KIDNEY CARE

Kidneys are the main excretory organ of the body. They filter the blood and remove the wastes from the body. We should go for dew diet and lifestyle modifications to improve the functions of kidney.

• Drink a lot of fluids, including water. Preferably go for filtered or boiled water. 
• Start the day by consuming filtered or boiled water with a squeeze of lemon juice as it can aid  in digestion and beneficial for kidneys too. 
• Consume cranberry juice or blueberry juice. 
• Drink plenty of fresh sweet or sour fruit juices (pineapple, orange, apples, lime, grapes, watermelons, papayas, bananas, pomegranates). Carrot, wheat grass, celery juices mixed with water and lemon juice are recommended as well.
• Avoid meat, sugar, sweetened food, dairy products and processed food with added chemicals.
• Do not use salt in excess quantities as it can lead to water retention and harmful for kidneys.
• Avoid polyunsaturated oils, soft drinks, coffee, alcohol, tea (unless herbal tea) and nicotine. Alcohol, coffee and tea dehydrate the body which has an adverse effect on the kidneys.
• Consume foods rich in oxalate like spinach, strawberry, nuts and wheat bran, in moderate quantities as it can pose high risk for stone formation. 
• Vegetables like kidney beans (soaked), garlic, potatoes, asparagus, cucumbers, pumpkin, soy beans, sprouts, legumes and green vegetables.
• Consume the fresh food as it contain low amount of toxins. Avoid the other food with high amount of toxins as it enhances the workload over kidney to remove them.
• Trikatu (sonth, marich and pippali) is a great combination of herbs, which bears good effect on kidney.
• Consuming shilajit possesses good effect on kidney.
• Cow milk, coconut, watermelon, amla (Indian gooseberry), mishri (raw sugar lumps), khajur (dates), guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) are beneficial for kidneys.
• Yogic poses like surya namaskaar (Sun salutation), Dragon pose, Wheel pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana), Paripurna Navasana (Full boat pose), Shalabh Asana (locust pose) are good for improving the functions of kidney.
• Pranayamas like kapalbhati (Shining Skull), Nadi shodhna pranayama, Bahya pranayama (External breath), Bhastrika, Agnisaar kriya are good for kidney.
• Do not suppress urge to urinate as it can increase the chances of urinary infection.
• Empty the bladder before sleeping at night and immediately after wakening up.
• Maintain personnel hygiene. Keep the genitals clean and dry.
• Females should not use soap to wash genitals as it can disturb the pH of vagina. Moreover, women should take extra care of genitals as the urethra is short and harmful bacteria can easily travel up to the urinary bladder to cause infections.
• Do not medicines on your own, consult your doctor. As many medicines are harmful for kidneys.