Stop Suffering and Avoid Dialysis

The kidneys are two organs situated on either side of the spin at mid-back and above the waist. These organs function to purify the blood, remove excess fluid, balance the salt and minerals in the blood and normalize blood pressure. However, the kidneys can become damaged due to diet, life choices and disease, causing waste products and fluid to build up in the body. The result of this damage can be kidney disease. Also called kidney failure, kidney disease is characterized by the kidneys' inability to function properly. At advanced stages, dangerous levels of fluid and toxins build up in the body.

Continue reading below for indepth treatment protocols for treating kidney disease, including those from Ted from Bangkok and Bill Thompson's alkalizing advice. One of the most important repeated suggestions in this section is alkalizing with remedies like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. Other contributors offer reports of remedies and supplements that have been helping, such as DMSO and Castor Oil packs. Dietary changes, such as eliminating carbonated beverages, is advised as well.

My worsening kidney disease symptoms included:

– Nausea and vomiting and constant stomach upset
– Passing only small amounts of urine and stopping and starting while urinating
– Swelling in my ankles and lower legs
– Puffiness around my eyes with brain fog and moodiness
– Chronic fatigue and shortness of breath when exerting myself
– Loss of appetite and not wanting to eat at all
– Increasingly higher blood pressure
– Bouts of anxiety and depression
– Muscle cramps which were worse in my legs

If you experience any of these symptoms this could be a warning sign of early kidney disease.

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How to Avoid Dialysis with Natural Kidney Healing Remedies

Hemodialysis-an artificial kidney machine is used to filter blood of toxins and impurities. It is performed through the use of a narrow plastic tube inserted into a vein or artery in the arm or leg.

Peritoneal dialysis-this is a more severe treatment where the blood is cleansed inside the body and requires the insertion of a catheter into the abdomen.

Dialysis does not cure kidney failure. It is a temporary solution designed to help the body rid itself of waste while the kidneys heal.

Length of Treatment

If dialysis is necessary, the length of the treatment depends largely on the health of the kidneys. Hemodialysis can take three to four hours per session.

Causes and Risk Factors of Kidney Failure kidneyhospitalabroad@hotmail.com

There are many causes of kidney failure, including:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Malaria
• Exposure to lead
• Kidney infection
• Yellow fever
• Kidney disease
• Physical injury
• Using too much of some medications

Diabetes treatments may help polycystic kidney disease patients

Polycystic kidney disease affects more than 1 in 1,000 Americans, causing cysts to form on the kidneys. Symptoms and complications can include high blood pressure, cysts in the liver and other organs and pain.

When PKD causes kidneys to fail-which usually happens after many years-the patient requires dialysis or kidney transplantation. About one-half of people with the most common type of PKD progress to kidney failure, also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

PKD can also cause cysts in the liver and problems in other organs, such as blood vessels in the brain and heart. The number of cysts as well as the complications they cause help doctors distinguish PKD from the usually harmless "simple" cysts that often form in the kidneys in later years of life.

Gattone began researching polycystic kidney disease as a scientist at the University of Kansas and continued his work in the disease after joining the IU School of Medicine in 2000. Bacallao directs the IU Health polycystic kidney disease clinic at IU Health Methodist Hospital along with his research in the disease.

Many people with autosomal dominant PKD live for several decades without developing symptoms. For this reason, autosomal dominant PKD is often called "adult polycystic kidney disease." Yet, in some cases, cysts may form earlier in life and grow quickly, causing symptoms in childhood.

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Polycystic Kidney Disease Diet Plan

There is really no cure for this disease. The best thing you can do is go on a polycystic kidney disease diet. While this won’t cure you of PKD, it will help to prolong the effects of this disease. There are many symptoms of kidney disease. These include, but are not limited to, several urinary tract infections, blood in the urine, high blood pressure, kidney stones and aneurysms.

PKD is the fourth leading cause of kidney failure and affects approximately 600,000 people in the U.S., according to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). The NKF states that about 50% of people with autosomal dominant form of PKD progress to kidney failure by age 60 and about 60% will have kidney failure by age 70.

Other than the polycystic kidney disease diet, the only treatments for PKD are dialysis or a kidney transplant. As with most diseases, early detection is key. Many times, a patient may go for decades without any symptoms of this disease, although it may show up in children as well. The majority of patients with PKD will eventually experience end stage renal failure. The only thing to do at this point is dialysis or a transplant.

Because of the severity of this disease, the polycystic kidney disease diet is so important. For this kidney disease diet, you will want to eliminate animal proteins such as red meat. You will be better off to eat occasional broths, poultry fish and low-fat cheeses. You’ll want to keep those portions at less than three ounces per day. Also, when on the polycystic kidney disease diet you will want to incorporate high fiber foods such as whole grains and fruits and vegetables high in fiber. You will also need to include low-fat fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants to help fight infections.

Acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD) may develop in association with long-term kidney problems, especially in people who have kidney failure and who have been on dialysis for a long time. Therefore, it tends to occur later in life and is an acquired, not inherited, form of PKD. Often there are cysts in other organs, such as the liver and the pancreas.

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Pain Management in Polycystic Kidney Disease

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is passed down through families (inherited), usually as an autosomal dominant trait. If one parent carries the gene, the children have a 50% chance of developing the disorder.

Pain is a common complaint in patients with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), afflicting about 60% of patients with an established diagnosis.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) ultimately occurs in approximately 50% of patients with ADPKD by 60 years of age, and over the slow course of the disease there are a constellation of symptoms and associated findings. The spectrum of pain is the focus of this article. About 30% of ADPKD patients have accompanying polycystic liver disease upon presentation. However, the presence of liver cysts is age-dependent in ADPKD patients and may eventually be noted in up to 75 to 80% of these patients.

Persons with PKD have many clusters of cysts in the kidneys. What exactly triggers the cysts to form is unknown.

PKD is associated with the following conditions:

Aortic aneurysms
Brain aneurysms
Cysts in the liver, pancreas, and testes
Diverticula of the colon

As many as half of people with PKD have cysts on the liver. A family history of PKD increases your risk for the condition.

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Health of kidney disease patients: Diet and blood pressure

A 2012 study on lacto-ovo vegetarians, without kidney disease, found the urine of vegetarians to have a 60% lower amount of two different sulfates that are thought to be toxic and are problematic for patients with kidney disease (1). The lower amounts were thought to be due to a combination of lower protein intake, higher fiber intake, and difference in bacteria in the digestive tract.

