Anyone who suffers from kidney stones knows the pain involved in passing a stone. You are not alone, more than half a million people visit the emergency room for kidney stone problems yearly.
Just because you don’t suffer from kidney stones doesn’t mean you don’t have a problem. Kidney sludge may not be painful passing out the ureter, but it is nevertheless deadly over time as it slowly chokes off kidney function nephron by nephron.
How extensive is the problem? Virtually, every living person has some degree of sludge build up and some loss of kidney function over time. The only question is how much. Does it reach the point where it causes painful kidney stones to form or the point where it chokes off a critical mass of kidney tissue, ultimately leading to kidney failure? In fact, 26 million American adults have kidney disease — and don’t even know it.
It should be noted that although kidney stones and gallstones are not identical, the mechanisms involved in their formation are remarkably similar. This means that the same detoxes used for eliminating kidney sludge and kidney stones will also help remove gallstones – and for that matter, even help with removing pancreatic sludge and arthritic calcium deposits in joints.
In acute kidney failure, symptoms include swelling, drowsiness, and irregular heartbeat. In chronic kidney failure, symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches, cramps and thirst. In addition to sludge, the other major kidney problems are connected to infection, inflammation, and direct damage to the protein that makes up the kidney tissue as a result of high sugar and high insulin levels.
A growing epidemic
The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse estimates that each year, nearly 100,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with kidney failure. The numbers are more shocking by the minute. According to the National Kidney Foundation:
- 1 in 3 American adults is currently at risk for developing kidney disease.
- 26 million American adults have kidney disease — and most don’t know it.
- High blood pressure and diabetes are the two leading causes of kidney disease.
- Every year, kidney disease kills more people than breast or prostate cancer.
- Once the kidneys fail, dialysis or a kidney transplant is required .
- More than 661,000 Americans have kidney failure. Of these, 468,000 individuals are on dialysis.
- Medicare spending for a dialysis patient is about $83,356 per year (2015 USRDS Report).
- Of more than 120,000 people waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the U.S., 100,102 await kidney transplants (as of 4/25/16). Fewer than 17,000 people receive one each year.
- Every day, 13 people die waiting for a kidney.
Yikes!!!
Fortunately, it’s good to know there are ways to keep your kidneys healthy to avoid going down that road. It is also important to remember that keeping your kidneys properly functioning is not just to avoid disease, but to help them do their job. Did you know that every 30 minutes, the kidneys filter all your blood in your body, removing waste and excess fluid? They also help regulate blood pressure, activate vitamin D, and keep all your minerals in balance such as sodium, phophorus, and potassium.
The Kidney Detox
Paramount to good care of the kidneys is reducing the toxic load they have to deal with, especially proteins and chemical contaminants which can build up in the kidneys, slowing their function, increasing acidity and raising blood pressure. According to Jon Barron, “The regular use of a kidney detox is now mandatory considering the stresses we put our kidneys under, thanks to our ‘modern’ lifestyles.”
The following kidney video will show you how to keep your kidneys, gallbladder, and pancreas in top working order:
