According to the National Kidney Foundation, one in three adults is at risk of developing kidney disease. Kidney failure and other kidney conditions can be life threatening. That is why it is vital to take care of your kidneys, and to support them, to ensure your long-term health and wellbeing.

What Your Kidneys Do

Your kidneys are essentially your body’s filtration mechanism. Without your kidneys, toxins and poisons would accumulate in your body, and these toxins could threaten your life. The kidneys perform six vital functions in terms of supporting the body. Your kidneys also play an essential role in regulating healthy fluid levels in the body. Fluid balance in your body is vital for supporting metabolic rate and for supporting the functions of the rest of the body. Electrolyte balance and fluid balance is therefore crucial for survival and health. Your kidneys produce various hormones that support other functions. The kidneys, for example, produce hormones that regulate the production of red blood cells. It also produces hormones that play a role in regulating blood pressure levels. Vitamin D plays a number of important functions in the body, including supporting calcium absorption for bone health and providing support for a healthy immune response. Your kidneys play a crucial role in activating vitamin D. Minerals must remain balanced in the blood stream. The kidneys regulate the balance of sodium, phosphorous, and potassium to ensure mineral balance within the blood stream.

Symptoms of Kidney disease

Since the kidneys are vital for survival, it is important to recognize the warning signs that your kidneys are not coping and need support. Sadly, many of the symptoms are quite easy to miss, and this is one of the reasons why kidney disease is often diagnosed once it has progressed quite far. Once you are aware of the symptoms, they are easier to spot. If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, then it is best to seek medical advice. Symptoms that your kidneys are not coping include:

• Puffy Eyes
• Foamy Urine
• Water retention in the face, hands, feet, or ankles
• Painful urination
• Dark brown or pink colored urine
• Increased urination, particularly at night

  There are also simple tests that can be done on a regular basis to ensure your kidneys are healthy, and if you fall into one of the high risk categories for kidney disease, then it may be best to speak to your physician about regular testing. Individuals that are at higher risk of developing kidney disease include:

1. Individuals suffering from diabetes.
2. Individuals who suffer from high blood pressure.
3. Individuals who suffer from cardiovascular disease or those individuals who have family members that have cardiovascular disease.
4. Individuals with a family history of diabetes or kidney disease.
5. African American, Native American, Hispanic, and Asian individuals have higher risks of developing kidney disease.
6. Age is a factor that increases your risks of developing kidney disease, and individuals over the age of 60 have a higher risk of developing kidney complaints.
7. Individuals who are overweight and obese have an increased risk of developing kidney disease.
8. The prolonged use of NSAID medications can also increase your risks of developing kidney disease.

Things You Can Do to Support Your Kidneys

As you've learned thus far, supporting your kidneys is more than essential. You can reduce your risks of developing most diseases through diet, exercise, and healthy lifestyle decisions, and supporting the kidneys is no different. Damage to the kidneys can result in high blood pressure, and high blood pressure can result in kidney damage. This chicken and egg type of situation means you need to help regulate and maintain a healthy blood pressure, and diet and exercise are some of the best ways to regulate healthy blood pressure. A diet lower in salt, and with a moderate intake of healthy proteins, can be particularly helpful in regulating and controlling blood pressure. Regulate and reduce your use of medications like NSAIDs. These medications can be helpful for pain, but they increase the risk of kidney disease, and they increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes. If you are experiencing pain, see a medical practitioner for alternatives. Smoking and alcohol consumption can also increase your risks of developing kidney disease. Making healthy lifestyle choices can help to support the kidneys and the other organs of the body to promote long term health. Supplements like the Kidney Support Formula by Pure Encapsulations can also help to provide herbals and botanicals that support kidney function. Herbs like Astragalus, Angelica, and Turmeric can help to support the kidneys to help keep them healthy.