Since a number of renal toxins come from the metabolism of protein, one way to give the kidneys less work to do is to eat less protein. How much less protein depends on how serious the kidney disease is. Older animals tend to require a higher dietary protein level in general when compared to their younger counterparts. Protein also adds palatability to the food so that if we try to restrict protein too much we may end up with a pet who will not eat at all.

Further, there is a metabolic requirement for protein below which a diet cannot dip. This has led to diets with differing protein restrictions to fit with different stages of disease, less restriction for earlier stages.

• There is no protective value to restricting protein prior to the onset of kidney failure.
• High protein diets do not cause kidney failure (though they certainly make the patient worse after kidney failure is present).

This is an important part of a renal diet since phosphorus balance is crucial. Phosphorus comes into the body via the diet and leaves the body via the kidney, only in renal failure phosphorus is not well removed as it is supposed to. Obviously using less phosphorus in the diet may be adequate to keep the blood phosphorus levels normal, thus balancing the intake with the output, but sometimes addition of medication (i.e. a phosphate binder) is needed to further reduce intake. Restricting dietary phosphate has been shown to slow the progression of renal disease.

Home Cooking a Renal Diet

Home cooking an appropriate renal diet is a complicated task but it can be done. Because different pets experience different problems with their renal disease (potassium depletion or not, pH issues or not, different degrees of phosphorus restriction needed, etc.), the diet should ideally be tailored to the individual.

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Stage 5 Kidney Failure Treatment without Dialysis and Kidney Transplant

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Prevention And Treatment

Some patients who experience kidney failure may undergo kidney transplantation. Kidneys that are transplanted into patients with autosomal dominant PKD do not develop cysts. However, transplantation is associated with complications, including infection and the possibility of rejection of the new organ. To reduce the chance of rejection, patients may need to take immunosuppressant drugs.

This variability in expression and disease is evidence that this disease has multiple interrelated genetic components. Over 50% of the patients never progress to ESRD or transplantation.2,3 Further, the sequelae of ADPKD are not limited to the kidney.

When the kidneys are damaged by some systemic disease process (such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, heavy metal poisoning or drugs) it's ability to function as a filter is diminished and products of metabolism such as urea nitrogen and creatinine are not removed from the blood. This leads to blunting of the sensorium, loss of cognition and decrease in underwater skills. The extent to which this occurs varies greatly with the individual and a critical level of 'BUN' and creatinine (azotemia) causing mental and cerebral changes dangerous to a diver cannot be stated with accuracy.

Individuals can continue to function with remarkably high levels of creatinine, having some degree of accommodation. These people also have significant fluid and electrolyte shifts, blood pressure problems and renal insufficiency to the point of requiring dialysis (peritoneal or AV shunt). Significant anemia occurs for several reasons and the O2 carrying capacity of the anemic diver in renal failure would be dangerous.

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Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) Clinic Avoid Dialysis

ADPKD is the most common of all the hereditary cystic kidney diseases. It affects approximately 600,000 people in the U.S. alone and occurs in approximately one in every 400 to 1,000 live births. ADPKD is characterized by progressive cyst development and bilaterally enlarged kidneys with multiple cysts. There are two genetic mutations, PKD1 and PKD2.

Treat infections early to prevent further kidney damage. Individuals with PKD are especially prone to kidney, bladder and urinary tract infections. In order to avoid further damaging the kidneys, it is important for infections to be treated promptly with antibiotics. An untreated infection can lead to further, irreversible damage to the kidneys.

Get regular checkups. Going to the doctor once or twice a year for a checkup and blood work can help your doctor detect complications, infections and massive cysts that can speed up the progression of PKD to end-stage kidney failure. Preventive care can slow the progression of the disease through early treatment intervention.

Undergo kidney dialysis or kidney transplant. According to the National Kidney and Urological Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 50 percent of the 600,000 Americans suffering from PKD will eventually require dialysis, removal of one or both kidneys and a kidney transplant. Once the kidneys are no longer able to function on their own, PKD sufferers will have to prepare themselves for dialysis and the possibility of a kidney transplant. kidneyhospitalabroad@hotmail.com

Patients with ADPKD should avoid long-term exposure to nephrotoxic agents or medications in order to manage their condition including:

• Caffeine - which may promote renal cyst growth
• Estrogen - which may be contraindicated in those with associated severe polycystic liver disease
• Smoking

Dialysis Treatment Takes Toll on Diabetic Foot Care

For people with diabetes, kidney problems are usually picked up during a check-up by their doctor. Occasionally, a person can have type 2 diabetes without knowing it. This means their unchecked high blood sugar levels may be slowly damaging their kidneys.

“Dialysis is a miserable existence. It basically keeps you alive while you’re waiting for the best treatment, and the best treatment is a kidney transplant. The best treatment of all is prevention, but once you get to this stage, the best treatment is a kidney transplant. When you’re on dialysis, this takes over your life, and you may forget, because you’ve got no sensory symptoms, that you’ve got high-risk feet,” Andrew Boulton, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Manchester, UK, said during a presentation in March at the Diabetic Foot Global Conference (DFCon) in Los Angeles.

In addition, the increased transport of small molecules and proteins by the peritoneal membrane in diabetic patients adds the further problems of ultrafiltration deficit and malnutrition. The present article reviews pertinent evidence toward establishing the best strategy for the care of diabetic PD patients. With better glycemic control, improved nutrition, improved fluid balance, and optimal preservation of residual renal function, there is hope for improving the survival of diabetic PD patients.

As kidney disease progresses, a person’s appetite usually falls and blood sugar levels frequently become lower. It is not unusual that a person with diabetes may need to reduce the dosing of diabetes medicines to prevent excessively low glucose levels.

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Treatment Targets for Diabetic Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis

Diabetic patients are often affected by comorbid conditions that influence clinical outcome. Taking care of diabetic peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is a challenge for nephrologists, not only because these patients have more complications and comorbidities, but also because of their difficulties in maintaining glycemic control with the use of current glucose-containing dialysis solutions.

Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure, accounting for nearly 44 percent of new cases. Even when diabetes is controlled, the disease can lead to CKD and kidney failure. Most people with diabetes do not develop CKD that is severe enough to progress to kidney failure. Nearly 24 million people in the United States have diabetes,  and nearly 180,000 people are living with kidney failure as a result of diabetes. People with kidney failure undergo either dialysis, an artificial blood-cleaning process, or transplantation to receive a healthy kidney from a donor. Most U.S. citizens who develop kidney failure are eligible for federally funded care. In 2005, care for patients with kidney failure cost the United States nearly $32 billion.

Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in many countries. Compared with nondiabetic patients, patients with diabetes generally have poorer survival because of a higher incidence of complications and comorbidities. Strategies for managing diabetic patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) include proper control of glycemia, ultrafiltration, blood pressure, and metabolic status. In addition, prevention of cardiovascular complications, nutrition optimization, and preservation of residual renal function (RRF) are also important.

