Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills are just a few of the symptoms associated with kidney stones. If you have ever received a kidney stones diagnosis, you are among the 10 percent of Americans who have had to deal with this painful condition.

Energy drinks have no substantiated health benefits, and the large amounts of caffeine and sugar they contain may have adverse effects on your health.

Dialysis is the treatment used to replace kidney function after kidney failure. There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Both types cleanse the blood of waste products, help manage electrolyte balance and remove excess fluid from the body.

Scarring of the kidneys, or glomerulosclerosis, has many causes, including diabetes -- the most common cause in the United States -- high blood pressure, drugs, infection and autoimmune processes such as lupus.

Indigenous to the Amazonian rain forest, chanca piedra, which means "stone breaker" in Spanish, has been used by many cultures as a remedy for kidney stones.

When your kidneys are no longer able to filter waste products from the body, your doctor may recommend dialysis. With this treatment, diet is important to help control blood levels of certain nutrients. The sodium, potassium, phosphorus, protein and fluid in the foods you eat need to be monitored with your kidney diet.

One of the first questions often asked by newly diagnosed kidney patients pertains to fish oil. While the jury is still out on whether the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil provide long-term benefit for kidney patients, as of 2011, more and more nephrologists are suggesting that their patients begin a fish oil regimen.

Your gallbladder is a small abdominal organ that assists with digestion. It releases a compound called bile into the small intestine to aid with fat breakdown and absorption.

The appearance of your fingernails can change with certain medical conditions. Kidney disease is associated with multiple distinctive nail problems. A buildup of nitrogen waste products occurs in the bodies of people with kidney disease, which can lead to changes in finger and toenails.

The kidneys filter waste from the blood and maintain the right balance of fluid in the body. They also play an important role in regulating blood pressure. In general, people with impaired kidney function are advised to eat a diet that supports healthy blood pressure and good blood sugar control.

Healthy kidneys manage the balance of electrolytes in your body, such as calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Kidneys also filter out waste products and extra water, which then is excreted in urine.