How Your Kidneys Work
We have two kidneys, located just below the rib cage on either side of the spine. Each are about the size of a fist.
Their function is to filter waste and toxins out of the blood, turning them into urine. The urine then travels through the ureters to the bladder, which holds urine until passed out of the body through the urethra.
Every day, the kidneys filter 120-150 quarts of blood and another 50 quarts of other fluids. (9) Kidneys also regulate the amount of salt, potassium, and acids in the body.
They also secrete hormones that regulate blood pressure and the metabolism of calcium, metabolize vitamin D from other body chemicals, and promote the creation of red blood cells. (10)
Each kidney contains approximately one million tiny filters called nephrons that contain even smaller filters that allow small liquid molecules to pass through but block larger molecules (such as blood cells and proteins) to return to the bloodstream.
The liquids then pass through tubes that further filter the liquid, returning nutrients to the blood and sending waste down the line for processing as urine. (11)
Without your kidneys (you need one fully-functioning kidney to survive), your body cannot eliminate waste and it becomes septic.
