A kidney transplant is a procedure that employs an operation to transplant properly functioning kidney in the body. The main job of the kidneys is to remove the excess waste from a person s body with the help of a filtration process. When the kidneys stop filtering the toxins properly, they become diseased as harmful waste products and toxins begin to accumulate in the body. Following this, the patient has to go through treatment measures like dialysis or kidney transplant.

Read on to know the five things you should keep in mind about a kidney transplant.

Treatment: Transplant is one of the best ways to treat chronic kidney disease stage-V, until unless it is contraindicated. Life becomes near normal after transplant, though there is a possibility of rejection of transplant kidney. Patient has to take immunosuppressive medication life long. 
Medication: Medications are mainly for:
To prevent rejection: Patient takes immunosuppressive medications life long. 
Prevention of infection: Patient has to take care all the measures to prevent infections as they are more prone to infections. 
Other medication: To control diabetes, HTN etc. 
Family Only: The donors are from family or emotionally related or cadavers (after brain death). HLA-matched donors are better because of less chances of rejections and first reduction of immunosuppressive. 
Doing Your Part: Once transplant is done - patient becomes normal and he/she lives a normal life. However, they have to take regular medications and to protect themselves from various infection. 
End Stage Renal Diseases: These diseases includes diabetes mellitus, HTN, polycystic kidney disease, chronic glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis etc.
Consult your Nephrologist before going for renal transplant for detailed check up or line of action.

Kidney Transplant - 5 Things About it !

What is diabetic kidney disease?
Diabetic nephropathy, also known as Diabetic Kidney Disease is a type of complication that occurs in people who are a victim to diabetes. That does not mean every individual with diabetes will have this disease, but if the necessary precautions are not taken, then it can lead to this disease. Diabetic Kidney Disease is characterised by excessive amounts of albumin as well as protein in the urine. In diabetics, certain chemicals in the kidneys shoot up and hamper the function of the glomeruli.

The glomeruli are the main units of kidneys that are responsible for the filtration. Diabetic kidney diseases result in the leakage of essential products like albumin and protein into the urine. When this happens, the protein levels in the blood reduce. If proper precautions are not taken and treatment is not done, then the disease may worsen and the condition will progress to  end-stage renal failure .

How to avoid diabetic kidney disease?
The best way to treat diabetic kidney disease is to prevent it in the first place. Foremost, you should prevent the risk factors in order to avoid coming down with Diabetic Nephropathy. The risk factors include high blood pressure, high levels of blood sugar, dyslipidemia and smoking. Avoid excess of following 5S Sugar, Salt, smoke, stress and sedentary life.

Intensive control over blood sugar
According to certain clinical trials, maintaining and keeping a good control over your blood sugar levels drastically reduces the risk of developing diabetic kidney disease. If you are diabetic, make it a point to get your regular checkups and maintain your diet to prevent the levels of sugar in your blood to shoot up. Other things that you must keep in your mind are to take proper medication that has been prescribed to you. You must adhere to your treatment plans and follow the guidelines that have been given to you.

Intensive control over blood pressure
Hypertension is common in patients who are diabetic. Hypertension alone can result in end-organ damage due to excess pressure build up in the blood vessels. Hypertension associated with hyperglycaemia (diabetes) is a ticking bomb for your kidneys. Hence it is advised to keep your blood pressure under control as well to prevent diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic nephropathy is not something that happens to every individual with diabetes, so if you follow the above simple tips, the chances of the same reduce, and thus the quality of your life goes up. Many diabetics will get kidney failure due to causes other than diabetes and that may be treatable. Hence early consult with nephrologist is a must.

Diabetic Kidney Disease - How It Can Be Prevented?

