I’ve been seeing a lot of labs with lowered kidney function lately.
Maybe it’s all the fear the media is putting out there as the kidneys are the organs of fear according to East Asian medicine.
Or it’s possible all the chemicals you’re exposed to on a daily basis are catching up with your organs.
Either way it’s concerning and I want everyone to be aware of this!
You can test kidney function with a comprehensive metabolic panel as it looks at the following markers…
- BUN – blood urea nitrogen – nitrogen is a waste product of protein breakdown
- Creatinine – it’s a protein marker that indicates how well your kidneys are at clearing waste
- eGFR – glomerular filtration rate – marker of how well your kidneys are filtering waste
An ideal kidney filtration rate is above 90.
Sadly, I see many with rates in the 70’s indicating mild kidney damage is present.
Don’t confuse this with kidney failure, that’s when filtration levels are under 59.
I’m working to keep all of you from getting there.
And if you are there – this email is one you don’t want to skip.
Can you improve your kidney function?
Absolutely!
Eating a non-toxic closest to nature diet is most helpful.
Low protein diets aren’t helpful unless the filtration levels drop below 50.
Because the kidneys are tied into your fluid balance…
…electrolyte balance is really important.
What’s the role of sodium, potassium and chloride in the body?
- Sodium – ion in charge of balance of fluid outside the cell along with chloride
- Potassium – major ion inside your cells, keeps your nerves & muscles charged & ready to fire
- Chloride – master of hydration as it maintains pressure balance between fluid inside & outside the cell
- Bicarbonate – reacts with carbon dioxide and water in the blood to keep your pH at 7.35-7.45, how you breathe impacts these levels too
- Calcium – is necessary for muscle contraction, blood clotting as well as neurochemical (serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine) release from nerves and glands
- Phosphate – mainly goes to teeth and bone but the rest helps maintaining pH, keeping the cell membranes healthy and making the molecule of energy in the body, ATP
Aldosterone and angiotensin II regulate sodium and potassium.
Decreases in sodium or increases in potassium trigger aldosterone release from the adrenal glands.
Angiotensin II is released from the lungs and causes blood vessel constriction and an increase in blood pressure.
Calcium and phosphate are regulated by the parathyroid gland, vitamin D and calcitonin levels.
Kidney function is affected when any of the following are out of balance:
- adrenal glands
- breathing
- thyroid
How do the adrenal glands get out of balance?
Stress.
Long term electrolyte imbalances, increased blood pressure, low vitamin D and taking short fast breaths will cause stress on the body.
Many of the clients I see have at least 2 of the issues I noted above.
And many of them do not report feeling stress in their lives.
Stress isn’t always external!
And you can be resistant to the stress hormone cortisol!
I’ll get into cortisol resistance on Wednesday…
Kidney health starts with hydrating the cells not overloading the body with water.
You’ve been brainwashed to think you need more water than you truly need.
I see so many fitness minded folks carrying their gallons of water with them everywhere.
Then bragging about how many gallons of water they waterlogged their kidneys with!
Please don’t do this.
Unless you’ve played outside for over an hour and sweated profusely in an athletic, hiking, biking or extreme gardening event – you don’t need gallons of water a day.
This is where I see very healthy people damaging their kidneys.
How do you know what amount of water is right for you?
- Determine how much you weigh
- Take that weight and divide it in 1/2
- That’s the amount of water in oz you need a day
- If you exercise or exert yourself physically add 10 oz for every 20 minutes of exertion
If you do this and you’re still thirsty or feel signs of dehydration…
…it could be you’ve trained yourself to drink too much water.
Or it could be your cells are dehydrated.
And you could be breathing fast short breaths that are triggering cell dehydration due to poor pH balance.
What’s the solution?
- Slow down and breathe through your nose
- Use real salt on your food
- If you’re sweating on a daily basis or working out – make an electrolyte drink like I mentioned in Friday’s email.
Sounds super simple and basic.
It very well could be.
You don’t know till you try.
If you’re not feeling great…
…your muscles feel tight and sore and massages or magnesium aren’t helping consider what I’ve mentioned today.
Keep in mind, none of these are quick fixes, they take time.
A month of consistent practice of breath work, real salt and an electrolyte here and there or daily based on your habits should give results.
If it doesn’t then it’s time to look into therapeutic cell hydration.
Or you could jump to the cell salts and seawater ampoules.
On Friday I’ll be going into details on these old school therapies and why I think they are worth reviving.
Here’s to your health,
Dr. J
