Article summary:
- Learn why you need to cleanse your kidneys
- Discover what they do
- See the 10 top factors that can hurt them
- Find out natural ways to cleanse your kidneys and how to support them
Kidney cleansing belongs in the same conversation as colon cleansing and liver detoxing.
All three organs play critical roles in collecting waste and clearing it from your body. Dysfunction in any of them slows the speed at which the waste leaves your body, allowing toxins or deposits to buildup. In the colon, these deposits become hardened waste that rots. It could be kidney stones in the kidneys. The liver may simply not keep up. In each of these cases, the organs don’t function as well.
So, like your colon and liver, you need to keep your kidneys healthy. The best way to do this – daily kidney cleansing.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at why you should and how you can do it naturally.
Why to regularly cleanse your kidneys
Anyone who’s ever had kidney stones will tell you that taking steps to avoid them is reason enough. And while you should want to prevent kidney stones from forming, there are many reasons to ensure you cleanse your kidneys regularly.
Why your kidneys are important
Your kidneys do a lot more than remove waste and send it in the form of urine to the bladder. They remove extra fluid from the body and acid produced by cells, helping maintain your body’s pH in its very narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45, usually around 7.40. They also:
- Regulate water and mineral (incl. sodium, calcium, potassium) balance in your blood.
- Balance salts in your body.
- Produce hormones that help manage blood pressure, make red blood cells, and support bone health.
Balancing water, minerals, and salts is essential for your muscles and nerves to work properly.
Blood pressure plays a key role in heart and brain health. Red blood cells carry oxygen to your cells. Without enough oxygen, cellular metabolism breaks down, increasing the risk of oxygen deprivation, a risk factor for cancer. And weak bones increase your overall risk of injury, especially with age.
In short, they play a vital role in good living. Unfortunately, our modern world and even some of our behaviors can stress the kidneys and even accelerate kidney disease.
Factors that can harm your kidneys
Kidney disease doesn’t just happen. It develops over time. The National Kidney Foundation identifies 10 factors that can stress and harm your kidneys.
Overuse of painkillers
Over-the-counter pain medications, specifically NSAIDs or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can affect kidney health, especially if you take them often. If you suffer from chronic pain and rely on them for relief, it may make sense to speak with your doctor about possible alternatives, such as metabolic enzymes, which can help reduce pain and inflammation.
Consuming too much salt
Eating foods high in salt is really easy in the modern diet. Processed foods often contain a lot of salt as both a preservative and flavor enhancer. This especially includes those that come out of boxes and those “just add water” and cook meals. Adding salt to a meal can also boost an already high salt intake.
Now, that’s not to say salt isn’t essential to your health. It is. Rather, eating prepared foods and adding salt to meals can really skyrocket your salt levels. The best solution is eating raw, fresh foods as much as possible and limiting salt intake if you don’t.
Eating processed foods
In addition to salt, processed foods typically contain a lot of phosphorus which can strain the kidneys.
Eating meat
All forms of meat lead to increased acid production in the body, forcing your kidneys to work overtime to remove excess acids from your blood.
A diet high in sugar
Sugar is a known factor in obesity which comes with risks of diabetes and high blood pressure, factors in kidney disease.
Smoking
It has been found that smoking increases the risk of kidney damage.
Drinking too much alcohol
Heavy drinkers have a much higher risk of kidney disease. What is heavy drinking? Four or more drinks daily.
Inactivity
Sitting for extended periods appears to be linked to kidney disease. We need to exercise to keep our blood moving.
Not getting enough sleep
Your kidneys need a good night’s rest. A regular sleep pattern is an important part of how your body regulates kidney function.
Not drinking enough water
Water flushes the kidneys, clearing toxins and minerals. Drinking enough water is essential for kidney health. It also helps reduce your risk of kidney stones.
The danger of kidney stones
Kidney stones occur when minerals like calcium and other substances, including oxalate and uric acid combine and crystallize. This situation occurs when high levels of these substances build up in your kidneys, and you lack the fluids to flush them out.
People with kidney stone problems describe extreme pain. Passing a kidney stone has even been described as worse than childbirth.
There are four types of kidney stones:
- Calcium. Calcium can form crystallizations that become stones by combining with oxalate and phosphate. Calcium oxalate stones are the most common, as oxalate is produced by your liver and is also present in fruits and vegetables.
- Uric acid. These are formed by a buildup of uric acid due to poor digestion, dehydrationdue to diarrhea, high-protein diets, and health conditions like diabetes.
- The bacteria that cause a urinary tract infection cause ammonia to buildup, which can create fast-growing stones.
- The rare cysteine stones. These stones typically occur in people with a genetic condition that causes cysteine to enter the urine.
The pain they cause when passing makes them an experience you want to avoid. Although infections due to kidney stone formation can occur, most stones can be passed – even if it is an awful time doing so. The key is to take steps to prevent them, to protect yourself against the problem in the first place.