The ideal diet after a kidney transplant

A kidney transplant is a surgical procedure where your kidneys are cleansed and rebuild using the kidneys of a deceased person, in order to flush out the excessive waste fluids from the kidneys. It is of paramount importance and your dietary patterns and lifestyle should be altered after you go through a kidney transplant. Your dietician will help you out by preparing your diet chart to clearly list out the foods that you should consume and those which you should avoid after the surgery. The diet chart that would be prepared for you would be highly subjective and it would totally depend  on your lifestyle, medical history, family health records, genetically transmitted conditions and such others. Apart from improving the condition of your kidney and assisting your transplant, the diet chart will also help you to lose weight, boost your metabolism and enhance your immune system. Some of the most common recommendations that your dietician may give you are as follows:

-Eating at least 5 full servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day as both are an important part of a healthy diet for a person who has just undergone a kidney transplant. The vegetables should mostly be eaten after cooking/boiling as per the suggestions of your dietician.
-Having enough of fiber rich foods in your daily diet is essential as it speeds up the process of digestion and prevents constipation by promoting frequent and easy bowel movements.
-If you are a non-vegetarian, then you should be going for lean meat alternatives which are low on fat and high on nutritional value. -Examples of such meat are fishes and poultry. Additionally, you should also avoid all kinds of red meat as it is high on fat.
-Consume low-fat milk and dairy products as they help to prevent the fat accumulation inside the body and also maintain an acceptable level of calcium and phosphorus inside your body.
-Maintain a low level of iodized salt in your meals, as it helps to keep your blood pressure under control.
Over the counter health supplements like vitamins and proteins can also be taken, if recommended by your dietician.

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The Ideal Diet after a Kidney Transplant

Chronic kidney disease is defined as kidney damage or a decreased kidney glomerular filtration rate of less than 60, for 3 months or more, irrespective of the cause. This results in a progressive decline in kidney function, resulting in accumulation of toxic waste products, excess water and salts, increased blood pressure, anemia and many other complex symptoms. Chronic renal failure is divided into Stages I - V, out of which the first three stages are asymptomatic, and usually discovered incidentally, while doing routine blood tests.

Symptoms of chronic kidney disease

Most people do not have severe symptoms until the disease gets worse. However, you may:

Have less energy
Have trouble thinking clearly
Have a poor appetite
Have trouble sleeping
Have dry, itchy skin
Have muscle cramping at night
Have swollen feet and ankles
Have puffiness around your eyes, especially in the morning
Need to urinate more often, especially at night
The management of chronic renal failure consists of treatment of the underlying cause if possible, aggressive treatment of high blood pressure and other symptoms, liquid and diet control, cessation of smoking, and finally, with end-stage disease, resorting to dialysis or a kidney transplant.

The Ayurvedic treatment of chronic renal failure is based on three principles:

Treating the damaged kidneys
Treating the body tissues (dhatus) which make up the kidneys and
Treating the known cause.
For patients with chronic renal failure intending to take Ayurvedic treatment (or for that matter, any alternative treatment), the following points should be kept in mind:

All patients should be under the regular supervision and treatment of a qualified and experienced Urologist

Ayurvedic medicines should be taken in the form of additional treatment, and should not replace other, regular treatment or dialysis.

The advantage of using Ayurvedic medicines in chronic renal failure is that in most patients, the kidney damage can be either partly or fully reversed, the frequency of dialysis can be reduced, and the increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases can be significantly reduced. Thus, Ayurvedic medicines have the potential for an important therapeutic contribution in all the stages of this condition. We are treating Kidney patients with excellent results. We have developed specific Panchakarma treatment protocol and specific medicines for kidney patients. 2 to 3 weeks Panchakarma treatments specially Basti karma, Shirodhara, abhayangam with medicated oil and special Ayurvedic diet plan gives tremendous relief.

Chronic Renal Failure - Ways Ayurveda Can Treat It!

