What do my kidneys do?
Many of us do not think about our kidneys and the important job they do to keep us healthy. Your kidneys are the unsung heroes of your body. If your kidneys fail, you would die within a few days.
Your kidneys are responsible for many important functions including:
• Removing excess fluid to make urine (wee)
• Controlling your blood pressure
• Filtering waste products from your blood
In each kidney, blood is filtered and excess fluid and unwanted waste is moved from your kidneys to your bladder, and is then passed out of your body as urine.
Your kidneys also play a role with several important hormones and enzymes. This helps to:
• control blood pressure
• make red blood cells
• maintain strong and healthy bones
Adapted from www.kidney.org.au
How can I look after my kidneys?
There are 8 Golden Rules to follow to make sure your kidneys stay healthy.
- Exercise and be active
- Eat healthy food
- Look after your diabetes
- Get your Health Care Worker to check your blood pressure
- Drink lots of water
- Don’t smoke
- Some medicines are bad for your kidneys and shouldn’t be taken too much. These are called anti-inflammatory tablets and pain killers. Ask your Doctor if you are on these medicines
- Get the Doctor to check your kidneys if you are worried
Chronic kidney disease can also cause many oral health issues so looking after your teeth and gums is also very important. Watch this video for more information.
More kidney health resources:
https://kidney.org.au/kidney-stories-toolkit
https://www.worldkidneyday.org/
