For your health, the kidneys are essential because they detoxify and cleanse the body by filtering 10-150 quarts of blood in a day.
Their location is under the rib cage. Their function is to eliminate unnecessary and excessive fluids from your body, regulate the electrolyte levels, produce more red blood cells, regulate your body pressure as well as keep your bones healthy and strong.
In case of their endangerment or if they are impeded, entire health is at risk. That is the reason why it is highly important to learn to distinguish the signs that the body gives you that indicate kidney damage and failure:
Urination Changes – the most common early symptoms of kidney damage:
-trouble urinating;
-urine’s color is pale, often need for urination and in large amounts;
-foamy urine;
-urine’s color is dark, reduced need for urinating or a reduced amount of urine;
-often urges for urinating at night; pressure during urinating.
-Swellings – If case of the kidneys’ function damaging, the body cannot release excess fluids and this leads to bloating of the face, joints, and limbs as well as swellings.
Metallic Taste In The Mouth – because of the waste deposits in the blood, you can have a bad breath or a changed taste in the mouth. If the kidney is severely damaged you can experience a big change in the taste of some foods or a low appetite.
Fatigue – if the kidneys are in good health, they will produce EPO (erythropoietin), that is, a hormone that is responsible for producing red blood cells which supply the oxygen needed for the body. If the red blood cells are lowered, you start to experience fatigue, and brain and muscle damage. This is also a common sign of severe anemia.
Pain – another very known sign of kidney damage or failure is upper back pain, just where the kidneys are, and this pain can be as well accompanied by kidney infections or stones.
Shortness of Breath – the damage to the kidneys can as well lead to shortness of breath due to the fact that the body is deficient in oxygen, because of the lowered number of red blood cells that deliver oxygen throughout the body. Their number is lowered due to the accumulated toxins in the lungs.
Bad Concentration and Dizziness – If there is deficient oxygen in the brain it can lead to severe anemia or kidney failure, which furthermore leads to poor concentration and focus, dizziness or memory issues, or lightheadedness.
Skin Rashes – the deposits that are waste can as well lead to kidney failure, and therefore the skin may be itchy and covered with rashes. As the waste gets accumulated in the blood, it leads to an unhealthy appearance of the skin, making it look irritated and dry. This can be better a little by using lotions or creams, but the real problem is internal and shall be treated in such a way.
Bearing all of this in mind, it is highly important to take proper and cautious care of the kidneys’ health and consume high-antioxidant foods, supplements, and a proper amount of water. This will help the functioning of the kidneys, prevent any complications of this kind, and maintain good overall health.