Health Care

by Orville Campbell, MD

Most people are of the belief that all the kidneys do is to help one urinate.
However, here are the top 5 functions of your kidneys:

1) Help to rid the body of Poisons in the urine. These poisons may come from the food you eat, medication metabolites (breakdown by-products), or from the work your organs and muscles.

2) Help to regulate your Blood Pressure. Early hypertension (onset before the age of 30) may indicate kidney disease. Other issues may come into play with early onset high blood presure. These issues may include thyroid problems or excessive weight. The same is true for late onset hypertension (onset age >50).

3) Activate the Vitamin D in your body to put it in usable form. The liver makes 25-Vitamin D and sends it to the kidney. The kidneys in turn form 1,25-Vitamin D which is the active form of Vitamin D. Therefore, if the kidneys are significantly diseased, one could become vitamin D deficient. This is the reason why most dialysis patients are given large doses of vitamin D anywhere from daily to three times a week.

4) Help you to make blood by making a hormone called erythropoietin which sends a message to the bone marrow to make blood. The bone marrow then revs up production of blood. However, one has to have adequate amounts of iron, vitamin b12 and folate to efficiently make blood.

5) Help you regulate your water balance to prevent you from getting dehydrated or going into heart failure! The kidney is the chief organ that regualates the body's ability to get rid of excess water or salt. Things such as alcohol and caffeine impair the ability of the kidneys to hold on to water. Excessive alcohol intake will cause your kidneys to waste calcium, phosphorous and magnesium.

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About the Author
Orville Campbell, MD is an internist and nephrologist. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. His expertise include: health and wellness, hypertension, diabetes, vitamin D, and kidney diseases. Dr. Campbell is an Emory University graduate. http://www.ClaimWellness.com