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About Your Kidneys
 Most everyone is born with two kidneys that each weigh about 5 ounces and are the size of your fist. They are located underneath your ribs, which protects them. The kidneys perform the filtering of waste products to clean the blood and remove extra fluid. This means that healthy kidneys are always working. The kidneys have two other important jobs. The second job of the kidneys is to balance chemical levels in the blood stream. This third job of the kidneys is to release hormones that control blood pressure and other functions, such as making erythropoietin (which makes red blood cells) and calcitriol (which keeps bones healthy). When the kidneys function at 15% or less, this is called chronic kidney failure or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). There are several diseases that cause ESRD. The most common cause is type 2 diabetes. The second leading cause is high blood pressure.
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