Unfortunately, these interventions do not always prevent kidney failure, and approximately 40% of people on dialysis have diabetes as the cause. If a person with diabetes has kidney disease requiring dialysis, the very best option is to get a kidney transplant. However, since getting a transplant usually takes several years and not everyone is able to get one, most people will need to decide between hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis (PD). In addition to the type of dialysis, a person will choose whether to have dialysis in a dialysis center or perform dialysis at home.

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Difference Between Renal Failure & Renal Insufficiency

Your renal system consists of two kidneys, the bladder, ureters, and the urethra. The ureters are tubes that deliver urine from the kidneys to the bladder, which holds urine until it is released through the urethra tube. The kidneys remove waste products and drugs, balance body fluid levels, control red blood cell production, produce a form of Vitamin D and release blood pressure-regulating hormones. These fist-size organs filter about 200 quarts of fluid every 24 hours.

Renal failure refers to temporary or permanent damage to the kidneys that results in loss of normal kidney function. There are two different types of renal failure--acute and chronic. Acute renal failure has an abrupt onset and is potentially reversible. Chronic renal failure progresses slowly over at least three months and can lead to permanent renal failure. The causes, symptoms, treatments, and outcomes of acute and chronic are different.

Renal insufficiency occurs when when the kidneys' filtration abilities diminish. Doctors use a glomerular filtration rate to define kidneys' effectiveness in filtering blood and removing waste. This GFR is calculated using serum creatinine value, along with age, gender, body size and race. Creatinine is a chemical molecule in blood that is filtered by the kidneys and measured by a blood test.

Dialysis is a procedure that is performed routinely on persons who suffer from acute or chronic renal failure, or who have ESRD. The process involves removing waste substances and fluid from the blood that are normally eliminated by the kidneys. Dialysis may also be used for individuals who have been exposed to or ingested toxic substances to prevent renal failure from occurring.

The National Kidney Foundation has established five stages of kidney disease and insufficiency. Stage 1 consists of minimal kidney disease, with a GFR of 90 percent or better. Stage 2 indicates mild kidney disease and a GFR range of 60 percent to 89 percent.

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Chronic Kidney Disease (Chronic Renal Failure)

CKD can be roughly categorized as diminished renal reserve, renal insufficiency, or renal failure (end-stage renal disease). Initially, as renal tissue loses function, there are few abnormalities because the remaining tissue increases its performance (renal functional adaptation); a loss of 75% of renal tissue causes a fall in GFR to only 50% of normal.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) involves a loss of functional renal tissue due to a prolonged (≥2 mo), usually progressive, process. Dramatic changes in renal structure may be seen, although structural and functional changes in the kidney are only loosely correlated. CKD often smolders for many months or years before it becomes clinically apparent, and it is invariably irreversible and frequently progressive. Although congenital disease results in a transient increase in prevalence in animals <3 yr old, the prevalence increases with advancing age from 5–6 yr. In geriatric populations at referral institutions, CKD affects as many as 10% of dogs and 35% of cats.

With peritoneal dialysis, wastes and excess water from the bloodstream cross into the abdominal cavity (peritoneal space) and are eliminated from the body by coursing through a catheter that is surgically implanted (through the skin) into the peritoneal cavity.

Most people with acute kidney failure improve when the cause of the kidney failure is removed or treated and don't require dialysis. Normal kidney function is usually restored, though in some cases, residual damage only allows partial restoration of the kidney function. Such patients may not require dialysis but may need medicines to supplement lost kidney function.

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Making the Decision to Stop Dialysis

Since becoming available in 1960, dialysis maintenance treatments have added countless years to the lives of millions of people with kidney failure. While it’s not a cure, the process of cleansing the blood of toxins represents a major technological advancement in life extension, one that remains vital to kidney transplant candidates facing a multiyear waiting list. But many elders choose dialysis for its critical ability to extend life through fluid and waste removal from the blood.

Chronic renal failure is the slow loss of kidney function over time. Chronic kidney disease is usually caused by diabetes or high blood pressure but can be caused by many other diseases as well. The final stage of chronic kidney disease is called end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Patients who find themselves faced with the choice to continue or stop dialysis almost always have ESRD.

Stopping dialysis for yourself or your loved one is a very personal decision and one only you can make. To make the decision that is right for you, I recommend taking these very important steps:

Talk to your physician about risks and benefits of continuing dialysis and the risks and benefits of stopping it.

Talk to your nurse, who often spends more time with your or your loved one, about quality of life. How would quality of life be affected by continuing or stopping dialysis?

If you are making the decision for someone else, check their Advance Directive for clues about how they would want to spend their final days.

Talk to your family and close loved ones about your decision. It's much easier to make a decision if you have the support of others.

Consider what death is like for someone with kidney failure. It may be preferable to stop dialysis and die of kidney failure than to continue dialysis and wait for death from cancer, lung disease, stroke, or another concurrent illness.

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How long can a person live on dialysis

There is no limit to how long a person can live on dialysis. On average, the life expectancy for someone on dialysis is between five and six years, but this can vary a lot depending on a person’s age, other health concerns and how well he/she follows his/her treatment plan.  With good care, it is very possible for a person to live for many years on dialysis.

You may not need to drink a full eight glasses of water every day to stay healthy, as once thought, but water is still a better choice than drinks that have caffeine, like soda, coffee or tea. These drinks can actually make you thirstier. Avoiding sugary juices and fruit punches is also a good idea, especially if you have diabetes. Drinking plenty of water may also help prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infections.

Note:  If you have late stage kidney disease or are on dialysis, you may need to limit how much you drink. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian about how much fluid you should have each day.

A recent study suggests that drinking two or more cola drinks (either diet or regular) each day may increase your risk for chronic kidney disease. Other types of sodas (non-colas) did not seem to increase the risk.

If you are on hemodialysis, ask your dialysis social worker for a list of dialysis centers in the area that you plan to visit. Contact these centers at least several weeks before your trip to find out which centers can provide treatment while you travel and what other arrangements you may need to make.

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Diabetes Mellitus as a Leading Cause of End-Stage Renal Disease

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) can be considered a health epidemic involving considerable human and financial resources. The number of patients with ESRD is increasing in the world due to aging populations, longer life expectancy, increasing access to renal replacement therapies (RRT), and higher incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension. Nowadays, dialysis is the dominating therapy to prevent death from uremia, in large part because donor kidneys are in short supply, and thus, the survival of these patients is still a major concern. According to the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), in 2008, the adjusted rate of prevalent ESRD cases rose 1.9%, to 1.699 per million population (pmp), with 547.982 patients under treatment.

