I'm in a similar boat Nina. My kidneys hurt, especially my left one. It is very hard to detox without worsening the symptoms, because the kidneys are one of the ways that mercury moves out of the body...and one of the organs it becomes most concentrated in.

Dandelion Tea won't help much, the active chemicals in it aren't very water soluble. You would have to make a decoction (boiling it for like 1/2 hour) or take an extract. I also think the root is good for your liver mainly, the fresh greens are best for your kidneys.

Traditional Chinese Medicine says that fear hurts your kidneys, but you will also feel fear if your kidneys are damaged.

A good thing to avoid to help your kidneys is caffeine. Also, do not drink too much water! If you have impaired kidney function and drink a lot of water because you think you should you will not feel good. I noticed if I drink too much water it would give me 'brain fog', which, when you think about it, feels very similar to thinking underwater....So I learned to only drink when thirsty and not because people say you should drink 8 glasses of water a day.