Kidney Problems
Conditions and Responses Home
The kidney represents one of the more important areas of the adrenal
system and one which takes a bit of a beating in the daily run of
things. The glomeruli in the kidneys deal with something like 200 m1s of
fluid a day that is filtered through. Fortunately most of this ends up
seeping back into the system, but we can see from this the importance of
a good water intake. Tea, coffee, alcohol, act to confuse the kidneys and impair normal function if taken in excess and
without adequate water. Therefore tricking the kidneys into filtering out too much water.
Although not directly part of the lymphatic system, the kidneys are responsible for the effective
removal of debris from the body.
Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs, each about the size of your
fist. They're located at the back of your upper abdomen, one on either
side of your spine. Your kidneys are part of a system that removes
excess fluid and waste material from your blood. Initially, blood enters
your kidneys through the renal arteries, which are branches of the aorta
— the main artery carrying oxygenated blood from your heart to the rest
of your body. From there, blood moves through structures in your kidneys
known as nephrons.
Each kidney contains approximately 1 million nephrons, each consisting
of a tuft of capillary blood vessels (glomerulus) and tiny tubules that
lead into larger collecting tubes. Each tuft of capillaries filters
fluid from your bloodstream.
The filtered material, which contains both waste products and substances
vital for your health, passes into the tubules. From there, waste
by products — urea, uric acid and creatinine — are excreted in your
urine, while substances your body needs — sugar, amino acids, calcium
and salts — are reabsorbed back into your bloodstream.
Causes
Kidney failure are generally categorized in relation to
where and how they affect your kidneys:
- Prerenal. These are problems that interfere with the flow of blood on its way to your kidneys.
- Renal.
These are causes that result in direct damage to your kidneys.
- Postrenal. These are problems with the flow of urine after it leaves the kidneys on its way out of your body.
Prerenal problems are among the most common causes of acute kidney
failure. Examples of problems that may leave your kidneys with an
insufficient blood supply to function properly include:
Extremely low blood pressure. Severe bleeding, infection in the
bloodstream (sepsis), dehydration or shock can all lead to a drastic
drop in blood pressure that prevents an adequate amount of blood from
reaching your kidneys. These conditions tend to occur after a traumatic
injury or as a risk of major surgery.
Poor heart function. If your heart isn't functioning at full capacity,
such as during a heart attack or with congestive heart failure, the
result can be reduced blood flow to your kidneys.
Low blood volume. Severe dehydration — which can be brought on by
prolonged vomiting or diarrhoea, heatstroke or major burns — results in
excessive loss of fluid, diminishing the volume of blood in your body
and the amount available to your kidneys.
Renal
Conditions that may affect the structure and function of the kidney
itself, potentially leading to acute kidney failure, include:
Disorders that reduce blood supply in your kidneys. Any number of
disorders can lead to decreased blood supply in your kidneys, which can
lead to organ damage and acute kidney failure. One example is
atheroembolic kidney disease.
Atheroembolic kidney disease can occur when masses of cholesterol and
cellular debris (plaques) accumulate in arteries and harden in a process
called atherosclerosis. If a plaque is injured or disturbed — cardiac
catheterization, a procedure used to conduct diagnostic tests and
treatments on the heart, is a common cause — pieces of it may break off
into your bloodstream and move throughout your body. These moving pieces
are called emboli. When these emboli move to your kidneys, the
cholesterol emboli accumulate in small blood vessels (arterioles).
Within the arterioles, these emboli can produce severe inflammation,
leading to decreased blood supply and acute kidney failure.
Other causes of reduced blood supply include a blood disorder called
idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, development of blood clots in
kidney vessels, a reaction to a blood transfusion, or a sudden onset of
severe high blood pressure (malignant hypertension).
Hemolytic uremic syndrome. This condition, which is associated with
certain strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, is a leading
cause of acute kidney failure in infants and young children. The
bacterium causes inflammation of the intestine. It also produces a toxin
that causes damage and swelling in the lining of blood vessels,
especially the small blood vessels (glomerular capillaries) in the
kidneys. As red blood cells travel through the damaged blood vessels,
they're often broken apart (hemolysis). This complex condition may
result in acute kidney failure.
Inflammation in the kidneys. Acute kidney failure may result from sudden
inflammation of the spaces between the glomeruli and the tubules (acute
interstitial nephritis) and inflammation of the glomeruli (acute
glomerulonephritis). Acute interstitial nephritis is usually associated
with an allergic reaction to a drug. Examples include certain
antibiotics — especially streptomycin or gentamicin — and common pain
medications, such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others).
Antibiotics pose a greater risk of acute kidney failure for people who
already have liver or kidney disease or who use diuretics or other drugs
that affect your kidneys.
Acute glomerulonephritis may be associated with immune diseases, such as
lupus or IgA nephropathy (Berger's disease). It may also follow an
infection in another part of your body, such as strep throat, infection
of a heart valve (endocarditis), typhoid fever, syphilis and malaria.
Viruses that cause AIDS, mononucleosis, mumps, measles or hepatitis also
may trigger glomerulonephritis.
Toxic injury. Because the main purpose of your kidneys is to filter
toxins from your body, your kidneys are particularly vulnerable to toxic
injury. Exposure to toxic substances — such as excessive amounts of
alcohol, cocaine, heavy metals, solvents and fuels — can induce acute
kidney failure. Certain drugs also have the potential to injure the
tubules in your kidneys, including chemotherapy drugs and contrast dyes
used in medical tests, such as arteriography. Contrast dyes are a common
cause of acute renal failure, especially in people with diabetic kidney
disease or multiple myeloma, a type of cancer.
Postrenal
Postrenal causes of acute kidney failure are generally related to
obstruction of the flow of urine out of your kidneys on the way out of
your body. This may occur at the level of the tubes that lead from your
kidneys to your bladder (ureters), or at the bladder level (urethral
obstruction).
Ureter obstruction. Kidney stones in both ureters (or in a single ureter
if only one kidney is functioning) or tumors pushing in on the ureters
can cause obstruction at this level.
Bladder obstruction. In the bladder, the most common cause of
obstruction in men is an enlarged prostate, which causes obstruction at
the bladder outlet. Other obstructive bladder causes, in both men and
women, include a bladder stone, blood clot, tumor or a nerve disorder
that prevents the bladder from contracting properly.
Bowen Therapy and the treatment of Kidneys
The kidney procedure can result in the recipient feeling energised.
Sluggish kidneys
slow the bodies whole cleansing systems down so consequently everything in our "working parts"
slows down too.
Seeking out Bowen therapy to support medical treatment for the range of kidney problems
can enhance individuals responses no end.
The Bowen Techniques Holistic approach and its ability to trigger the bodys own
mechanisms is very supportive in this cases.
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