By Danielle Roberts
It may seem odd that kidney health would be linked to back pain but our kidneys are actually located in the back side of our body cavity just above your lower back. The two dimples you may find in your lower back is actually called your kidney gate. A lot of energy is produced in our kidney gate, if our back is out of place or if we are holding onto too much emotion (often grief or fear) then this energy can become blocked causes issues with lower back pain. Like anything this means care of the kidneys on a holistic level. If you are getting work done on your back this will have a flow on effect to the kidneys. However it is also then a good idea to look at preventative health for the kidneys in other areas of health and wellness such as looking at releasing any fear and grief that you may still be carrying, there are many professionals you can see to help you with this my personal favourite is the more alternative routes like a spiritual counsellor or an energy healer (i.e. Reiki master). Then there is also the specific kidney nutrition which you can start to address right away.
The role of the kidneys is to act as one of the last filtration systems of wastes and toxins in the body. They deal with purifying liquids i.e. water and fluid from the body. As well as purifying blood, in conjunction with this the kidneys also monitor pressure controlled by hormones. So if you have high blood pressure it’s not just the heart that is out of balance it is actually the kidneys also and if the kidneys are out of balance so is the liver because the liver is the largest detoxification centre in the body. Another role of the kidneys is to balance blood sugar levels – hence why those who are pre-diabetic or diabetic can lose a lot of blood glucose in the urine. Certain foods are able to help you maximise proper kidney health and functioning.
Foods that are great for kidney function are as follows…..
- Watermelon – high in water content , but also electrolytes vitamins and minerals essential for flushing and healing the kidneys
- Beetroot – great for blood circulation and detoxification – hence great aid for cleansing of the kidneys. If you have too much beetroot you may find you end up with slightly pink urine.
- Lemon in water – the compound Limonene in lemons is fantastic for cleansing and purifying
- Any group of fruit, vegetable, seeds and legumes containing the antioxidant Anthocyanin ( includes beetroot above) like blueberries, grapes, cranberries, black beans, black sesame seeds, black chia seeds – the anthocyanins are strong blood purifiers and detoxifiers so great in assisting cleansing and healing of the kidneys.
- Bananas are full of potassium so great for aiding the rebalancing of the blood pressure function in the kidneys. Bananas are also calming so great for reducing stress responses in the body.
- Turmeric – fantastic anti-inflammatory so if there is strong imbalances in the kidneys causing inflammation then turmeric aids the healing process.
Most of foods listed above are also in season for the spring/summer months of New Zealand so what better way to start adding these foods to the diet or eat them more frequently if you have them sometimes.
