Kidney cleanse

[robertin75]

Hi Shelley:

What herbs/supplements/foods do you recommend for a kidney cleanse?

When is the kidney cleanse recommended? After a liver flush?

I just got my kidney blood and urine panel (BUN, creatinine, uric acid,etc.) and everything seems ok, but at some point I would like to do a kidney cleanse if it's necessary.

Thanks for your help,
Roberto

[shelley]

Kidneys are quite susceptible to the wrong herbs, and not many studies have been done to see which herbs are renaltoxic. There's a list of mostly Chinese herbs that are known to be kidney killers. And most herbal cleanses you'll see include several diuretics. They push the kidneys to work harder. Only if your lab readings are completely normal would you even want to consider an herbal cleanse, and even then I don't recommend much beyond uva ursi for infection and parsley as a diuretic. Dandelion appears to be safe too. Both of my doctors - who are open to herb use because they had kidney problems themselves and thus studied up on it - warned me against taking an herbal kidney cleanse in my condition.

Kidneys are extremely delicate and the best way to keep them healthy is to keep the liver and bowels clean and fully functional and get plenty of fluids. If they're not doing their jobs, the kidneys get bombarded, and they don't have the regenerative powers of the liver, which can regenerate an inch a year.

The safest kidney cleanse is the simplest: fasting, citrus juices, about half your body weight in ounces a day (unless you weigh more than 200 pounds). Unsweetened cranberry juice should be drunk if there is any chance of infection, if there's irritation at all. Marshmallow and Slippery Elm can also help with irritation.

If you don't want to completely fast, then eat nothing but kichadi, vegetables, broths, citris drinks. A low-protein diet is one of the nicest things you can do for your kidneys. No dairy, not even kefir. Eggs are okay, and since eggs are the very best protein, it makes sense to get your protein needs met with eggs so you can eat the least and get the most benefit, and the kichadi will help with that too. Kidneys don't like beets or spinach or most legumes - mung beans are the exception- or peas, because they have to excrete the acids that come from digestive breakdown.

If you had stones you would know. They are extremely painful. If you tend to create a lot of tartar on your teeth, then you have a phosphorous/calcium imbalance that could make you more prone to kidney stones and should not be drinking coffee or black tea.

It's a good idea to do a kidney cleanse after about every 2-4 liver flushes. For the most part, as long as you watch your urine output and make sure it is the closest to clear as you can get it, and have no other symptoms, you're doing enough for your kidneys.

Hope that answers your question!

[marnie]

How many days should this fast take place to cleanse the kidneys?

Marnie

[shelley]

If you're free of symptoms, just a day of the right liquid fast will suffice for most people. If you have some symptoms then 3 days if fasting, week or two if eating.