Limitless Organ Detox Series Week Four...It's Kidney Time!

We are already on week four of the Limitless organ detox, holy cow time flies when you are having fun :) 

If you are just joining us we detoxed the colon the first week. The second week we moved onto cleaning the liver. The liver and gallbladder go hand in hand so we detoxed the gallbladder last week.

Now in week four of the series we will be figuring out exactly what the kidneys do, how to prevent them from getting unhealthy, and look at some alternative moves you can make before you have one removed (which is never good, we weren’t designed with extra parts :)

So what exactly does your kidneys do?

You have two kidneys. They are located on either side of your spine just below the rib cage. These bean shaped organs filter about a half of cup of blood every minute removing waste and extra water which becomes urine. Thus urine then flows through thin tubes called ureters to the bladder.

There is one ureter on each side of your bladder. Your bladder then stores the urine. The kidneys, the ureter tubes, and your bladder all make up your urinary tract. Your kidneys also play a role in removing the acids constantly produced by the cells in your body. 

Your kidneys help to balance the minerals and salts in your body also.

These salts and minerals consist of:

Sodium

Potassium

Calcium

Phosphorus 

An imbalance of any of these salts or minerals will inhibit your body from running at its best. 

Your kidneys also make hormones.

 These hormones help to:

Control blood pressure

Build stronger bones

Control your electrolyte levels

Make red blood cells (sermonaudio)

Wow! THe kidneys seem pretty important to keep around. So what are some of the things that can trigger kidney disease and failure?

As in the past weeks, lifestyle and nutrition seem to be big contributors to an unhealthy body, and your kidneys are no different.

Here are some lifestyle and nutrition negative contributing factors:

Being sedentary: High blood pressure is known to be linked to a sedentary lifestyle. High blood pressure negatively effects your kidneys. 

To much alcohol in excess: Chronic kidney disease can result from long term alcohol abuse. Consuming more than four drinks everyday doubles your risk. If you smoke and drink that number goes to five times as likely. 

Smoking: Smokers are more likely to have protein in their urine. This is not good as it is a sign of kidney damage. 

To much sugar: To much sugar consumption leads can lead to diabetes and high blood pressure. These are two leading causes of kidney disease. 

To much meat: If you consume to much meat at one once it puts high amounts of acid into the blood which is not good for the kidneys. This is called acidosis which means the kidneys cannot eliminate the acid fast enough. If you do this day in and day out you can it may place extra strain on your kidneys. 

Getting good sleep: Your 24 hour kidney function is regulated by your sleep wake cycle. If you are not getting adequate sleep you are not giving your kidneys enough time to do their job. 

High quality H20: Drinking enough clean water is imperative to life in general, and it plays a huge role in helping your kidneys clear toxins and sodium out of your body. 

Processed foods: There is nothing healthy about processed foods, period. In the case of your kidneys these foods are super high in bad sodium and phosphorus, which to much of is bad for your kidneys. This food is full of chemicals, pesticides, and GMO’s as well. All which is not good for any part of you. 

The use of painkillers: Certain painkillers are horrible for your kidneys. These pain killers are called NSAIDS . They include Ibuprofen, Motrin, aspirin, and acetaminophen. (kidney.org)

If you wait to long to start caring about your body and your kidneys, you may end up being on dialysis, having a kidney removed, or in need of a transplant. Dialysis is a machine that cleans your blood for you.

Dialysis is usually performed at a medical office, takes three to four hours, and is required two to three times per week. Holy cow, I think being healthy now sounds a whole lot better than being chained to a machine three times a week :) 

So what can we do to keep our kidneys healthy?

A healthy lifestyle is key to prevent or most disease and organ issues, and that goes for the kidneys also. Clean filtered (reverse osmosis with a pinch of good sea salt) water, clean organic vegetables and fruits (fruits in moderation, they are a high source of sugar). And clean meats (grass fed, etc) in moderation. 

Soak in an Epson salt bath: Yes please! Epson salt is a great detox helper and can help your kidneys get the icky out and give them a break. 

Eat more raw food and less meat: Eating a mostly raw food diet does amazing things for your body. It gives it all of the nutrients without all of the acids found in meat. Raw food is easier for your body to digest, so it takes less energy. This spare energy then can go help detox or support other parts of the body. 

It is ok to eat clean meat in moderation. Maybe try eating clean meat only at night, and eating raw all day? Just a thought :)

Fasting: Fasting is the most amazing gift that fell right into our laps from our great ancestors. Fasting is the ultimate natural detox and healing tool in your toolbox (ozone therapy is a close second, but that’s another blog post :) 

I intermittent fast everyday, this gives my body time to catch up from the toxins we breathe and eat everyday as well as detox the years of bad decisions I made when I was younger. The body is an amazing thing and can heal itself of most things if people would give it a minute and not run to the pharmacy and get a pill for everything. 

Intermittent fasting means that you just eat all of your food for the day in a small window of time. I currently fast from 8pm to 4pm. I feel amazing. I am also fat adapted (no grains or bullshit carbs or processed foods) and have worked my way up to this time window. Start small, eat a late breakfast and an early supper. If you slowly close your eating window over a period of weeks it will be more healthy and sustainable. 

So what you're already experiencing kidney pain?

First thing first consult with your healthcare provider to test and see where you are at. A naturopath doctor is going to be a better approach in my opinion, but you do you. A naturopath dr will try to help you keep your kidney with a raw food diet and possible ozone therapy instead of just cutting it out and filling you with worthless medication to mask your symptoms without addressing the real issue. 

If your Dr says your kidney is savable a raw food diet, fasting, and ozone therapy should get you feeling better :) Just remember no alcohol, no cigarettes, no added toxins when you a detoxing an already tired kidney.

When you detox your body is pulling toxins from wherever they were stored back into your body for removal. If you add more toxins during this process you compound the issue and make it even worse. 

I sincerely hope you are enjoying the Limitless organ detox series and can integrate each detox into your life in time :)

Here’s to your health...

Cheers!