How the Urinary System Works
The urinary system consists of two kidneys, each having a ureter connecting it to the bladder. The bladder is then connected to the urethra, which ultimately leads to an opening out of the body. The function of the urinary system is to produce and remove a waste product called urine, and to regulate the amount, alkalinity or acidity, and consistency of body fluids. Kidneys filter blood. Every minute, one quarter of the blood in the body enters the kidneys, which are composed of about 2 million microscopic filters called nephrons. Nephrons are responsible for absorbing nutrients and eliminating toxins and other waste materials from the blood. In addition, the kidneys help regulate other bodily functions by secreting the hormones renin, erythropoietin and prostaglandin. Renin helps control blood pressure, while erythropoietin helps stimulate the body to produce more red blood cells.

Prostaglandin is not limited to the kidneys. In other tissues and situations, it causes smooth muscles to contract or relax, is involved in abnormal fluid collection in the body.It is responsible for some types of fevers and pain, and is heavily involved in the process of inflammation. But in the kidneys, prostaglandin causes dilation of the veins and helps with the urine-making process. The bladder is a sac-like organ located in the pelvis. Its function is to store urine until it is excreted. It is made up of three layers of involuntary muscles that provide it with the ability to expand and contract. When empty, the bladder shrivels up to the shape of a small prune, but it swells and stretches as needed to hold urine. Most people's bladders can hold about a pint of urine. Then, when the bladder is full, the walls expand and send impulses to the brain telling it to urinate.

Urine is 96% water. The other 4% includes a mix of urea, salt, sugar, proteins, fat, vitamins and colouring from bile pigments. Its colour is usually clear or yellow, though this depends upon the diet and health of the individual. Urine has a distinct, ammonia-like smell that is primarily due to the nitrogenous wastes it contains.

Kidneys are designed to keep the blood clean. They spend every minute of the day filtering out impurities. However, like any intricate structure, they have limitations. Even so, modern society seems to dictate that they must deal with more and more abuse. Drinking water frequently during the day can alleviate some potential problems by helping the kidneys flush toxins from the body.

Healthy cells need the proper concentration of salts. That's why potassium and sodium are crucial to the body's fluid balance. More than half of the water in the body is located inside the cells. The rest is mixed with salt, rather like diluted sea water, that bathes the cells.

The kidneys are the major regulating mechanism for maintaining proper sodium and potassium balance. They are designed to excrete extra potassium and save sodium. In times past, there was plenty of potassium in foods, but not as much sodium. Today, people eat more foods that contain sodium (mainly processed foods with added sodium) and not as many fresh foods with natural potassium

Unfortunately, even with a high-sodium diet, the kidneys still save sodium and excrete potassium. Obviously, we can't change the way our kidneys function, but we can change our diet. Since food processing lowers the potassium content of foods, we should eat plenty of fresh foods.

Herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals can also help provide the urinary system with the nutrients it needs to effectively perform its delicate chemical balancing act.