The prevalent dialysis population increased 3.6%, reaching 382.343 patients and has grown 34.7% since 2000. Among these amazing numbers, DM is present as the leading cause of ESRD in the USA and most other countries. After a dramatic increase in the incidence rate of ESRD due to diabetes, peaking in 2006 at 160 pmp, this rate fell 3.2% and 1.5% in the following two years, reaching 153 pmp in 2008, but still corresponding to 43% of all incident patients.

Although their survival is still much worse than that of nondiabetic counterparts, mainly because of the preexisting severely compromised cardiovascular conditions, between 1994–1998 and 1999–2003, the 5-year diabetic patients survival improved 15.3% in hemodialysis (HD) and 27.1% in peritoneal dialysis (PD), reaching 29% and 27%, respectively. In Europe, diabetes as the cause of ESRD averaged 124 pmp. In the cohort 1999–2003, the unadjusted 1-, 2- and 5-year survival of patients on RRT was 80.8% (95% CI: 80.6–81.0), 69.1% (95% CI: 68.9–69.3), and 46.1% (95% CI: 45.9–46.3), respectively. Survival of incident diabetic patients either in HD and PD was the lowest and around 30% by 5 years.

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Maintenance dialysis for diabetic nephropathy with uremia

When achieved, control of hypertension and reduction of proteinuria reduced the risk for death or dialysis. In conclusion, the absolute renal risk score, determined at diagnosis, associates with risk for dialysis or death.

The major independent consensual factors are: the occurrence/presence of arterial hypertension (HT); the amount of daily proteinuria with a usual cut-off over g/d; and the presence of severe lesions on initial renal biopsy (RB) such as crescents, abundant obsolescent glomeruli, focal and segmental hyalinosis, and also tubulointerstitial fibrosis. However, at that time, there was no international classification for renal pathology in IgAN, and different groups like ours have defined their own scoring systems. The other factors are numerous and controversial or not widely confirmed: age at disease onset, gender, overweight/obesity, hypertriglyceridemia/hyperuricemia, and different immunogenetic markers (HLA antigens, cytokines polymorphisms, candidate genes for hypertension, etc.).

Fourteen patients, aged yr, with diabetic nephropathy and uremia were observed on maintenance dialysis for a total of 156.5 dialysis patient months (range: 1.5–30 months per patient). Clinical course on dialysis was eventful in most cases, though nitrogen retention and acidosis were readily controlled. Bouts of circulatory congestion and severe fluid retention were frequent in nine patients, six of whom died of acute myocardial infarction or intractable heart failure. Septic complications and hepatitis caused or contributed to the demise of four patients, and thromboembolic complications to that of one patient. Rehabilitation on dialysis was limited in nine cases, and five remained disabled. Retinopathy was not improved. Emotional problems were common in nine patients, five of whom required psychiatric care. Ten patients died between 1.5 and 21 months after the start of dialysis, and only one survived over 30 months. Three patients underwent renal transplantation 6 to 18 months after inception of dialysis. They all died 10 days to 3 months after surgery of overwhelming septic complications.

Survival rate on maintenance dialysis for the whole group was 54.8 per cent at 1 yr, and 16.4 per cent at 2 yr.

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WHY IS IT CALLED IgA NEPHROPATHY AND HOW IS IT CAUSED

IgA nephropathy is very common disease, perhaps affecting several hundred million people around the globe. Although in many patients it is a rather benign disorder, it can progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The clinical features of IgA nephropathy are quite variable but episodes of hematuria, often combined with persistent proteinuria, are common. Nephrotic syndrome at presentation is uncommon.

Because of the uncertain outlook, it is recommended that all people found to have IgA Nephropathy, even in its mild form, should be seen by their general practitioner and kidney specialist at regular intervals. Indeed healthy individuals with the disease should have blood pressure checks and urine examinations made by their doctor from time to time to pick up the first signs of any problems.

In those who have IgA Nephropathy regular tests of kidney function are necessary because progressive kidney failure can be detected by these tests. Even if someone with IgA Nephropathy appears to be stable, a regular review by a kidney specialist is important.

Primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) was first described by Jean Berger. One of the difficulties in this disease3–6 is to predict at the time of the initial diagnosis the very long-term (decade) prognosis in the individual patient. This has been approached since the 1990s by the multivariate Cox regression model, taking into account the time duration of follow-up (FU) or the time elapsed since disease onset to occurrence of the events chosen as secondary or primary end points, usually chronic kidney disease (CKD, stage 3+) and end-stage renal failure (ESRF) as strong markers of progression. The predictive risk factors (RF) identified can be classified in two groups: major and the others.

So far there is no curative treatment for IgA Nephropathy. At present the most promising treatments include blood pressure lowering agents (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors, Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists (ARA's) and Calcium Channel Blockers). Appropriate treatment including antibiotics for infections and diet will help in many cases, as will restriction of alcohol and tobacco intake and control of cholesterol. There is some evidence supporting the use of fish oil supplements. Rarely, other drugs, such as steroids, cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate are used for nephrotic of more rapidly progressive IgA nephropathy.

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Predicting the Risk for Dialysis or Death in IgA Nephropathy

While IgA Nephropathy occurs in all age groups, it is usually diagnosed before the age of 30 years. It is common in children but the peak incidence is between 15-25 years. Usually, the passage of blood in the urine (macroscopic haematuria) making it coffee or tea coloured, is one of the signs for which the person sees a doctor. This is usually associated with a sore throat or respiratory infection or diarrhoea and vomiting, and may occur again in association with such infections.

For the individual patient with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN), it remains a challenge to predict long-term outcomes for patients receiving standard treatment. We studied a prospective cohort of 332 patients with biopsy-proven IgAN patients followed over an average of 13 years.

IgA Nephropathy is sometimes called Berger's disease as a French doctor, Jean Berger, was the first to describe it. Nephropathy simply means kidney disease. The antibody IgA (Immunoglobulin A), derived from the lining of the throat, air passages and intestine is found in the kidney and has caused damage to the kidney. The precise mechanism is not yet certain and is the subject of much medical research. It is thought that some people produce too much IgA antibody when their body is fighting infections of the throat, tonsils, lungs and intestines and yet the antibody produced is not as efficient in eradicating the infection as it is in most people. As a result, the antibody combines with the infecting organism (antigen), circulates in the blood and lodges in the glomerulus (the filtering mechanism of the kidney) where it causes inflammation (nephritis) which may progress to more severe kidney damage, recognised as IgA Nephropathy.

