A majority of people believe that dialysis replaces the function of healthy kidneys. This is not completely true as the sole purpose of kidneys is not just to remove waste products and excess fluid from the body in the form of urine but, kidneys have other duties as well. Among the various other functions, kidneys also synthesize and release hormones that regulate certain bodily functions. Unfortunately, dialysis is unable to manufacture these hormones and that is why patients in the later stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) will need medical supplements to compensate for the hormones their kidneys are unable to produce.

