Kidneys do the work of a sieve. It purifies blood by removing urea, acid & other harmful substances. The human body has two kidneys, which are located at the posterior part of the abdomen, behind the intestines, on left & right sides of the spine, near the ribs. They are purple in colour & bean shaped. A kidney is made up of thousands of tiny tubules. These tubules are very large but their width is very less. Apart from these tubules, there are arteries, veins, nerves, nephrons, collecting ducts. All these are held together by a mass of fibrous tissue.

Causes of kidney failure: Eating protein rich food such as non- vegetarian diet, lentils with skins along with other heavy food & intake of smoking & alcohol builds up extra urea in the blood. If the other two organs that purify blood-lungs & skin are not maintained properly, a lot of stress falls on the kidneys. This lead to kidney failure. Taking less oxygen, lack of exercise, living in air conditioned rooms or lack of perspiration reduces the level of purification of blood. Drinking a lot of tea or coffee reduces thirst which in turn means that less water is drunk. Mental stress also leads to kidney diseases. Increase of urea in blood leads to stone formation in urinary tract. This too leads to kidney failure.
Diet for preventing kidney disorders: Stay on vegetable juice, fruit juice & coconut water for as long as you can. You can also take vegetable soup but avoid tomato & spinach. In the morning, add lemon juice to water that has kept in a copper glass & drink. Drink 2 to 2.5 lt. of water each day. In this, add lemon juice once or twice. Have just one meal a day in which you should include salad, vegetable & chapattis made of whole wheat flour. In case of dal, first sprout them & then steam them for eating. The rest of the time drink fruit juice, raw vegetable juice, eat fruits or homemade paneer & have milk once or twice and completely avoid fried & oily food.
If urine flow is low, mix 300 gm milk & 700 gm water. In this, add alum. If this lassi of raw milk is drunk 3-4 times a day, urine flow becomes free. Green coriander paste can also be added to water & drunk for free flow of urine. If there is complaint of high flow of urine, then eat roasted channa with gur (jaggery), Methi saag (fenugreek greens), besan (gram flour)- Methi (fenugreek) chapatti, or gur & til (sesame seeds) laddus. Completely stop intake of meat & alcohol. As these two are the main culprits for kidney damage. Also, stop intake of salt or reduce the amount taken.
Yogic remedies: Yogic treatment has been found to be very successful in kidney diseases. Practitioners of yoga & pranayama are never affected by kidney disorder & their kidney get stronger day by day.
1. Surya Namaskar: is a complete exercise. It improves the health of the stomach, intestine, abdomen, heart & lungs, which is good for the kidneys as well. This is good for diabetic patients also. It makes the spinal column & waist flexible keeping them free from the effect of aging. Do it twice a day.
2. Supt Vajrasana: It is good for the kidneys disorders. This asana stretches the lower abdomen, which activate the large intestine & prevent constipation. The person finds himself free from disease.
3. Sashankasana: is good for the alimentary canal, liver, stomach & kidneys & strengthens them. It removes mental illness, stones, anger, bad temper etc. It gives regular exercise to the heart. Women’s uterus gets strength. The fat accumulation in stomach, waist & hips is reduced.
4. Gomukhasana: Strengthens the liver, Kidneys & chest. It provides relief in joint pain & rheumatism. It is also beneficial for semen disorder, diabetes & women diseases.
5. Makarasana: is also good for kidneys. It is particularly beneficial for asthma, lungs & joint pain. It is also good for slip disc, cervical & sciatica. It relaxes abdominal organs and increase the blood supply to internal organs, which helps in better functioning of excretory system.
6. Dhanurasana: Strengthens kidney & prevent urine disorders. It prevents urine problems that occur because of fear. It is beneficial for problems related to women’s monthly periods. It stops shrinkage of navel. It makes the spinal column flexible & healthy. It is good for cervical spondolytis, backache & stomach ailments.
7. Ustrasana: is good for respiratory organs. It regulates the working of the lungs. Which provides relief to the kidneys. It prevents parallel ailments of the spinal column. It is also beneficial for thyroid disorders.
8. Matyasana: Also keeps kidneys healthy. It is very good for the abdomen. It stops constipation by exercising the alimentary canal, which has a good effect on the kidneys. It also keep the thyroid, parathyroid & adrenal glands healthy.
9. Ardhyamastayasana: is also very good for the kidneys. If it is practiced in proper way it can rejuvenates the ailing kidney anal provides proper nutrition & blood supply to kidney. It also tones up other abdominal organs.
Pranayama:
Kapalbhati pranayam: if regularly practised, is beneficial for reducing fat, diabetes, gas, constipation, acidity, kidneys & prostate. It has good effect on heart, lungs & head. It get rid of dangerous problems like constipation. All cough related illness, asthma cold, allergy etc are removes by this asana.
Nadi Shodhan pranayam: Cleanses all conducting ducts of the body. All problems related to urine, semen, acidity, lungs etc are cured, keeping the kidneys healthy. It stops dysentery, rheumatism, gout, cramps, weakness of chest etc. making the whole body healthy.
Uddiyan Bandha: Takes care of all problems related to abdomen & makes the kidney healthy. It rejuvenates the senses & also cleanses the Manipur (a ganglion near the navel ) cycle. Practice nauli karma with uddiyan bandha has marvelous effect on abdominal organs including kidneys. It gives massage to all abdominal organs. Patients of chronic renal failure must practice nauli karma twice a day for 10 minutes.
Natural therapies: Apply hot compress for 3 min. & cold compress for 2 min. at the back, behind the stomach, five times. After this, apply a mud plaster & keep for half an hour to get relief.
Take a steam bath for 10 min. & get the sweat out or take a hot feel bath. Perspiration is a good way to keep kidneys healthy. Let your body sweat during hot weather. Do not use air conditioners. Practise kunjal once or twice a week & jalneti everyday. This activates the lungs, which reduces the stress to kidneys & gives them relief.
Yoga and naturopathy has a big role to play in patients of kidney disorders, Patients and their family member should remember that these all procedures should be done under expert supervision and consent.
1. Reader, Deptt. of Swasthvritta, Dayanand Ayurvedic College, Jalandhar. Mob.: 94654-66589, 2. Reader, Deptt. of Swasthvritta, R. G. Govt. P. G. Ayu. College, Paprola (H. P.)