In this paper, our goal was to use these three major risk factors to calculate a simple absolute renal risk (ARR) score allowing the accurate prediction of dialysis/death event at 10 and 20 years after disease onset, in adequately treated IgAN patients and in analogy to the well-known absolute cardiovascular (CV) risk of death/CV events at 10 years.

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Chronic Kidney Disease: Symptoms and Treatment

CKD is sometimes called a "silent disease." Patients rarely feel sick until their kidney disease is advanced, according to the NKF, which states that when symptoms do develop, they may include:

• Fatigue
• Trouble concentrating
• Poor appetite
• Trouble sleeping
• Muscle cramping at night
• Swollen feet and ankles
• Puffiness around eyes, especially in the morning
• Dry, itchy skin

Need to urinate more often, especially at night
While diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading causes of CKD, natural aging also puts people at an increased risk of developing this chronic disease, according to Vassalotti.

"As we age, we tend to lose kidney function — especially over age 50, and usually in men more so than in women. Also as we age, we're more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure," Vassolotti said. While aging is not a cause of CKD, doctors consider people over the age of 60 to be at increased risk of developing the disease, he added.

Those with a family history of kidney disease, such as polycystic kidney disease, are also at increased risk of developing CKD. Smoking, obesity and high cholesterol are other risk factors for the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. African Americans are nearly four times as likely as Caucasians to develop kidney disease, and Hispanics are about 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to be diagnosed with CKD, according to the NIH, which also found that American Indians and Alaska Natives are 1.8 times more likely than Caucasians to develop the disease.

Most kidney diseases do not have a specific drug treatment, according to Vassalotti, who said that the first goal in treating kidney disease is to address the underlying causes of the disease and stop the disease from progressing. This means treating conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, he said.

here are two different kinds of dialysis treatment, according to the National Kidney Foundation. In hemodialysis, an artificial kidney called a hemodialyzer is used to remove waste and excess chemicals and fluid from the blood. To get blood from a patient's body to the artificial kidney, a doctor performs a minor surgery to connect a blood vessel (usually in the arm or leg) to the artificial kidney.

In peritoneal dialysis, a patient's blood is cleaned inside his or her body instead of by an external hemodialyzer. The doctor first performs a surgery to place a plastic tube, or catheter into the abdomen (also known as the peritoneal cavity). The abdomen is slowly filled with a fluid known as dialysate, which absorbs extra fluids and waste products from the blood located outside the abdomen walls. Once the dialysate has done its job, it travels back outside the body through the catheter. There are two main kinds of peritoneal dialysis: continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), which is done without a machine and automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), which requires a special machine called a cycler.

"In 1950, everybody died [of CKD]. Kidney failure was 100 percent fatal. Now, we've saved the lives of over a million people with dialysis in the United States," Vassalotti said.

Finally, kidney transplant is also a treatment option for some patients with CKD, according to Vassalotti, who said that, ideally, some patients choose a kidney transplant as their first treatment option. This is known as preemptive kidney transplantation.

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Diabetic Kidney Disease: Preventing Dialysis and Transplantation

Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by proteinuria and progressive kidney failure. Since the late 1990s, the occurrence of diabetic nephropathy has been steadily increasing; this condition is now the dominant cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in many countries. The increasing prevalence of diabetic nephropathy is primarily attributable to the growing numbers of people who have type 2 diabetes mellitus (1).

Type 2 diabetic patients have a cardiovascular risk equivalent to nondiabetic individuals with a previous acute myocardial infarction.2 More importantly and often poorly appreciated, diabetic patients with early diabetic nephropathy (proteinuria or a minimally elevated serum creatinine >1.5 mg/dl) have an even greater cardiovascular risk.3 The degree of proteinuria correlates with this risk so that patients with macroalbuminuria have an even higher risk for coronary events than those with microalbuminuria. Abnormalities in vitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and calcium metabolism in patients with even moderate kidney failure lead to vascular and particularly coronary calcification,4 and this surely contributes to the high incidence of cardiovascular events. Once a patient reaches ESRD, the average survival on dialysis in the United States is 4–5 years, with death generally resulting from cardiovascular events or infection.

In the late 1970s, dialysis for patients with diabetes, who frequently have advanced cardiovascular complications, could provide only a limited benefit because of technical problems and insufficient options for medical treatment. As a result, patient survival at that time was poor. However, improvements in medical technologies and medicines, advances in the treatment of coronary artery disease and in critical care medicine, and introduction of earlier initiation of renal replacement therapy have combined to improve outcomes, with the result that dialysis for diabetic patients is now a widely accepted standard clinical practice.

The course of diabetic nephropathy is similar in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, although the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is frequently delayed because of its insidious nature, giving the appearance of an earlier onset of nephropathy in type 2 diabetes. Microalbuminuria predicts the progression to diabetic nephropathy in 80% of untreated patients with type 1 diabetes and is rarely seen when patients have been diagnosed <5 years. Macroalbuminuria generally develops within 10 years, followed by a progressive rise in serum creatinine, eventually leading to ESRD requiring dialysis or transplantation. In contrast, microalbuminuria is commonly seen in patients with type 2 diabetes at the time of diabetes diagnosis or shortly thereafter and signifies vascular endothelial injury and increased cardiovascular risk.6 It is considered more a feature of the insulin resistance syndrome,7 and only 20–40% of these patients will progress to macroalbuminuria and kidney failure. The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes at an older age also leaves less time for ESRD to develop.

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diabetic nephropathy and CKD in a diabetic

Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of chronic renal failure in the United States and other Western societies. Diabetic nephropathy may be diffuse or nodular (Kimmelstiel-Wilson lesion). The early stages cause an elevated glomerular filtration rate with enlarged kidneys, but the principal feature of diabetic nephropathy is proteinuria.

The severity of diabetic glomerulopathy is estimated by the thickness of the peripheral basement membrane and mesangium and matrix expressed as a fraction of appropriate spaces (eg, volume fraction of mesangium/glomerulus, matrix/mesangium, or matrix/glomerulus).
Three major histologic changes occur in the glomeruli of persons with diabetic nephropathy. First, mesangial expansion is directly induced by hyperglycemia, perhaps via increased matrix production or glycosylation of matrix proteins. Second, GBM thickening occurs. Third, glomerular sclerosis is caused by intraglomerular hypertension (induced by renal vasodilatation or from ischemic injury induced by hyaline narrowing of the vessels supplying the glomeruli). These different histologic patterns appear to have similar prognostic significance.

Kidney damage in type 1 diabetes is the largest cause of chronic kidney disease in the working age group.

Kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes is increasing because of the increasing prevalence of people with diabetes, improved cardiovascular survival and the trend to younger onset of type 2 diabetes.

The prevalence of microalbuminuria in patients with type 1 diabetes at 30 years' disease duration is approximately 40%.

The prevalence of microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes at 10 years' disease duration is approximately 20-25%.

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Kidney Disease and Dialysis

Normal kidneys do a number of jobs besides removing wastes from the blood. In kidney failure there is a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate and the kidneys are unable to maintain homeostasis of the blood. In addition, the kidneys produce hormones which control other functions in the body. Although dialysis treatment can remove wastes and excess water, medications are needed to control the levels of these minerals and to replace the hormones.

Dialysis is a treatment: it does not cure kidney disease or make kidneys well again, and it does not fully replace your kidney function. Unless you receive a kidney transplant, you must continue to have dialysis for the rest of your life. A different dialysis technique, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), makes use of the fact that the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) is a differentially permeable membrane. A plastic bag containing dialysis fluid is attached to the patient's abdominal cavity. After about 30 minutes, the fluid is withdrawn into the bag and discarded. This process is repeated about three times a day. This type of dialysis is much more convenient but poses the threat of peritonitis, should bacteria enter the body cavity with the dialysis fluid.

A different dialysis technique, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), makes use of the fact that the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) is a differentially permeable membrane. A plastic bag containing dialysis fluid is attached to the patient's abdominal cavity. After about 30 minutes, the fluid is withdrawn into the bag and discarded. This process is repeated about three times a day. This type of dialysis is much more convenient but poses the threat of peritonitis, should bacteria enter the body cavity with the dialysis fluid.

Long term use of dialysis is not as desirable for the patient as would be a funtioning kidney. With a successful kidney transplant, a patient can live a more normal live with far less long term expense. At present more than two thirds of kidney transplants are successful for several years, although physicians must routinely treat the problems of graft rejection. There are several recipients of kidney transplants who have survived for more than 20 years.

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How Long Do You Live After Stopping Dialysis

In 2012, about 370,000 ESRD patients in the Medicare program received dialysis treatment in 5,800 facilities, according to a March report to Congress by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Medicare spent a total of $10.7 billion for dialysis in 2012, a 6% increase from 2011. That spending covered the dialysis procedures, medications and ESRD-related lab tests.

The majority of centers are freestanding clinics, which make up 92% of all dialysis facilities in the U.S. and accounted for 93% of Medicare dialysis spending in 2012. While the number of hospital-based and not-for-profit facilities has decreased in recent years, the share of for-profit centers has increased, from 82% in 2008 to 86% by 2013, according to MedPAC.

The growth in dialysis facilities, which has increased by 6% annually over the past five years, has been accompanied by an increase in the population of Americans diagnosed with ESRD. That total rose from 411,000 in 2001 to more than 615,000 by 2011 as more Americans developed chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. While the share of Americans receiving dialysis dropped by 2 percentage points during that period, the overall number of patients receiving dialysis increased from 296,000 in 2001 to more the 430,000 by 2011, according to government figures. The incidence rate for ESRD in the U.S. was 425 per million people in 2010, second only to Mexico.

One reason the system's problems have evolved out of the health care spotlight is that kidney failure disproportionately afflicts minorities and the dispossessed. But given a patient pool growing by 3 percent a year and the outsize 6 percent bite that the kidney program takes from the Medicare budget, we ignore dialysis at our own risk. "We're offering our patients a therapy we wouldn't accept for ourselves," said Dr. Tom F. Parker III, a Dallas nephrologist and national advocate for better care. More and more leaders in the field, he said, "are starting to say this isn't sufficient."

Currently, more than 20 million Americans have some level of chronic kidney disease. That's related to an increase in diabetes, the most common cause of renal failure. Experts predict that as the prevalence of diabetes increases, so will the demand for dialysis.

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How to get off Dialysis support and Heal the Kidneys

Often, the reason for ending dialysis is an emotional one. Many individuals with chronic kidney failure choose to stop because they are either not likely to receive a transplant or ill suited for one. When faced with the need to continue receiving dialysis for the rest of their lives, many find the prospect intolerable. For some, the quality of life with regular dialysis treatment is very poor. As such, they would rather live a few weeks on their own terms than have the potential to live years with dialysis.

Sometimes, the decision to end dialysis is made for health reasons. An individual may choose to stop because of the side effects and complications common to the treatment. Possible complications can range from low blood pressure and fever to infection and allergic reactions. Even diet may be affected, as loss of appetite is common in those undergoing this treatment.

The decision to stop dialysis can be related to its cost as well. While most insurance programs cover dialysis treatments, many patients still find it expensive. Some patients may see the financial toll this treatment takes on their families and decided to stop.

Before an individual makes the decision to stop this treatment, he should discuss the possibility with loves ones and his healthcare team. In some cases, adjustments can be made to improve the patient’s quality of life while allowing for continued treatments. If this is not enough to make continuing dialysis acceptable, the treatment team may be able to provide advice and support for ending it.

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How TO Prevent And Treat Kidney Failure Naturally Without Dialysis

Dialysis – might not offer a survival benefit in patients over 75 years of age with stage 5 CKD and multiple comorbidities, especially ischemic heart disease; Conservative treatment is often recommended for people who are over 75 years of age and have other serious health conditions, such as heart disease

How Many Years Can Dialysis Patients Live

If these problems are ignored, renal failure may set in leading to heart disease or even death. Along with the many treatments available to fight kidney disease, you can be proactive and follow a renal diet, eating certain foods that support healthy kidney function.

NATURAL DIURETICS

Various foods have diuretic properties, which promote healthy urination and reduce swelling that may be the result of kidney disease. Use parsley, celery ,watermelon, tomatoes, grapes, cucumber, dandelion greens and fennel to relieve swelling throughout the body. When there is less swelling, your blood pressure may also be lowered. Before consuming large amounts of diuretic foods, contact a health practitioner, especially if you take diuretics or medication for high blood pressure.

Pineapple

Pineapple is high in the natural enzyme, bromelain, which is reputed to fight inflammation. In the case of kidney disease, bromelain will help to reduce amyloid deposits in the kidneys, although there’s scant evidence of this claim, says the University of Maryland Medical Center in a 2008 report on amyloidosis. Amyloid is a type of protein that develops throughout the body as one ages and leads to amyloidosis, an incurable condition. Bromelain is often taken in conjunction with turmeric, a spice with anti-inflammatory properties, which boosts the action of both supplements. Bromelain and turmeric can thin the blood, so don’t use them if you take blood-thinning medicines unless under the supervision of a health practitioner- maybe a B.P drug .

