Download The Kidney in Naturopathic Medicine

Dr. Kimberly Hindman, ND, LAc.
1820 SW Vermont, Suite C
Portland, OR 97219
(503) 784-1027
The Kidney in Naturopathic Medicine (from Winter 2006 newsletter)
The kidneys are crucial to maintaining our internal balance. The blood must have a highly
regulated balance of water, electrolytes, and wastes and the kidneys regulate this volume and
composition via filtration. The kidneys filter all the blood in our body, and as the blood
circulates, the kidneys filter about 48 gallons of fluid every day! The majority of this fluid is
reabsorbed and returned to the blood stream. However, the filtration process also eliminates
toxins and wastes, which makes the kidneys one of the major organs of elimination. Each of
our cells is bathed in fluid and this fluid communicates with the blood. As the blood is
filtered and cleaned by the kidneys, it can transport away more wastes and provide greater
nutrition to the individual cells. Drinking enough water every day will promote this filtration
process!
Water volume is also tightly regulated by the filtration process, and as such, the kidneys
regulate blood pressure. The kidneys also secrete the enzyme renin, which activates other
proteins and enzymes to increase blood pressure and volume when needed.
The kidneys also synthesize calcitrol, the active form of vitamin D. Vitamin D begins as a
compound in the skin but only becomes active after modifications by liver and kidney
enzymes. Calcitrol also increases the absorption of calcium in food from the intestines into
the blood, regulating the calcium levels in the blood.
Lastly, the kidneys secrete erythropoietin, which increases the rate of production of new red
blood cells in the bone marrow.
Many of the Chinese attributes to the kidney come from their association with the adrenal
glands, which sit atop both kidneys. The adrenal glands affect many functions in the body
by the secretion of three groups of hormones. The first, the mineralocorticoids, control
water and electrolyte balance by regulating mineral excretion and reabsorption in the
kidneys.
The second, the glucocorticoids, have a wide range of functions, including protein and fat
breakdown, glucose formation, stress resistance, anti-inflammatory effects, and depressing
immune responses. The most abundant of these hormones is cortisol, and steroids mimic
the effects of cortisol in the body. Under periods of long or heavy stress, the amount of
cortisol elevates until the adrenals can’t maintain the high level, and then levels drop to
lower-than-normal.
The third group of hormones includes epinephrine and norepinephrine (commonly known
as adrenaline and noradrenaline). When released as hormones, they puts the entire body
into the “fight or flight” state, including increasing heart rate and breathing, decreasing
digestion, and increasing blood glucose. While these effects are important for survival,
constant stimulation of the adrenal glands can lead to burnout and depletion of cortisol
and/or epinephrine. This results in fatigue, poor sleep and immunity, other hormone
disruption, and many of the symptoms of a Chinese Kidney deficiency.
© Kimberly Hindman, 2006