The kidneys and urinary system are connected to each other and are known as the renal system. The renal system is responsible to keep and remove the waste and toxins.
The kidneys are responsible for filtering the wastes and toxins whereas the urinary system is responsible to remove the wastes and toxins filtered by kidneys through urine.
What are the main organs associated with the renal system?
The renal system includes the following organs:
• Kidneys
• Ureter
• Urinary Bladder
• Urethra
What are the functions of the organs included in the renal system?
The ultimate goal of the renal system is to excrete the wastes and toxins produced in the body. But to perform this goal, different organs have been given the responsibility to complete this goal. The renal system is responsible for:
• The removal of waste and toxins (say urea and uric acid).
• To regulate the levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and other electrolytes.
• Maintain fluid balance in blood and body.
• Maintain a healthy pH balance.
• Controlling blood pressure.
• Excretion of wastes
All the organs present in the renal system are connected to one another. One filters and transfers to another. Following is the detailed explanation of the system and divisions meant by different organs naturally:
Role of Kidneys: The kidneys are responsible for filtering the wastes and toxins. The tiny filters of the kidneys named Glomeruli play a key role here. They filter the toxins and acids from the body and blood. The filtered blood then is transferred to the heart and the waste and toxins extracted from blood are transferred to the bladder by the thin tubes called ureter.
Role of Ureter: The ureter is the thin tube that helps in transporting the waste produced or filtered by the kidneys to the urinary bladder. There are two ureters, connected each with either kidney. These thin tubes are responsible for transferring the wastes and toxins in liquid form called urine.
Role of Urinary bladder: The urine formed by the kidneys is transferred to the urinary bladder by ureter. The urine gets collected in the urinary bladder and when it gets full, it gets released from the urethra.
Role of Urethra: When the urinary bladder is filled with urine collected in; the urine then released by urinary bladder to make space for the urine produced by kidneys to be transferred in the urinary bladder.
The urinary system is responsible for the process of filtration and excretion. Each organ has a vital role but out of all the organs, kidneys are the most important organs of the renal system.
Kidneys carry the burden of the body’s maintenance. If the kidneys stop performing the assigned functions, none of the body organs or renal system can perform their tasks properly.
Why Kidneys and Urinary system are prone to get infections and diseases the most?
The renal system is prone to get caught by various infections and diseases. It is prone to diseases, infections, blockages, injuries and organ failure. Following are the reasons to justify the statement “Kidneys and urinary system are prone to get caught by various diseases”
• Being the waste and chemical waste filter; the kidneys are most likely to get infected and inflamed by the chemical properties of the consumed chemically made medicines.
• When the kidney’s filtering agents Glomeruli gets damaged it releases all the wastes and chemicals, both the good and the bad.
• At times, the accidental loss can also disrupt the functioning of the renal system.
• A bacterium called E. coli attacks the renal system through the urethra and anus that causes infection in the urinary system and spreads into the kidneys.
• Inherited disorders and diseases can also be one of the major reasons for being the disease-prone area of the human body.
• Bad eating habits and lifestyle habits also put pressure to work even harder on kidneys.
• The obstructed urine can also cause an interruption in the functioning of the renal system.
Why kidneys are important?
The kidneys are powerful organs of the human body that perform the following functions:
• Removes waste products from the body.
• Remove chemicals generated by the consumption of drugs from the body.
• Balances the fluids in the body and blood.
• Releases hormones that regulate blood pressure.
• Produces an active form of vitamin D that promotes strong and healthy bones.
• Control the formation of red blood cells.
Why kidney’s health is important?
Now, that you are aware of the facts about kidneys' importance. You should know that it is important to maintain the health of kidneys as well. Kidneys are the bean-shaped organs that are located at the lower back under the spine. As mentioned above, kidneys play versatile roles in keeping the body and bodily functions active. So in such a case, it becomes important to take very good care of kidneys and kidneys' health.
With the growing age and changing environment, the risks of getting caught by diseases increases. Kidneys are the sensitive organs present in the human body. Kidneys filter everything you consume, be it in the form of a meal or injection. Kidneys slow down the process of filtration with growing age.
The lifestyle and eating habits of an individual can make a big impact on the kidneys. In recent times, the kidneys have been found prone to diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. These are the results of the medications taken from childhood to cure fever, cough, cold, flu, pain, etc. These allopathic medications are so strong that they put an extra burden on kidneys to filter out the chemicals released from the medicines.
Most of us neglect the symptoms that the kidneys are trying to indicate and as a result kidneys may get damaged. At times, the kidney symptoms are stable and don’t react much and other times they may gradually increase the damage in the kidneys with or without giving indications.
What are the causes of kidney damage?
A kidney can get damaged by numerous reasons but to summarize, following is the list of causes that lead to the condition of kidney damage or kidney failure:
• A blood clot in or around kidneys.
• Infection caused by the overconsumption of drugs & narcotics.
• Infection caused by bad eating habits & lifestyle.
• Excess of toxins and wastes present in the kidneys.
• Overconsumption of alcohol.
• Vasculitis, an inflammation of blood vessels.
• Lupus, an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation of many body organs.
• Glomerulonephritis, an inflammation of the small blood vessels of the kidneys.
• Hemolytic uremic syndrome, which involves the breakdown of red blood cells following a bacterial infection, usually of the intestines.
• Multiple myelomas, a cancer of the plasma cells in your bone marrow.
• Scleroderma, an autoimmune condition that affects your skin.
• Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a disorder that causes blood clots in small vessels.
• Chemotherapy drugs that treat cancer and some autoimmune diseases.
• Radiations used in imaging tests.
• Certain antibiotics.
• Uncontrolled diabetes.
• High blood pressure.
In a few cases, a patient doesn’t realize the symptoms at the initial stages of kidney disease but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have to worry about it. The symptom soon becomes the cause of concern in kidney problems. The prognosis of kidney diseases can be observed by understanding the symptoms of kidney diseases.
What are the common symptoms of kidney diseases and kidney damage?
Following are the symptoms of kidney damage and kidney diseases:
• Decreased output of urine.
• Swelling in the abdominal area, feet, and hands because of fluid retention.
• Feebly beating of the heart.
• Difficulty in taking a breath.
• Drowsiness and Fatigue. A feeling of tiredness all the time.
• Nausea
• Absent-minded or confused behavior.
• Strong pain in the chest as if someone has stabbed.
• Loss of appetite.
• Trauma.
• Unstable heartbeat.
What are the three types of kidney diseases?
There are three types of kidney diseases; the ones that come all of a sudden, hereditary or has been in the system of a longer period. Following are the types of Kidney Diseases:
• Acute Kidney Disorder: The condition where the kidneys stop working within a short span of time; say a week or maybe a few hours.
• Chronic Kidney Disease: This is the condition of the deceased kidney where the kidneys have been affected by the disorder or disease for a longer period of time. It is the diseases that had attacked the kidney for a long time but the symptoms were not evident.
• Polycystic Kidney Disease: A type of kidney disease inherited from the biological parents or the lifestyle has made some changes in the genetics of the body on their own.
These diseases are as dangerous as taking the lives of people. If the kidneys stop performing the functions properly then no organs from the renal system can perform the functioning properly. Hence, it is the supreme job of kidneys to filter the waste & toxins and transfer them in the form of urine to the respective organs.
To read about the treatment for kidney related problem in Ayurvreda follow this link.
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