The Kidneys

-From the desk of Dr. Brkich

In Las Vegas what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. This doesn’t happen with the kidneys. In my 25 years of practice as a naturopathic physician I haven’t come across many kidney problems that originated in the kidneys and stayed in the kidneys. It has been my observation that things don’t usually go wrong with the kidney itself. I think of the kidneys as having an “extended warranty”. Most often when the kidneys get damaged the cause can be traced to some disease process that happened outside the kidneys. In other words, the kidneys are usually the victims of damage or disease originating from somewhere else in the body rather than a breakdown or malfunction within the kidneys themselves. Even acute kidney failure, according to the Mayo Clinic, “almost always occurs in connection with another medical condition or event”. As long as something else doesn’t damage them, the kidneys tend to keep on going and going, just like the Energizer Bunny. Unfortunately, there are many things in the rest of the body that can damage the kidneys and impair their function. The kidneys are, most often, in my experience, innocent victims of disease processes that usually start elsewhere. These outside disease processes can eventually result in acute kidney failure and, sadly, too often the need for dialysis.

How can you tell if your kidney function is starting to decline? 

Kidney Trivia

March is national kidney month, here is a fun trivia quiz!

No Kidneying around!

TRUE OR FALSE:

1. Q: KIDNEYS ARE THE SAME SIZE? True or False?

2. Q: WE ONLY NEED ONE KIDNEY TO LIVE? True or False?

MULTIPLE CHOICE:

1. Q: HOW MANY GALLONS OF BLOOD ARE FILTERED IN OUR BODIES DAILY?

a) 6 gallons b) 1 gallon c) 45 gallons

2. Q: THE WORLDS FIRST KNOWN DESCRIPTION OF THE KIDNEY WAS BY?

a) Italians b) Greeks c) Vikings d) Egyptians

3. Q: WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING CAN HARM THE KIDNEY?

a) climate change b) pain medications like ibuprofen c) too much coffee d) dehydration e) all of the above

4. Q: THE 1ST DIALYSIS WAS KNOWN TO HAPPEN BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR II AND INVENTED BY A DUTCH PHYSICIAN (WILLEMKOLFF -amazing man by the way- google it -saved many people from Nazi labour camps by hiding them in hospitals). 

WHICH 3 OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS DID HE USE TO MAKE THE FIRST DIALYSIS MACHINE:

a) orange juice b) sausage casing c) apple juice d) washing machine e) plastic bottles

5. Q: ARE THERE SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE BLOOD TESTS THAT MY PHYSICIAN (ALLOPATHIC OR NATUROPATHIC) CAN DO TO ASSESS KIDNEY FUNCTION?

-From the desk of Anne Deni B.Sc. FdNu, Clinical Nutritionist

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