work. You can talk to your doctor before you try an herbal supplement.

Eat healthily

Your kidney process everything you drink or eat, including anything bad for you, like lots of sugar, salt, and fat. Over time, a bad diet can lead to diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and other conditions that could be hard on your kidneys. On the other hand, a healthy diet has lots of whole grains, fruits, veggies, and a few processed foods.

Watch your salt

The mineral affects people in different ways. For a few, it seems to raise the amount of protein in their urine. It may end up harming your kidneys or may worsen kidney diseases. A lot of salt may also raise the chances of high blood pressure, a typical cause of kidney stones and kidney diseases. It can be quite painful and may cause damage without treatment.

Drink enough water

Water helps to get essential nutrients to your kidneys. It moves waste to your bladder in the form of urine. If you do not drink enough water, the tiny filters present in your kidneys may stop leading to kidney infections and stones. Even mild dehydration may damage your kidneys if it happens often. If the intake is about 4-6 cups a day, it may be right, but you need more if you are out in the heat or are sick.

Exercise

A healthy diet may help prevent conditions like heart disease, and diabetes may lead to kidney damage. You must not try to go from sitting all day to exercising in just one day. Too much exercise may impact your kidneys, leading to damage. You must work up to 30 to 60 minutes at least five days a week. Start slow if you haven’t done it in a while. Also, check with your doctor first if you have any health issues.

Get screened

It is essential to understand the risks of kidney disease. It is more likely if you or close relatives have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or come with a family history of kidney failure. In these cases, your doctor may suggest specific kidney tests as a part of your regular checkups. The earlier you catch it, the easier it is to treat and sometimes stop.

Be careful with alcohol

One or two drinks won’t hurt your kidneys if you are healthy. However, binge drinking may cause serious, sudden damage and lead to long-term problems. Alcohol often dehydrates you and keeps your kidneys from working well, leading to weight gain, high blood pressure, and liver diseases. You may also incur other conditions that put more stress on them.

Quit smoking

Smoking tends to raise the risk of damaged blood vessels and kidney cancer. It affects your kidneys by slowing blood flow to them. Smoking may affect certain drugs which can treat high blood pressure. It is serious because uncontrolled high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of kidney diseases.

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