We know what you’re looking for when you’re waiting for your iPad or laptop to open up our homepage. Besides a dose of fun, some beautiful imagery and a few good recipes, we hope you leave The Chalkboard each day having learned something empowering about taking care of your own health.

This year, when we made the addition of an editor whose full-time job is to teach us about nutrition we really took that empowerment to the next level. Every week, we nerd out with Lauren, a certified nutritionist, on everything from Chinese herbs to mud-packing methods.

When Lauren published her first book earlier this year, The Miracle Kidney Cleanse, we all sat up and took notice. Our kidneys have to be the last body part on our minds. But after hearing her clinical perspective on the matter and just how fundamentally important the kidneys are in eastern medical traditions, we’re paying closer attention and learning all we can about properly detoxing these vital organs. Here’s Lauren to break down a few of the key reasons why you should give your kidneys a closer look…

It is not often that you hear people preaching about kidney health, let alone the importance of cleansing them, but the truth is that your kidneys control far more than you might expect. In fact, they are at the root of our health. Our kidneys determine how we look and feel, both emotionally and physically, from the way our hair and nails grow, to our zest for life. It’s all linked back to our kidneys. This is why their neglect could be the achilles heel for many, preventing transformation in health, especially when everything else seems to be in place.

The kidneys’ main functions, from a western perspective, are to keep the body’s acid-alkaline and fluid-electrolyte balance, blood volume and pressure control, vitamin D utilization and waste excretion. While these are vital to the overall functioning of the body, it is their role from a Chinese medicine perspective that highlights their deeper importance and leads us to consider that the kidneys may be holding us back from the health we seek, rather then other aspects such as hormones, liver or digestive function.

In Chinese medicine, the kidneys are known as the root of life, the very foundation of the body. Through this perspective, it is believed that the kidneys are intimately tied to the adrenal glands, so much so that they are one in the same, conceptually. What affects the kidneys affects the adrenal glands, which further deepens their significance to overall wellness.

As the root of life, the kidneys are home of the jing, which is the essence of our life force. It is this life force that is responsible for providing the tools required to fulfill our deepest human needs: survival and reproduction, life and death. This is what makes kidney cleansing so vital to overall health, because it helps to preserve the jing and the maintenance of its related functions.

Thus, while kidney cleansing is utilized for the therapeutic treatment of kidney stones, kidney disease and other kidney-related conditions, it is also the main tool for achieving the appearance you want, and the life you want. Specifically, kidney cleansing can help improve the following aspects of your health:

Hair and Nails: The true secret to long, thick hair, and strong, fast-growing nails is kidney health. If the kidneys are functioning at an optimal level and are supported with the right herbs and frequent cleansing programs, your hair and nails will be the first tell-tale sign.

Fertility: The kidneys are the storehouse of the jing, the life force that determines our ability to reproduce. It is the electrical force from which our sexual life is derived and what makes conception possible. Without proper jing, reproduction becomes more difficult, therefore its preservation is a key component in maintaining fertility.

Energy: Jing is the deepest source of energy, and being housed by the kidneys, remains the storehouse for the rest of the organ/gland systems. It determines our quality of life, our ability to survive, and therefore is the root from which we draw our energy. Without its preservation, fatigue occurs, and can lead to premature aging.

Bone Health: Kidney jing is also in charge of the production of bone marrow, which then determines the health of the bones and teeth. The kidney is also a key player in the utilization of vitamin D, which is imperative for proper calcium absorption. As a result, the functioning of the kidneys helps to ensure strong bones.

Willpower: The kidneys are intimately tied to emotional processes in addition to physical ones. In particular, the kidneys determine our will power – the ability of our minds to be focused on goals, as well as our ability to pursue them. Without proper kidney health, feelings of inadequacy, fearfulness and indifference dominate, leaving us apathetic to life and its pursuits.

While we have covered the top five reasons to kidney cleanse, these are just a few of many. If you are looking for the ticket to a full, thick head of hair, unrelenting determination towards productivity, and the energy of your younger years, then consider kidney cleansing.

Our solution? Pick up a copy of Lauren’s book, The Miracle Kidney Cleanse, for a complete guide to kidney cleansing! The program focuses on a 3-day juice fast and the consumption of kidney-healing foods and herbs. It even guides us through strategic yoga poses and stances to improve kidney energy – perfect for those of us eager to jump on the mat. The best part is that it can be easily integrated into the Pressed Juicery cleansing programs, which we know will excite those of you among the more advanced and adventurous cleansing crowd. Cleanse on!