Kidney Diseases

Kidney diseases refer to a disease or injury to the kidneys that may arise from congenital or acquired causes.

Aside from the fact that there are individuals born with congenital kidney diseases, the major contributing factors of kidney diseases are diabetes and hypertension.

In hypertension, the kidneys become damaged over time as its blood vessels deteriorate due to elevated arterial pressures. If blood vessels of the kidneys are damaged, then its function to filter waste materials is also affected, in which case leaking of toxins and extra fluids occur.

Diabetes also affects the ability of the kidneys to filter toxins and waste materials because blood sugar levels that are highly elevated put an increased demand on the kidneys to filter an increased amount of blood. In the long run, this extra work damages the kidney�s ability to filter.

Leech Therapy and Kidney Diseases

It has been found that leech therapy can significantly help individuals to have healthier kidneys.

Since kidneys can be damaged by the effects of diabetes, one of which is an increase in the viscosity of the blood, the enzymes found in leech�s saliva (particularly the anticoagulation enzymes) can help prevent coagulation of the blood or thickening of the blood�s consistency. Another important enzyme that reduces the stress on the filtering function of the kidneys is the enzymes that help dissolve blood clots. To promote good blood flow or circulation, blood vessels are dilated by the histamine-like enzymes. All these enzymes work together to help the kidneys receive good blood circulation, thus, aiding the kidney to properly filter toxins and waste materials from the body.

If there is any inflammation of the kidneys that impedes its filtering action, leech therapy can prove to be beneficial through the anti-inflammatory compounds in the leech�s saliva. Other benefits of leech therapy include the antibacterial effect that helps kidneys fight off infection.