Know your body – Kidney

KIDNEY

Everybody knows that some organs in the human body are necessary for survival: you need your brain, your heart, your lungs, your kidneys…

KIDNEYS? Absolutely. The kidneys are every bit as important as the heart. You need at least one kidney to live!

Kidneys normally come in pairs. If you’ve ever seen a kidney bean, then you have a pretty good idea of what the kidneys look like. Each kidney is about 5 inches (about 13 centimeters) long and about 3 inches (about 8 centimeters) wide — about the size of a computer mouse.

Your body gets rid of waste chemicals and excess water by making urine. The urine comes from two organs called kidneys. They filter and clean blood as it flows through, removing chemicals that your body doesn’t need.

Your kidneys keep the water level in your body perfectly balanced. If you drink too much water,

your kidneys make watery urine to get rid of any excess. When your body is short of water,

your kidneys pass less into your urine.

Your kidneys work together with your brain to control your water level. When this level is low, your brain releases a hormone that makes your kidneys save water.

Now you know what the kidneys do and how important they are.