Kidney Health

Human beings have a right and a left kidney located near the middle of the back just below the ribcage.  Each kidney weighs about 150 grams and is about the size of an adult fist.  The kidneys are reddish brown in color and shaped like kidney beans.

The kidney maintains the body’s internal environment by carefully excreting or retaining various substances according to the body’s particular needs.  A healthy kidney is necessary to overall health and well-being.

The main function of the kidneys is to flush out waste materials from the blood and return the cleaned blood back to the body.  Each kidney consists of about one million small units called nephrons.  Each nephron is composed of a very tiny filter called a glomerulus that is attached to a tubule.  As blood passes through the nephron, fluid and waste products are filtered out.  A big quantity of the fluid is then returned to the blood while the waste materials are passed off as urine.  The urine flows through a tube called the ureter into the bladder.  Urine then passes from the bladder out of the body through a tube called the urethra.

The kidneys also make and regulate vital hormones in the body.  These hormones control red blood cell production, calcium absorption and blood pressure.  They also maintain body fluid at the correct levels for the body to function.  The kidneys also maintain normal body chemistry by controlling the amount of sodium, water and other chemicals in the body.