How Detoxification Works: The Kidneys

Imagine how clean and healthy your body could be if you had a way to filter the entire volume of your blood of toxins 70 times per day. The surprising fact is; you do, and that system is working to detox your body even as you read this. The amazing filtration system that does this is called your kidneys. Your body’s detoxification systems are amazing, and they need very little help to work effectively. In fact, to maximize your body’s built-in detoxification systems, you need nothing more than adequate hydration, pH balance, proper nutrition, and exercise.

How your liver and kidneys work together

There are some toxins, such as alcohol, that pose such a dire threat to your health that your body doesn’t wait to expel them, it breaks them down into less harmful substances in the liver. The liver is the first stage of detoxification, It breaks threatening toxins down into less harmful waste products that can then be filtered out by your kidneys. Detoxification in the liver is supported by good nutrition and proper hydration.

How the kidneys filter toxins and waste from your blood

Once waste products have been released into your bloodstream by the liver, or directly from your cells, they can then be filtered out by your kidneys. The filters inside your kidneys are called nephrons – long, tubular structures that filter toxins out as urine, and return beneficial fluids like water to your bloodstream. Your kidneys have millions of Nephrons.

Nephrons have two main parts:

• • Renal Corpuscle: Filters potential toxins from the bloodstream

• Renal Tubule: Returns anything that isn’t a toxin to the bloodstream

The renal corpuscles are located in the Bowman’s Capsule. They work as filters by blocking large things like Red blood cells, platelets, and most proteins.  Things that get blocked return to the bloodstream.

Small proteins like albumin, plus minerals, urea, glucose, water, and nearly every toxin pass through into the renal tubules. This filtering system is amazingly effective because toxins are smaller molecules than beneficial substances in your blood. Because of this size difference, anything that isn’t useful to your body is removed by default. There are some substances that are filtered out by the renal corpuscles that the body want’s to keep, and that’s where the renal tubules come in.

The renal tubule is a long tube that re-absorbs everything in the filtered blood that your body wants to keep.  Beneficial substances like water, minerals, albumin (an antioxidant), glucose, amino acids, and other useful molecules are re-absorbed.  The remaining toxins end up as urine and are excreted. You don’t need any special supplements to make this work, but you can help your kidneys filter toxins such as fluoride by raising the pH of your blood.

How alkaline water helps detoxification

The pH of the bloodstream has an effect on the ability of the kidneys filter certain toxins from the bloodstream. The kidneys are more effective at filtering toxic metals like fluoride and mercury when blood pH in maintained at the alkaline end of it’s normal pH range of 7.35 – 7.45. Drinking alkaline water can raise blood pH by 40 – 70% if it’s too acidic.

If the pH of the blood is acidic, the kidneys will try to correct it by excreting uric acid. This system is very effective at regulating blood pH, but when the pH of urine is lowered, it hinders the kidney’s ability to filter out acidic toxins like fluoride.

Detox every day: Alkaline water has been shown to help the body detox from 10 toxic heavy metals in clinical testing.

Raising urine pH helps the kidneys expel acidic toxins like fluoride.

Doctors use a process called forced diuresis in emergency practice to detox poisoning victims. Alkaline water isn’t nearly as powerful as forced diuresis, but raising urine pH by drinking alkaline water can  help the kidneys expel toxic substances like fluoride  When urine pH is acidic a pH of 5.5, the CF GFR (Clearance of Fluoride, Glomerular Filtration Rate) is only 5%. Raise the urine to a pH of 7.6, and the kidney’s CF GFR for fluoride goes up to more than 65%!

Bottom line: The more alkaline your urine pH, the easier it is for your body to expel acidic toxins like  fluoride.

Importance of proper hydration for the kidneys

Proper hydration makes it easier for your kidneys to expel toxins. Water is needed by the kidneys to combine with the wastes that become urine. When you are properly hydrated, your urine will be pale yellow to clear.

Dehydration can and does cause kidney failure, which can lead to death. When you become dehydrated, your body reduces urine output to reduce water loss. In severe dehydration, the kidneys may even shut down completely. Dehydration also increases the concentration of toxins in the urine that the kidneys have to expel. When the concentration of toxins in the kidneys gets too high, damage to the kidneys will result.

A sign that  you are dehydrated, your urine will appear dark yellow and may have a strong odor. This dark yellow color and strong odor are trying to tell you something: Drink more water!

Take care of your kidneys with proper hydration and diet, and they’ll take care of you

The kidneys are truly amazing, they detox your bloodstream 70 times a day, and all they ask in return is proper hydration and a healthy diet. Reduce the load of toxins your kidneys have to filter by choosing healthy foods, and avoiding toxins. Maintain a healthy pH balance, and proper hydration by drinking alkaline water, and your kidneys will thank you.

You’re worth it. Take charge of your health with alkaline water. Call us at 877-959-7977 for a free no-obligation alkaline health consultation.

 

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Abraham, Guy, and Jorge Flebas. “The effect of daily consumption of 2 liters of

electrolyzed water for 2 months on body composition and several physiological parameters in four obese subjects: a preliminary report.” Highbeam Research. Original Internist, 01 Sep 2011. Web. 2 Jul 2013. <http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-269433201.html>.

 

Heil, P and Seifert, J. Influence of bottled water on rehydration following a dehydrating bout of

cycling exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition  Springerlink July 2009. http://www.springerlink.com/content/kn41764j65165u3x/fulltext.pdf

 

Rosborg, I, B Nihlgard, and L Gerhardsson. “Hair element concentrations in females in one

acid and one alkaline area in southern Sweden.” PubMed NCBI. Ambio, n.d. Web. 3 Jul 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14703901>.

 

Holsworth, R, , and et al. “Effect of Hydration on Whole Blood Viscosity in Firefighters.”

ebscohost. Alternative Therapies, n.d. Web. 27 Dec 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d19a888b-bdf2-4a84-8138-fca11b03df01@sessionmgr4005&vid=2&hid=4112>.