Do This Now If You Want a Healthy Kidney Later

Nearly 40 million Americans suffer from kidney disease, and more than 800,000 have kidney failure, a life-threatening complication that requires dialysis or a kidney transplant. Although there’s no cure for kidney disease and no “vaccine” to prevent it, there are some things you can do to improve kidney health and reduce your risk of problems.

Chadi Saad, MD, and the team at Nephrocare MD LLC are highly skilled in treating all sorts of kidney problems, including chronic kidney disease — and they’re also skilled in helping patients prevent kidney problems. In this post, learn what steps you can take to keep your kidneys healthy and reduce your own risks of kidney problems.

1. Optimize your eating plan

Following a healthy eating plan is important for every organ in your body, including your kidneys. Avoid foods that are high in salt (sodium), unhealthy fats, and sugars, and limit fast foods and processed foods that may contain other unhealthy or artificial ingredients.

2. Quit smoking

Smoking is harmful to more than just your heart and lungs. It affects your kidneys, too. What’s more, smoking can cause very early kidney damage with signs so subtle, they may not be picked up through regular kidney function tests.

Smoke contains chemicals that damage your blood vessels, including the vessels that supply your kidneys with nutrients and oxygen. Not only can that lead to kidney dysfunction, but smokers also are more likely to require kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant.

3. Manage underlying medical problems

High blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes are major causes of kidney disease, according to the CDC, but fortunately, both can be managed. Eating a healthy diet is important for managing these and other chronic diseases that can cause kidney problems, and other lifestyle changes can help, too.

When lifestyle changes aren’t sufficient, medication may help. If you have an underlying chronic disease, it’s important to work closely with your doctor to develop (and follow) an effective treatment plan. 

4. Limit alcohol consumption

Your kidneys’ main function is to filter your blood, removing impurities, toxins, and wastes so that they can be eliminated from your body through your urine. Meanwhile, the filtered blood is returned to circulation.

When you drink, the alcohol that enters your blood needs to be filtered out, too, and that means your kidneys have to work a lot harder. If you drink alcohol on a regular basis or if you drink a lot of alcohol at one time (binge drinking), you can double your risk of kidney disease or cause acute kidney injury (AKI), according to the American Kidney Foundation.

5. Monitor medications

Some medications, including over-the-counter medicines, can cause kidney problems, especially when you take them a lot. Always follow the dosing instructions on the label, and ask your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medicine for a prolonged period.

6. Drink plenty of water

Your kidneys produce urine, and to do that, they need a lot of fluid. In fact, your body is about 60% fluid. It’s easy to see, then, that even mild dehydration can quickly lead to a host of problems, including kidney dysfunction, kidney stones, and more.

Drinking plenty of water also helps flush wastes from your kidneys and supports normal urine production. Most people should aim for about eight glasses of water a day for maximum benefits.

7. Have annual physicals

Annual physicals are important for staying healthy at every stage of life. Most physicals include blood work or urine tests (or both), each of which look for unusual changes that could indicate a problem with your kidneys.

Give your kidneys some love

Your kidneys play an essential role in your overall health. Adopting a few healthy routines could be all it takes to avoid kidney disease now and in the future. 

To learn how our team can help improve your kidney health and function, call 313-960-6605 or book an appointment online with Dr. Saad and the team at Nephrocare MD LLC in Dearborn, Michigan, today.