WHAT IS YOUR COFFEE DOING TO YOU? 

I have read so many pros and cons with coffee drinking, that I kind of threw my arms and said the heck with it.  I love coffee.  Love the taste.  Love the warmth.  Love that it's dark and opaque.  And when it comes to the my earliest memories of coffee, it always causes me to recall road trips with my dad pouring me a hot cup of coffee from a Thermos at 5am on Interstate 101 in California on our way to Monterey.  Loved him.  Great memory.

But caffeine does have its drawbacks.  The acids in the coffee obviously are not good for your teeth's enamel.  Coffee will color you teeth light brown or yellow.  But the worst part for the teeth is the loss of enamel, for it takes too much time and conscious effort to rebuild it.  

The acids in the coffee also put your blood in an acidic state, again not good if you're trying to keep a PH that is biased in the favor of a healthy base.  So we cannot drink coffee with abandon, cup after cup throughout the day.  Not to mention what the caffeine does to your adrenal glands.  Coffee will deplete your energy by day's end, contrary to how you might expect caffeine to perform.  I'd read something this evening that was a bit alarming with regard to coffee consumption.  It was this:

Caffeine may make renal failure worse. Researchers noted in the 2007 issue of “Renal Failure” that previous studies had shown caffeine exacerbates renal failure if there is kidney disease in combination with metabolic syndrome. In experiments on diabetic rats, the researchers found that within two weeks of starting on caffeine the rats developed increased protein in the urine and increased heart rate. In addition, the arteries in the kidney became less flexible, which can increase blood pressure, although the rats in the study did not show signs of increased blood pressure.

What is renal failure?  According to that Wikipedia article, "Renal failure is mainly determined by a decrease in glomerular filtration rate, the rate at which blood is filtered in the glomeruli of the kidney. This is detected by a decrease in or absence of urine production or determination of waste products (creatinine or urea) in the blood. Depending on the cause, hematuria (blood loss in the urine) and proteinuria (protein loss in the urine) may be noted."  So one symptom that presents itself with renal failure is the lack of urine production; in other words, infrequency of pee-ing.  Clearly, one of the remedies for this condition would be to increase water consumption. 

REMEDIES

The causes of renal failure are listed in that Wikipedia article, but what cures, if any, can be had from kidney failure or chronic kidney weakness? 

KIDNEYS & YOUR KNEES

(from earthmedicine.com)

"An interesting point to make about the kidneys is their relationship to the knees. One of the fundamental principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) philosophy is that ‘Everything that happens on the outside of the body reflects an imbalance within the body’. As the knees represent the kidneys in TCM, any injury of damage to the knees, can affect the kidneys and vice versa. According to TCM philosophy, the kidney meridians run through both knees thereby potentially causing kidney problems to manifest in the knees. Therefore, there can be an association between people who work in jobs that cause knee stress such as carpet layers or floor tilers and the increased likelihood of renal issues due to the connection between the kidneys and the knees. Stiffness, inflexibility or rigidity in the knees can also suggest inflexibility of the mind, reservation or stubbornness (to accept new ideas) or a resistance to move forward so be aware of these mind-body connections whenever you have negative thoughts."

I've heard this very connection between the kidneys and the knees.  When your knees hurt, it may be because of arthritis, but more than likely it is because of some food or toxin that your kidneys are dealing with, particularly large portions of protein, caffeine, or salt.  So back off on these when when you experience knee pain.  Also from earthmedicine.com is this:

Renal disorders can cause a large number of symptoms and health problems ranging from excessive sweating, fluid retention, weakness, high blood pressure, fatigue, shortness of breath, vein conditions, kidney stones, urinary system problems, heart rhythm disturbances, right through to kidney failure. However, as previously stated, there are usually no symptoms until the condition is really serious.  

Fortunately most kidney conditions are preventable through adequate water intake, low toxin exposure, preventing systemic inflammation, trying to avoid taking drugs that cause kidney damage (e.g. NSAIDS [aspirin], etc), maintaining normal blood glucose levels through diet and exercise and having a healthy diet that tends to be more alkaline than acidic. Therefore avoiding a diet that is high in animal proteins and opting for a more plant-based diet can often be beneficial for optimum renal health. Those with high acid levels are also more likely to suffer from skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis and other skin problems, particularly those that cause itching.

Nutritional deficiencies can play key roles in the development of CKD and low vitamin D levels have been found to be associated with this condition. In addition, nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, vitamin A and other nutrients can be important for optimum kidney health.

If you already have kidney disease, there are a number of herbal medicines that can be beneficial for kidney problems but speak to your naturopath, herbalist or naturopathic doctor before self-prescribing as they may not be suitable for you, especially if you are already taking medications. Depending on the condition, herbal medicines that may be beneficial in the treatment of kidney problems can include Apium graveolens (Celery seed), Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry), Zea Mays (Cornsilk), Barosma betulina (Buchu), Equisetum arvense (Horsetail), Agropyron repens (Couchgrass), Taraxacum officinale (Dandelion leaf), Eupatorium purpureum  (Gravel root) and Vaccinium myrtillus (Bilberry). Eating parsley and alfalfa have also been found to assist the kidneys as they can be alkalizing to your system.