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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Antioxidants Key to Improving Kidney Functions
Improving kidney function after damage already has taken place is a tricky thing. Some steps can be taken to relieve symptoms, to some extent by neutralizing free radicals that might have caused the damage initially, but repairing organs as intricate and vital as kidneys is no mean feat.
Free radicals, a common culprit for many health ailments, can be neutralized by consuming antioxidant-rich substances such as some antioxidant supplements, fruits and vegetables, and some healthy chocolate products.
One new medicine, Coenzyme Q10, has been documented in early studies to decrease the creatinine level of patients taking dialysis treatments by 29 percent within 12 weeks, and decrease their blood urea nitrogen levels by nine percent over the same time frame. These improvements were significant enough to remove nearly 50 percent of those in the Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine-reported test group from the need for dialysis treatments. Dialysis machines are expensive units built to filter toxins from the blood of patients with failing kidneys, and are associated with many adverse side effects.
Some facts about kidneys and kidney disease include:
* Humans have two bean-shaped kidneys, one on each side of their lower middle back
* Each kidney weighs about one quarter pound
* Each kidney contains about one million nephrons, units comprised of glomerulus and tubules
* Glomerulus are tiny filters, or sieves that remove waste products from the blood
* Tubules, lined with highly functional cells, process what passes through the glomerulus, reabsorbing water and chemicals the body needs
* Creatinine is a waste product in blood generated by muscle activity … Healthy kidneys remove creatinine from the body, but malfunctioning kidneys cause creatinine levels to rise, which can lead to fatigue, loss of appetite, anemia, and heart disease
* There are five stages of kidney risk, ranging from normal to kidney failure
* The standard test for kidney health is the Glomular Filtration Rate, a rate reached after testing one’s creatinine level and pairing it with variables such as age, race, and gender
The key to improving kidney functions is to be proactive and consume large amounts of antioxidants every day. Still, the earlier any kidney disease is detected, the better the chance of slowing or stopping its progression. Periodic Glomular Filtration Rate tests to monitor kidney functions can be a healthy thing.
by Rocky Wilson
Author of Sharene - Death: A Prerequisite For Life
Owner of Healthy Chocolate website
