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How To Keep Kidneys Healthy

Be Aware Of The Amount Of Otc Pills You Take

How to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy Longer by Eating the Right Food : Fit Food

If you regularly take over-the-counter pain medication, you may be causing kidney damage. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , including ibuprofen and naproxen, can damage your kidneys if you take them regularly for chronic pain, headaches, or arthritis.

People with no kidney issues who take the medicine occasionally are likely in the clear. However, if you use these medicines daily, you could be risking your kidneys health. Talk with your doctor about kidney-safe treatments if youre coping with pain.

If youre at high risk of kidney damage or kidney disease, its a good idea to have regular kidney function tests. The following people may benefit from regular screening:

  • people who are over 60 years old
  • people who were born at a low birth weight
  • people who have cardiovascular disease or have family with it
  • people who have or have a family history of high blood pressure
  • people who are obese
  • people who believe they may have kidney damage

A regular kidney function test is a great way to know your kidneys health and to check for possible changes. Getting ahead of any damage can help slow or prevent future damage.

Tips To Keep Kidneys Healthy

If you dont have a family history or other risk factors for kidney disease, thats great ! To keep your kidneys healthy and working strong for your body, follow these tips:

Eat a Balanced Diet.;Eat the optimal amount of protein for your age and activity level. This means your diet is in balance by including lots of fresh whole foods, lean poultry/meat, whole grains and limited sugar/processed food.

Work Your Body.; Exercising for 30 minutes every day can reduce the risk of high blood pressure and obesity, both of which put pressure on kidney health.

Get Plenty of H20. Fluid intake is important, especially water. In general, the guidelines are to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day to help improve and maintain kidney health. Some people have medical conditions or are on medications that change this guideline. Discuss this with your holistic doctor.

Moderate Use of Alcohol. Consuming more than one drink per day can harm the kidneys and impair renal function.

Give up Nicotine. Tobacco restricts blood vessels. Without an adequate blood supply, the kidneys will not be able to complete their normal work.

If you have risk factors for kidney disease or are concerned about early warning signs, speak with a physician. They will guide you on proper testing, dietary, and lifestyle changes that could save your life.

How Is It Tested

As part of standard blood tests, your doctor can check the creatinine level to assess kidney function. Creatinine is released from muscle cells into the blood stream.

Creatinine is one of the things that the kidneys filter from the blood. If the kidneys start to lose some function, blood creatinine level rises. The creatinine level is used to calculate an estimate of the GFR and provide an estimate of your kidney function.

Most people who have a minor reduction in kidney function can take steps to not keep the kidneys from getting worse. If the function is somewhat low but stable, you may need to see your doctor only once per year. If the GFR is declining or it is already under 50, it’s best to see a kidney doctor, if for no other reason than to become educated.

How high blood pressure damages the kidneys

High blood pressure can cause tiny cracks in the lining of arteries, which provide a breeding ground for fatty deposits that hamper blood flow. As the arteries that feed blood to the kidneys narrow, the body produces renin, a hormone that makes small arteries narrow further. This worsens high blood pressure, causing even more kidney damage. Over time, restricted blood flow can damage or destroy the nephrons, the tiny filtering units inside your kidneys.

Also Check: What Is Good For Bad Kidneys

Maintain A Healthy Weight

Obesity can contribute to many health conditions, including heart disease and stroke. Additionally, it can increase your bodys insulin resistance, which increases the amount of calcium that needs to be filtered through your kidneys. This puts you at risk for developing kidney stones. Obesity also increases your risk of high blood pressure, the leading cause of kidney damage, as the weight adds pressure to your blood vessels.

Take Care With Antibiotics

How to keep kidneys healthy

These bacteria-fighting drugs can damage your kidneys if you use them too often. It can happen even if youâre perfectly healthy, though itâs more serious if your kidneys donât work as well as they should. Some types, like penicillin, sulfonamides, and cephalosporins, are more likely to cause problems.

Read Also: How To Know If A Kidney Stone Has Passed

Manage Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is the most common cause of kidney damage. When your blood is unable to flow easily through your kidneys, it can lead to major problems. If your blood pressure is over 120/80, you should consider making healthier lifestyle changes to lower it. If your blood pressure is over 140/90, discuss how you can manage it with your doctor.

Limit Your Alcohol Intake

Drinking too much alcohol can harm many parts of the body, including the kidneys.

The National Kidney Foundation warns that regular heavy drinking affects the kidneys and their function and doubles the risk for kidney disease. Consuming more than three drinks a day for women and more than four drinks a day for men is considered heavy drinking, according to the foundation.

