Jennifer Thompson

The kidneys are an important eliminatory organ for overall body health. They regulate the body’s fluid volume, mineral composition and acidity levels. By eliminating wastes and adjusting fluid balance, the kidneys play an essential part in maintaining homeostasis in the body.

If your kidneys are stressed or toxic, you may start to experience problems with lower back pain, elevated uric acid levels and even kidney stones. The kidneys can easily get overloaded with debris from unfiltered water, protein overdose (too much meat in the diet), and chemicals from low quality, de-vitalized food. Crystals can then form in urine from the various salts that build up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. Eventually these crystals become large enough to form stones in the kidney. And that can be a painful experience!

Remember that all of your organs are working together at all times, so be aware that a sluggish or toxic colon will automatically put stress on the kidneys and other organs. Anytime you do a cleanse, you are giving all your organs a chance to rest and renew. You may want to also consider doing some additional cleansing specifically for the kidneys.

On a daily basis, drink more water! Water is the main avenue that the kidneys have to flush out acids and toxins, so give it a good supply!

If you experience any lower back pain, discoloration or cloudiness in the urine, or even early symptoms of gout, it is important eat a cleaner diet, staying away from salty, flavored potato chips, excessive meats (especially red meat) and to support the kidneys with parsley tea, juniper berry tea or uva ursi tea.

Once a year, you may want to do a kidney cleanse, especially after having done a colon cleanse. You can buy kidney cleansing supplements in health food stores, already blended into a 2-week supply for your use. During that time, avoid coffee and alcohol. Try to eat supporting foods for the kidneys, especially parsley (see recipe below). Drink plenty of clean, filtered, good quality water.

Send your kidneys love and they will reward you with good health for life!