Cranberries

Cranberries and cranberry juice have long been used in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Cranberries are high in vitamin C, anthocyanins, a potent anti-inflammatory compound, and potassium, sodium, and phosphorus.

These minerals are all critical for proper kidney function and to balance the blood pressure, one of the kidney’s main functions. Additionally, cranberries and cranberry juice can prevent and dissolve kidney stones, according to a study on the matter published in the British Journal of Urology in 2003. If you drink cranberry juice, use only unsweetened concentrate and dilute it with 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water to equal 1 qt. total, the study advises. Drink this amount daily throughout the day. Cranberries are considered safe for use in acute urinary tract infections but may cause unseen side effects for those with renal disease. Don’t use cranberries or cranberry juice medicinally if you have active kidney disease without first consulting your health practitioner.

Generally, our kidneys play a vital role in the removal of waste and water from our blood to create urine. To keep that filtration system healthy means drinking lots of water, as well as eating the right foods.

So here we have red bell peppers, cabbage, onions and all different colors of cabbage actually, and what do these foods have in common? They’re low potassium foods. Low potassium foods such as these are great for supporting kidney health longer. You can certainly eat them raw in crudites, saute them up and add them to different dishes, and that would just be great for you. Water is also an important key in keeping your kidneys healthy. So flushing water into your body constantly is fantastic .

We are made up of more than 75 percent water, our bodies, so dehydration is definitely a factor, and keeping kidneys healthy longer means drinking lots of fresh water as well. Add some beautiful fresh sliced lemon, add some fresh cucumbers that will help you drink more, be refreshed, and really add some good nutrition into your body.

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Types of Homeopathic Medicine for Kidney Failure

According to the National Kidney Foundation, more than 26 million Americans either have kidney disease or are at risk of developing kidney disease. Untreated kidney disease leads to chronic renal failure (CRF), also known as chronic kidney failure. However, the underlying cause of kidney disease may vary. Hypertension and diabetes are common contributors, but genetics, chronic infection, lupus and kidney stones are other causes of kidney disease.

There at two dominant approaches to homeopathic medicine: the classical and the complex. The classical homeopathic approach treats illnesses with a single remedy that precisely matches the patient's "inherent constitutional type and symptom picture." On the other hand, homeopathic practitioners generally employ the complex approach, using several remedies to treat serious ailments and symptoms associated with kidney failure.

The following are some of the common remedies and the rubrics they cover that are associated with kidney failure: Ammonium carb's rubrics are frequent and painful urination, white, bloody, scanty, turbid or fetid urine, mental sluggishness and fatigue. Apis mel's rubrics are general edema or swelling, kidney inflammation and suppression of urine. Arsenic alb's rubrics are difficult urination, uremia, nephritis, scanty and burning or involuntary urination.

Aurum met's rubrics are painful retention of urine and urine with mucous like sediment. Belladonna's rubric is inflamed kidneys. Berberis' rubrics are hypertension, renal (kidney) stones, dark yellow or green urine and neuralgic pain coming from the kidneys. Cannabis ind's rubric is urinary tract infections. Cantharsis' rubrics are tenderness in kidney areas, renal colic and nephritis (kidney inflammation). Chelidonium's rubrics are frequent night urination, copious urination and pale white urine. Cicuta's rubrics are frequent urination, forceful urination, retention of urine and convulsions. Colocynthis' rubric is cramping in the kidneys.

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Dietary Advice For Kidney Patients

The following information will give you an overview of a renal diet, prior to dialysis, and also what to expect when you commence dialysis. You will be informed by the dietician when it is necessary to commence this diet. All patients have different dietary needs, so it is important to start this diet only under the guidance of the dietician.

SALT

Salt is an important aspect of dietary treatment at all stages of your kidney disease. High intake of salt, from the diet, can cause problems with blood pressure control and fluid retention. It is advised to avoid adding any salt to meals and also to reduce the intake of very salty foods such as processed meats, bacon, sausages, soup and packet sauces. Your dietician will advise you on suitable alternatives to using salt.

PROTEIN

Protein intake from the diet is important during the progression of chronic kidney disease and also when you commence dialysis. The protein we eat is used for tissue repair and growth. Any unused protein is broken down into waste products, including urea and creatinine. As your kidneys are unable to excrete urea and creatinine properly, they build up in your blood and cause symptoms such as nausea and loss of appetite.

By eating large amounts of protein foods e.g. meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, milk and yoghurt before commencing dialysis, you will affect the buildup of urea and creatinine in your blood. An appropriate daily intake of protein should be advised by your dietician.

However, once dialysis treatment has commenced it is important to make sure that your body is getting
enough protein to prevent malnutrition. Some of your stores of protein are lost during the haemodialysis
and CAPD sessions. How much protein you need depends on your body size and is specific to each individual.

PHOSPHATE

Phosphate is another mineral found in many foods, mainly meat and dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurts, and also bran nuts and cola. Calcium and phosphate work together to keep your bones, teeth and blood vessels healthy. When phosphate and calcium levels are elevated, or out of balance in kidney disease, the extra calcium and phosphate join together to form hard deposits in your body. This is known as calcification. These deposits can form in the heart, lungs, blood vessels, joints and other soft tissue. High phosphate levels also affect your bones, causing kidney bone disease. Over time bones become brittle, weak and painful and liable to fracture easily.

As with potassium, an elevated phosphate level will require you to reduce the intake of phosphate from your diet. It may also be necessary to take phosphate binding substances with your food to reduce the absorption of phosphate from the gut.

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Kidney Disease and a Low Protein Diet

If you are have been diagnosed with CKD you are not alone. Dr. Mackenzie Walser writes that it is important for anyone with kidney disease to begin a low protein diet. Calling it a "life saving" approach, based on his 30 years of work with kidney patients at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Walser recommends a very low protein diet, supplemented with essential amino acids to provide adequate nutrition. Based on many years of experience, Dr. Walser believes this diet will help people delay the need for dialysis and reduce many of the uncomfortable symptoms associated with chronic kidney disease.

The cornerstone of Dr. Walser's treatment plan is a very low protein diet supplemented with essential amino acids, that should be planned in accordance with recommendations from a nutritionist or another qualified health professional. You should not start such a diet or attempt any significant modification of your protein intake without consulting with your kidney disease specialist.

Evidence suggests that low protein diets may retard the progression of renal failure or delay the need for dialysis therapy." Again, even the moderately low protein diet recommended by the National Kidney Foundation needs to be designed by a kidney disease specialist.

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How do normal kidneys function

To understand how chronic kidney disease can go unnoticed, let’s take a look at how normal kidneys function and then learn how efficiently they can work even when they are damaged.