A small amount of alcohol one or two drinks every now and then tends not to have any serious effects, Peev says. But its important to remember that drinking in moderation is key.

Also Check: What Eases Kidney Stone Pain

Steer Clear Of Detoxes Cleanses And Fad Diets

It is easy to be swayed by clever marketing. But, please dont fall for any supplement or diet regimen that claims to detox your body. Your body does not need detoxing. Your kidneys and liver do a wonderful job processing and getting rid of unnecessary waste already!

In fact, many of these diets or supplements can cause harm. For example, smoothie cleanses have been reported to cause kidney damage. Many of these regimens cause severe diarrhea, or recommend consuming dangerously little food or fluid. All of these things can cause severe dehydration, which can permanently damage kidneys.

Also, supplements are not regulated in the United States. So they might have harmful ingredients in them. Because your kidneys are responsible for getting rid of nearly everything you eat, they are especially susceptible to strange chemicals.

At best, detox or cleanse recommendations will not rid your body of toxins. At worst, they could cause harm. Nearly all detox regiments are not supported by research and should be avoided, especially to help keep your kidneys healthy.

Dont Overdo Certain Medications

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NSAIDs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and naproxen. They can damage your kidneys if you take too many at once or take them too often. And using proton pump inhibitors for an ulcer or GERD for a long time can raise your chances of chronic kidney disease. You should only take them if your doctor says you need them.

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Avoid Taking Supplementations Or Herbs

Avoid taking supplementations or herbs, unless you consult your physician. Now, I’m telling you, this is key. A lot of people think that just because something is sold over the counter, or just because online, it says, natural, that it is healthy for you. And that is not the case. I have had patients who have come to my office with kidney disease due to taking certain supplements or herbal medications that were not right for them. And so, certainly, I’m not against taking supplements, I’m not against taking herbs, but you must speak to your physician, because every herb may not be for you.

Every supplement may not be for you. And because a lot of the natural quote, unquote supplements don’t have to have FDA approval, we oftentimes don’t know what ingredients are in them. And so you want to make sure that you avoid taking supplements or buying certain herbs online, or buying them from the person in the corner you don’t know.; You want to avoid taking supplements and herbs unless you do it under the guidance of your physician.

Improving Your Kidney Function Can Be Simple

So you see for many, improving kidney function doesnt need to be difficult. In most cases, simply by stepping to the side and getting out of your own way, checking your thoughts, fears, and excuses at the door, you can catalyse massive changes in your health, by simply allowing the healing to take place.

Rubbing Lanterns Wont Help Improve Your Kidney Function, But Heres What Can

Now stay with me I am not saying that that you can cure all by thinking just happy thoughts, wishing, and getting out of the way, no definitely not. There are many practical things you can do every day, with little to no fuss that are very effective in helping increase kidney function. Very helpful indeed.

Note: thinking positive however sure wont hurt, in fact it will go a long way; your mindset is the single biggest determining factor on how quickly you heal.

So in tune with todays theme of simplicity, I would like to share with you 10 effortless tips that can be applied immediately to help your kidney function, no need to leave home, and no need to spend a dime.

Read Also: Can Kidney Disease Cause Diarrhea

Monitor Weight And Eat A Healthy Diet

People who are overweight or obese are at risk for a number of health conditions that can damage the kidneys. These include diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.

A healthy diet thats low in sodium, processed meats, and other kidney-damaging foods may help reduce the risk of kidney damage. Focus on eating fresh ingredients that are naturally low-sodium, such as cauliflower, blueberries, fish, whole grains, and more.

How To Keep Your Kidneys Healthy: 10 Ways To Fight Kidney Disease

How To Keep Your Kidneys Healthy To Lead A Healthy Life?

Kidney disease is a major health problem in the United States, over 30 million Americans have kidney disease, and many of them dont even know it. In fact, 33% of Americans are at risk of developing kidney disease. Black people and people of color are disproportionately affected by kidney disease. But the good news is that many times, kidney disease is actually preventable. In this blog post, we will go over 10 tips on how to keep your kidneys healthy and fight kidney disease!

10 Ways To Fight Kidney Disease!

1. Drink Water

Many people dont know that not having enough water in your system, being dehydrated, or having;prerenal azotemia can lead to kidney failure. I have actually put people on dialysis just because they were severely dehydrated. So you want to be sure you drink your water. Now, for most adults, drinking two to three liters of water a day is appropriate, but you want to consult your physician because that can vary depending on how your body uses water, how much water you lose in a day, and whether youre exercising or being sedentary. So yes, consult your physician.