Symptoms of kidney disease
You could have poor kidney function and not know it. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are often non-specific and include:
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Trouble sleeping
- Changes in frequency of urination
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dry, itchy skin
- Swelling in feet and ankles
- Difficulty controlling high blood pressure
- “Brain fog”
- Muscle cramping
These symptoms are very general and could indicate any number of health concerns. If you have reason to believe you may have kidney disease, you should see a doctor.
You might be thinking that kidney disease may not be a concern, but a kidney cleanse sounds like a good idea. If that sounds like you, then you may find the following natural ways to cleanse your kidneys simple enough to do every day.
Natural ways to cleanse your kidneys to keep them healthy
A kidney cleanse may be one of the simplest cleanses you can do. Plus, doing a regular kidney cleanse can help prevent kidney stones and protect your kidney health. And by protecting them, you’ll enjoy the health benefits that come from efficient waste removal.
Here’s how to do a kidney cleanse.
Drink plenty of water
Your kidneys need water to produce urine. You also want to drink enough water to help flush any buildups that may occur in the tiny filtration tubes where waste is removed.
You know it is recommended to drink plenty of water every day – around 8 cups. Keeping your kidneys healthy is a big reason why. Of course, water also helps keep stool soft, reducing the chance of constipation and a buildup of waste in the colon.
Add juices to your diet
Fresh fruit juice supplies both water, vitamins, and antioxidants which help flush the kidneys and protect against toxins. But the best fruit juices come from citrus and melons. These fruits contain citric acid (vitamin C or citrate). Vitamin C binds to calcium, which can help remove excess calcium and prevent kidney stones from forming.
Lemon juice may be one of the best and easiest juices to take. You can add freshly squeezed lemon to water for a refreshing mid-day drink. Or, you can add lemon to warm water in the morning for a quick and healthy kidney cleanse that can help wake you up and get you going (vitamin C stimulates the mind!).
When it comes to drinking juices, however, choose fresh juices. You want to avoid juices that have added sugars or that are made “from concentrate.”
Drink a kidney cleansing tea
Most herbal teas have health benefits, but some herbs especially help with kidney cleansing. Try any of these four herbs to support your kidneys. They supply both the fluids you need as well as nutrients that keep them functioning efficiently.
- A powerhouse for kidney cleansing, this herb supplies vitamin C, antioxidants, and has diuretic properties, increasing the flow of fluids.
- This medicinal herb native to India and the Philippines has been shown to reduce the size of calcium oxalate crystals, which may help prevent kidney stones.
- This common plant has an abundance of antioxidant and cleansing benefits. For the kidneys, its ability to remove toxins and stimulate urine flow helps to flush them.
- This herb has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that research shows may offer protection.
Eat foods known to support kidney health
Certain foods can help keep your kidneys going strong. Like herbal teas, they contain compounds that help to reduce inflammation, remove toxins, and support the health of your urinary tract. Consider consuming them as part of your regular diet for the maximum benefit.
- You’ve probably heard of taking cranberries for bladder health, but they also support kidney function by keeping the urinary tract free from infection.
- Citrus fruits. Just as drinking lemon and other citrus juices help to reduce the risk of kidney stones, eating fresh citrus fruits supplies the vitamin C and antioxidants that support kidney health. While you might not find chewing on a lemon tasty, grapefruit and oranges make an ideal snack.
- An excellent flavor enhancer, garlic also contains vitamin C and antioxidant compounds that break up crystallizations and reduce inflammation.
- Olive oil. You can cook with olive oil, but for the biggest benefits, serve at room temperature, drizzling it over a salad or any other dish.
- Red grapes. You get resveratrol and flavonoids from the skins of red grapes. These supply anti-inflammatory properties together with fluids to keep you hydrated.
- All berries are loaded with antioxidants, although blueberries are one of the most potent sources and excellent to help manage inflammation.
- Leafy greens. With every bite of leafy greens like spinach, mustard greens, and swiss chard, you get a dose of vitamin C, folate, and other nutrients that help to manage blood pressure and cleanse toxins from your body.
How to take a holistic approach to kidney health
Consuming fruit juice, healing herbs, herbal tea, and foods every day is a great way to do a kidney cleanse. But it’s important to remember that your kidneys cleanse your blood of waste and excess water and help keep your body in balance.
What eventually reaches your kidneys first enters through your digestive tract. Poor digestion and nutrient absorption, and problems with your colon can put additional stress on your kidneys. Or, as part of your body’s waste removal system, they need your liver and colon to be working well too.
And while drinking water and adding the right nutrients to your diet can help keep your kidneys function well, sometimes your colon needs a little extra help. Solid waste can buildup, throwing off the entire system. That’s when a product like Cleanse Infused Plus with the gentle action of oxygenated magnesium can help protect your overall health. You can read more about it here.
A gentle, yet powerful colon cleanse supplement powered by oxygenated magnesium, premium herbs and enzymes.
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