Tag: #kidneyhealth

Ensuring Hygiene in a Kidney-friendly Kitchen

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Hygiene in a Kidney Kitchen

 

Hygiene is an important consideration for everything that enters your body, whether you eat it, drink it, breathe it or inject it. This is more so if a major, essential organ of the body like your kidneys are unwell. That’s because, in normal health, kidneys efficiently eliminate ALL excess metabolic wastes and impurities in blood via urine. But Chronic Kidney Disease progressively diminishes this blood-cleansing ability of kidneys as well as blunts our body’s immune defences with time.

💡 So what are the best practices to keep your kidney kitchen hygienic?

💡 Which are the must-have equipment/utility items that you should consider stocking-up your kitchen with, to turn it into a “Kidney-Fortress”?  

 

These are what this article has discussed today. Continue reading “Ensuring Hygiene in a Kidney-friendly Kitchen” →

Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

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If you are a member of the kidney community – whether as a patient, caregiver, advocate or knowledge seeker – it is likely that you have come across the term “Glomerular Filtration Rate” or more commonly, the GFR. Perhaps you are also aware that this term broadly relates to your kidney’s functional capacity.

GFR Kidney But do you completely understand what GFR really is?

GFR Kidney How does your medical team clinically assess the GFR for your kidneys?

GFR Kidney How valid is it throughout your CKD journey?

GFR Kidney And is it always indicative of the true health status of your kidneys?

All these are some very pertinent questions that each member of the Kidney Community, especially the patients & caregivers must thoroughly know the answers to. And that is exactly what we are here to help you with, today. Continue reading “Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)” →

Sodium Bicarbonate & Kidney Disease

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In our previous article, we explained why the popular health trend of consuming baking soda drinks to “detoxify” kidneys is unnecessary & potentially dangerous. Baking Soda is the store-bought, non-pharmaceutical grade version of the chemical compound called Sodium Bicarbonate which, interestingly serves an important role in treating kidney disease.

Now it is natural for all members with kidney disease and their caregivers to wonder why kidney patients are put on tablets of Sodium Bicarbonate despite the purported risks highlighted before.

 

Wouldn’t it burden already unwell kidneys this time?

That’s a valid question and this is where the classic case of “poison turning into medicine” comes into play. In a complete 180-degree twist, Sodium Bicarbonate assumes the role of a therapeutic messiah in CKD patients.

Sodium Bicarbonate Kidney

 

So How does that work? Read on to understand. Continue reading “Sodium Bicarbonate & Kidney Disease” →

Baking Soda & Kidney “Detox”. Myth Busted!

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Baking soda and kidney 

Who isn’t acquainted with “Baking Soda” – those tiny, white crystals used to make cakes fluffy? It has now also made its way as an effective dead-skin exfoliator (when used sparingly), a teeth whitening agent as well as a DIY solution for “unclogging” toilet pipes. For some years now, many articles have surfaced in the open-access media about how drinking Baking Soda (NOT Baking Powder) can help “flush your healthy kidneys of toxins” and promote kidney health.

Baking Soda and Kidney

Anything Kidney naturally catches the attention of Team ATK and sets our neurons in action. So, we decided to investigate if these claims hold any water from the clinical standpoint. Continue reading “Baking Soda & Kidney “Detox”. Myth Busted!” →

Drink Water for Kidney Health

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“Drink adequate water to keep your kidneys healthy!” — Now that’s a piece of time-tested health advice, right? But then how does it work?

The internet and medical literature, in general, is filled with ample advice on drinking adequate water for good kidney health. Usually, you will find pearls of advice urging you to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily for optimum health benefits. To be factually correct, it is your total liquid intake throughout the day that matters. This could be in the form of water, juices, smoothies, milk or other non-alcoholic beverages or even soups and broths that you take throughout the day (We specify the term “non-alcoholic” here because although liquid, alcohol is a major dehydrator).

However, we all know how plain, drinking water always forms the mainstay of retaining an optimum hydration status.

Drink water kidney health

Drink Water bell So, what is it about plain water that makes it the “drink of choice” to quench thirst in the truest sense?

Drink Water bell And how exactly does drinking more water keep your kidneys healthy?

Hint: It has got nothing to do with “flushing” your kidneys

Drink Water bell Can increasing water intake slow down the progression of chronic kidney disease? What does the latest research suggest?

Continue reading “Drink Water for Kidney Health” →

Low Birth Weight & Kidney Disease

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Were you born prematurely before completing “9 months of nurturing” in your mum’s womb? Or did you have a Low Birth Weight despite being a “Term baby”?

Low Birth Weight baby
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

In that case, you may want to consider getting a medical opinion about your chances of developing high blood pressure, cardiovascular (heart) disease and kidney disease later in life.

Wonder why?

Read on to understand.

Continue reading “Low Birth Weight & Kidney Disease” →

Breathing Difficulty in Kidney Disease

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Breathing Difficulty in Chronic Kidney Disease is an inevitable accompaniment in advanced stages. But why does CKD make you breathless in the first place? Learn here.

The other day, some of us at Team ATK just sat reflecting on our pre-transplant days with Kidney Failure. And we all concurred on the helplessness we felt about that relentless “out-of-breath” sensation even at the slightest exertion. In fact, right after transplant, this was one of the first positive changes that I remember as uplifting my quality of life. I could breathe fully, freely & effortlessly again!

So, what is this “breathlessness” or as the fancy medical terminology would have it, “Dyspnoea” (pronounced as “disp-neah”) in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) all about? Continue reading “Breathing Difficulty in Kidney Disease” →

Muscle Wasting in CKD: Treatment

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Muscle wasting & pain is a common complication reported in most patients with Chronic Kidney Disease, worldwide. Speaking from personal experience, this is also one of those “visibly apparent” physical changes in the course of CKD, which can have a negative impact on our already complicated quality of life.

So, can you prevent this from happening? Well, that’s the million-dollar (research) question, isn’t it?

In our previous article in this category, we covered the whole bunch of causes that conspire together in CKD to make your muscles gradually “lose themselves” over time. Fortunately, medical research has offered us effective solutions to keep muscle wasting in CKD at bay for as long as possible. In addition, some approaches can also partially restore muscle bulk and strength after muscle wasting has already started.

Muscle Wasting Treatment Cover

 

Let’s explore these treatments then, shall we?

Continue reading “Muscle Wasting in CKD: Treatment” →