Kidney Disease Awareness Is More Important Than You Think.
Updated: Mar 10, 2022
You probably spend a lot of time thinking about how to stay healthy. You may even know ways to protect your bones, brain, and heart. But what about your kidneys? When it comes to the organ essential for life — there is a lot you can control (or let your doc control).
The kidneys are two organs in the back of the abdominal area that work hard to help your body function correctly.
When they get sick, they can stop working properly which may lead to kidney failure. Kidney disease is quite common so most people will face at least some problems because of them at some point in their lives.
With March being, National Kidney Month & this year it's 10th March being World Kidney
Day now is the perfect time to get educated and make some changes in your diet and lifestyle in order to protect your kidneys.
Why are your kidneys important? Here's why:
The kidneys are two little organs in your lower back that are about the size of a large fist. These organs are in charge of filtering your daily blood flow of 200 liters. They keep their overall health in check by doing the following tasks:
Your kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from your body, so it is important to take care of your kidneys by avoiding certain foods and beverages, such as coffee and alcohol.
Your kidneys work together with your liver to process toxins and remove them from the body.
They also maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals in the blood.
They help in controlling red blood cell synthesis.
They also release hormones to regulate blood pressure.
And produce an active form of vitamin D to support strong, healthy bones.
What Are the Causes of Kidney Disease?
Kidney disease develops when the kidneys can longer remove waste and maintain healthy fluid and chemical balances in the body.
The many different causes of kidney disease are high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, or diabetes.
There are many types of kidney disease - Kidney stones ,Urinary tract infection, Glomerulonephritis Acute kidney Disease and CKD.
CKD is one of the most critical and long-term of them.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is also often referred to as the “silent killer;” it often presents no symptoms in its earliest phase.
By educating yourself about how to prevent kidney disease and by making lifestyle choices that protect your kidneys, you can make a significant difference in preventing the disease.
It’s important to know that the severity of CKD depends on how well your kidneys filter wastes from your blood.
Many people with diabetes or high blood pressure—one in three with diabetes and one in five with hypertension—will develop chronic kidney disease.
If a person has CKD, regular medical supervision is important. Medications and lifestyle changes can slow the progression of the disease.
Symptoms of Kidney Diseases
Unfortunately, there are usually no noticeable symptoms in the early stages of CKD that a person would notice.
The symptoms of the renal disease might be mistaken for those of a variety of other illnesses. Because your kidneys are so efficient, they will adjust and compensate for any loss of function, making it more difficult to detect a problem.
The symptoms are as follows:
Nausea and Vomiting
Appetite loss
Weakness and exhaustion
Sleeping difficulties
Muscle twitches and spasms
Changes in urine output
Swelling of the ankles and feet
Itching that doesn't go away
Importance of National Kidney Month
Renal health is a key health issue for many people, and awareness of kidney disease is needed.
During National Kidney Month and every other month, people are reminded that their kidneys help keep them healthy.
It doesn’t matter who we are – young or old, male or female, or what our lifestyle may be – we can all improve our lives and protect loved ones by taking some simple steps, like getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding or limiting the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
By taking charge of our health and empowering ourselves with information about CKD signs, symptoms, treatment, and prevention, most seniors can expect to live long, healthy lives that are free of complications from CKD.
Take the first step today and reach out to us at koshanutrition@gmail.com to know more about how you can prevent and take care of your kidney and keep all the diseases at bay.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-kidney-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354521
Blog written by:
Soniya Yadav