Most people are born with two kidneys. The kidneys are about the size of a closed fist. They are located in the middle back above the waist, with one on each side of the spine. The right kidney is a little lower and smaller to make room for the liver.

Most people think that the kidneys are only responsible for making urine, but there are more functions of the kidneys that affects many areas of the body.

A health kidney is responsible for:

• cleaning the blood
• producing urine
• regulating blood pressure
• balancing fluids, minerals and chemicals in the body
• signaling the bones to make red blood cells

Healthy kidneys process all of the body’s blood supply every five minutes. On a daily basis healthy kidneys filter the blood, removing toxins from the bloodstream and turning it into urine that will be excreted from the body. In addition, the kidneys release renin, which is an enzyme that regulates blood pressure. The kidneys also decide when to hold on to or delete fluids, minerals and chemicals in the body to keep levels balanced and healthy. Another task of the kidneys is to signal the release of erythropoietin, a hormone that tells the bones to create red blood cells.

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Artificial kidneys look to replace dialysis treatment

Kidney disease is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States and more than 10 percent of the U.S. population suffers from chronic kidney disease. Kidney disease is the gradual loss of the function of the kidneys. The kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from your blood which is then excreted through urination. Kidney disease is so dangerous because once it reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluids, electrolytes and wastes can build up in your body. The buildup of these wastes can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue or weakness, sleeping problems, changes in urine output, muscle twitches and cramps, swelling of feet and ankles, and a decrease in mental sharpness. Many of the signs and symptoms of kidney disease can be nonspecific and can also be caused by other illnesses. It is best to be checked by a doctor if you notice any signs or symptoms.

Toby needs dialysis to do the work of his failing kidneys. But the treatments have taken over his life, even forcing him to quit his job.

Now, researchers are studying a wearable artificial kidney. It does the same job as dialysis but it's portable, so it offers patients the ability to move while they receive therapy.

Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy develops on the basis of Traditional Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy. Traditional Chinese Medicine, known as Chinese Herbal Medicine, is extracted from plants for use in the treatment of disease and certain medical conditions. It is the world's most ancient form of medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine takes effects on kidney disease slowly for the ingredient of herbs needs to be absorbed by our alimentary system firstly. Meantime, the oral herbal soup makes many patients sick due to the bitter taste.

Micro-Chinese Medicine is designed as an external application to avoid the two major disadvantages of TCM.The core technology of Micro-Chinese Medicine Osmotherapy is to make the effective herbs of kidney disease super-finely shattered. Then with the help of effective penetrant and osmosis devices, the effective medicines are permeated into kidney lesions by external application, thus achieving the goal of treating kidney disease. Clinical practices have been proved that this application method is both effective and convenient. At present, this therapy has become the core and most basic treating technique of Kidney Disease Hospital.

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Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

In the first stage, the GFR is equal to or greater than 90 mL/min, which is same as that of a healthy kidney. There are almost no symptoms and hence, diagnosing the condition is difficult. But it is generally recommended for patients suffering from diabetes, to undergo tests, which can give details of the amount of creatinine or urea in the blood. An increased amount of creatinine in the blood or proteins in the urine is a clear indication that a person is suffering from chronic kidney disease. Other methods used to understand the state of a person's kidney are MRI, ultrasound, X-ray and CT scan. If the problem is diagnosed at this stage, the treatment becomes relatively simpler and medication can be used to stop, retard or reverse the CKD.

The symptoms in this stage are not identifiable, just as in the first stage. The GFR lies between 60 and 89mL/min. The diagnosis can again, be done through X-ray, MRI, ultrasound and CT-scan. Kidney dialysis is generally not required if a person is detected with kidney disease at the second stage.

This is the stage where the symptoms start showing. The GFR falls somewhere in between 30 to 59 mL/min. The patient shows symptoms of fatigue and breath shortage. Liquids start accumulating in different parts of the body and this is visible due to the swelling of the hands and legs. Urine color of the person also shows identifiable changes. It changes to dark orange, red or brown. A person, if diagnosed at the third stage, is referred to a nephrologist, who performs various lab tests to understand the root cause of the problem and suggests the type of treatment. A person in this stage, should also consult a dietitian who would recommend a diet that best suits his condition. If a patient is suffering from polycystic kidney disease, he may experience pain at the back of his body, around the area where the kidneys are located.

With the GFR falling further, the patient starts showing additional symptoms. With increase in urea content in the patient's blood, he normally develops a bad breath. Nausea and loss of appetite are the common symptoms of a patient going through the fourth stage of CKD. There are a variety of nerve problems and he loses his capability to concentrate. The GFR in the fourth stage, is between 15 to 29 mL/min. Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are the common treatments at this stage. A kidney transplant is also recommended by many nephrologists, if the GFR is very close to 15 mL/min.

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Eat a Healthy Diet for CKD

We literally are what we eat—we build our cells out of our food. So, if you eat mostly fast food and drink sugary sodas, you may be able to improve your kidney health by eating better foods. Studies have found that eating more fresh vegetables, fruit*, and low fat dairy and less saturated fat, starches, and sweets may help slow CKD.

Some doctors believe a diet lower in some proteins can help slow kidney disease. Ask your doctor to refer you to a dietitian who specializes in treating those with chronic kidney disease. A dietitian can help you learn how to keep your kidneys healthy longer by eating the right foods. Don't limit your protein until you have talked about it with your doctor or dietitian.

Control Your Blood Sugar Levels

If you have diabetes, stay at a healthy weight, exercise, and take medications as prescribed to keep your blood glucose in the "normal" range. Tight control of blood sugar can help slow the progression of kidney disease. Your HbA1c levels, which measure your blood sugar control over a period of 3 months, should be less than 6.5%.

Quit Smoking

In people with CKD, smoking is linked to an increase in the amount of protein spilled in the urine. In smokers with diabetes, CKD may progress twice as fast. Scientists are not sure why this is the case, but if you have kidney disease and you smoke, quitting may help slow down the damage.

Avoid Certain Pain Medications

Some over-the-counter pain pills containing ibuprofen or naproxen, and even acetaminophen (e.g., Motrin®, Advil®, Aleve®, Tylenol®) can affect kidney function. This is especially true if you have kidney, heart, or liver disease or you take diuretics (water pills). Avoid using combinations of these pain pills and caffeine—both at once can further damage your kidneys.

Exercise

With your doctor's okay, start an exercise program to control weight and keep your heart and blood vessels healthy and your muscles and joints in good working order. Although written for people on dialysis, Exercise: A Guide for People on Dialysis has useful information to help anyone with a chronic illness get more exercise.

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