Often, early stages of kidney diseases do not come with specific signs and symptoms and most people will remain unaware of their condition. However, certain symptoms may be perceived that may indicate that a person is suffering from early stages of kidney failure. When you are diagnosed with kidney failure (also known as renal failure) in the initial stages, certain measures can be taken to retard the progression of the renal disease. This can also help reverse the condition and improve the quality of life of the patient. On the basis of a typical cause, the symptoms of kidney failure are grouped into specific categories that are given below. If you notice any of the specified renal failure symptoms, it is recommended to immediately fix up an appointment with your doctor and get your diagnostic tests done. 

Symptoms of Renal Failure from the accumulation of waste products in the body: 

Metallic taste in mouth 
Nausea and vomiting 
Facing difficulty in concentrating 
Loss of appetite 
Aversion towards meat (protein aversion) 
Itching or pruritus 
Symptoms of Renal Failure from the accumulation of fluid in the body: 

Dyspnoea or shortness of breath (this happens due to the accumulation of fluid in the lungs).
Swelling is seen in the feet, hands or face. 
Symptoms of Kidney Failure from damage to the kidneys: 

The amount of urine production changes, though it is not a reliable sign Haematuria or blood in the urine (usually in microscopic quantity). 
Frothiness or foam in the urine (usually happens when protein is present in the urine). 
Symptoms of Kidney Failure due to decreased blood production (anemia): 

Dyspnoea or shortness of breath. 
Fatigue Weakness. 
Confusion If you happen to feel cold all the time. 
The following diagnostic tests will be performed by your doctor in order to determine whether the symptoms are the manifestation of a kidney failure or not: 

Urine analysis - In this test, a sample of your urine is tested to find traces of blood, white blood cells or proteins which may indicate a problem in kidney function. 
Blood Tests - This includes tests for BUN and creatinine in the blood which are usually removed from the blood if the kidneys function properly. 
Actions must be taken when you show signs and symptoms of kidney failure: 

It is common that the symptoms of early renal failure are not always prominent, but if any of the above symptoms are witnessed, it is recommended to met a physician to determine whether they are caused by a kidney disease. You can pen-down the symptoms that you feel are related and bring it to the doctor when you fix up the next appointment. It is essential to know about your disease at the earliest as it will give you time and the ease of taking measures to retard the damage process and will decrease or delay the probability of undergoing dialysis or kidney transplant.

Kidney Failure - What Should You Know About it?

Kidney failure and other kidney problems are the leading causes of death nowadays. Common problems that lead to kidney failure include chronic blood pressure and chronic uncontrolled diabetes. However, there are a number of ayurvedic medications which help solve kidney failure and other kidney problems including;

1. Punarnava

Punarnava is commonly called hogweed as well but the medical name for it is boerhavia diffusa. It is extremely helpful in preventing micturition, a disorder which is characterized by unexplained fainting after urinating. However, that is not the only symptoms hogweed helps with as it also removes excess water from the body due to kidney failure.

2. Varun

Varun is commonly known as caper and is medically known as crataeva nurvala. The diseases which varun is best at dealing with are urinary tract infections and renal stones. Varun also helps in stopping the swelling and extra fluid accumulation after kidney failure.

3. Gokshura

Gokshura is known as tribulus terrestris and is an herbal tonic for the genito-urinary system. Gokshura is one of the best ways to avoid dialysis. This is because it stops infections from occurring and also clears obstructions in the urinary tract. It is also very good at regenerating the kidney cells.

4. Raktachandan

Rakt chandan is known as p. Santalinus or red sandalwood and is another excellent remedy for kidney problems. It acts as both a diuretic and an anti-infectant.

5. Palaash

Palaash, medically, is known as butea monosperma. It is a type of urinary alkalizer and it also stops micturition. A urinary alkalizer is a medication which allows the urine to pass more easily. This is yet another great remedy for kidney failure.

6. Kaasni

Kaasni is commonly known as chicory but its medical name is cichorium intybus. Kaasni gives strength to the kidneys and is also a very good alkalizer. However, its most valuable property is the fact that it helps in nephritis and nephrotic syndrome (disorder of the kidneys characterized by protein loss).

Ayurveda and Kidney Problems

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