Dr. Lomerlus, M.D., chief of nephrology at the We-Got-You Clinic in Philadelphia, PA, enjoys celebrating the kidney.
For Dr. Lomerlus, it is about the Renal-verse. The Renal-verse is an approach to teaching his patients about the kidney and letting them know how fabulous the kidney is.
Dr. Lomerlus, explains, “The kidney does not get all its props! It gets more blood flow per 100 mg of tissue than any other organ in the body. It has crucial functions in water balance, and it releases hormones that regulate blood pressure. It produces an active form of vitamin D and removes waste products from the body. However, there is more to the kidney than lab values.”
Dr. Lomerlus is also proud of some of the esoteric facts about the kidney. “There are a lot of things happening in the Renal-verse. Some people get beeturia when they eat beets. And Asparagusic acid from eating asparagus can make your urine smell like sulfur. The Renal-verse is low anxiety. So, in the Renal-verse, I like to put my patients at ease. Beeturia is not blood in your urine. And the asparagus-urine smell goes away! The kidney is truly in touch with reality — with our food, with the water we drink — it is awesome!”
You might wonder, “How real is the Renal-verse?” According to Dr. Lomerlus, the Renal-verse is absolutely real. “Just take away the ‘n’ in ‘renal,’ and you get the word ‘real.’ No cap,” says Dr. Lomerlus.
Apparently, the Renal-verse has parallel realities because most people have two kidneys – left and right. And the kidney has a great since of humor because it is shaped like a bean. But beneath that bean-like exterior, there is a workhorse. That is what Dr. Lomerlus appreciates about the kidney: it is laid back. “The kidney has low-key vibes. It does not scream at you or lub-dub like the heart. Kidneys are chill handling their business,” comments Dr. Lomerlus.
It might take some time to wrap your mind around the kidneys being part of a parallel reality. But for sure, kidneys put in the work.
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