What job do the kidneys do?
Kidneys are very effective at removing most of the waste from our blood.
Blood is pumped through groups of tiny tubes inside the kidneys, and harmful waste material passes out through the walls of these vessels and down a long tube called the ureter, into the bladder. Here it is stored until ready to be discharged from the body as urine. The kidneys have a very important function in controlling the amount of water in the body. Water balance needs to be kept at exactly the right level if the body cells are to remain healthy.
What is a kidney machine?
If the kidneys become diseased and stop working, it is necessary to use a kidney machine to remove waste from the blood. This machine process is called dialysis. It involves pumping blood from a tube in the person’s arm into thin tubing that runs through a tank of sterile liquid. Waste passes from the blood through the walls of the tubing, and the cleaned blood is returned to the body. This has to be done throughout the person’s life, unless a new kidney can be provided in a transplant operation. Dialysis needs to be carried out frequently — several times a week — to stop wastes from building up to dangerous levels.
How does the body keep at the proper temperature?
The body has several systems to keep itself at the right temperature. Heat is produced by the breakdown of food substances stored in the body. The chemical reactions in the body will only take place properly if the body is kept at the ideal temperature, so any extra heat has to be removed. Heat leaves the body through the lungs, as you breathe out warmed air, and also through the skin. If you are very hot, the blood vessels near the skin’s surface open wider to increase the blood flow, so you look a bit pink. The extra blood means more heat leaves the skin surface, so cooling your body.
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