2. Have A Low Salt Diet

3. Exercise Regularly

4. Eat Healthy Foods

You definitely want to take in superfoods. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. You want to;eat the rainbow, a variety of fruits and vegetables. Be sure to watch my YouTube video on a;kidney diet;and how to eat right with CKD.

5. Maintain Normal Sugar or Glucose Levels

10. Reduce Your Stress

  • Tags

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Keep This Thing In Mind If You Have Kidney Disease

As we get older, we tend to reduce the amount of water we drink and do not even pay attention to how much water we need to drink to keep our kidneys healthy. You should drink the required amount of water as per the requirement of the body. At the same time, the doctor says that drinking more water in case of kidney disease does not benefit the kidney, but the doctor can decide the limit of drinking only water.

What Are The Signs Of Kidney Disease

  • Youre more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating. A severe decrease in kidney function can lead to a buildup of toxins and impurities in the blood. This can cause people to feel tired, weak and can make it hard to concentrate. Another complication of kidney disease is anemia, which can cause weakness and fatigue.
  • Youre having trouble sleeping. When the kidneys arent filtering properly, toxins stay in the blood rather than leaving the body through the urine. This can make it difficult to sleep. There is also a link between obesity and chronic kidney disease, and sleep apnea is more common in those with chronic kidney disease, compared with the general population.
  • You have dry and itchy skin. Healthy kidneys do many important jobs. They remove wastes and extra fluid from your body, help make red blood cells, help keep bones strong and work to maintain the right amount of minerals in your blood. Dry and itchy skin can be a sign of the mineral and bone disease that often accompanies advanced kidney disease, when the kidneys are no longer able to keep the right balance of minerals and nutrients in your blood.
  • You feel the need to urinate more often. If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidneys filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men.
  • Read Also: What’s The Difference Between A Uti And A Kidney Infection

    How Does Ayurveda Help

    If you visit an Ayurvedic kidney expert in India, you wont just get treatment for your kidneys, but the complete body. Ayurvedic treatment includes medicines, diet plans, and specific changes in lifestyle. By following this treatment religiously, you can experience an excellent solution to your problem. However, unlike allopathic treatment, Ayurvedic treatment might take some more time to reflect some changes. This is because it attacks the root cause of the problem. On the whole, only Ayurveda can save you from kidney disease.

    Disclaimer: The purpose of the content on this page is not to substitute any professional medical advice but to only provide information to the reader. If the reader is a kidney patient, we recommend not making any diet or routine changes without consulting his/her doctor or dietitian. For further advice, you can use this helpline: +91-9871712050 number or visit www.karmaayurvedahealth.com.

    How To Keep Kidney Healthy

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    Manage Diabetes High Blood Pressure And Heart Disease

    If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease, the best way to protect your kidneys from damage is to

    Keep blood glucose numbers close to your goal. Checking your blood glucose, or blood sugar, level is an important way to manage your diabetes. Your health care team may want you to test your blood glucose one or more times a day.

    Keep your blood pressure numbers close to your goal. The blood pressure goal for most people with diabetes is below 140/90 mm Hg. Read more about high blood pressure.

    Take all your medicines as prescribed. Talk with your health care provider about certain blood pressure medicines, called ACE inhibitors and ARBs, which may protect your kidneys. The names of these medicines end in pril or sartan.

    Be careful about the daily use of over-the-counter pain medications. Regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen and naproxen, can damage your kidneys. Learn more about over-the-counter medicines and your kidneys.

    To help prevent heart attacks and stroke, keep your cholesterol levels in the target range. There are two kinds of cholesterol in your blood: LDL and HDL. LDL or bad cholesterol can build up and clog your blood vessels, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. HDL or good cholesterol helps remove the bad cholesterol from your blood vessels. A cholesterol test also may measure another type of blood fat called triglycerides.

    Visit Your Doctor Regularly

    Unfortunately, kidney disease often goes unnoticed. In fact, nearly 90% of people with kidney disease do not know they have it!

    Kidney disease usually does not have symptoms until the very late stages. So, people with kidney disease usually feel fine and have no reason to suspect something is wrong.

    A blood test is the only way to know how well your kidneys are doing. Your primary care doctor likely checks the level of creatinine in your blood at your annual check up. Ask your doctor about your creatinine level and how your kidneys are doing!

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