The kidneys are the purifiers of the body; they help in removing the waste from the body through the urine. In those suffering from kidney diseases, the function of the kidney is affected, and so their ability to clear out waste from the body is reduced and completely lost gradually. However, waste continues to form, and therefore, such patients have to undergo dialysis, where the blood is purified through an external device.

The frequency and duration of the dialysis would depend on how effectively the kidneys are still functioning and how much waste has been formed from the time of the previous dialysis session. The person s overall body mass index (BMI) and the water weight gained are also considered.

Once it is decided that a person s kidneys are damaged and dialysis is required, the person has to prepare for a long-term process. The following outlines what to expect before, during, and after the dialysis sessions. 

Before the session: 

Since most people prefer to get it done at a dialysis centre, it is preferable to plan for it, three treatments a week on an average, with each session lasting about 4 to 4 hours.

During the session: 

The blood flows through the dialysis device, which acts as an artificial kidney. The sequence of events are as follows:
The Weight is checked
Vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and pulse are checked.
The access areas are washed, and needles are used to connect these areas to the dialysis machine. Anesthesia may be used in the beginning to reduce the pain in this area.
The same access areas are used for each session, and over a period of time, buttonholes are formed which is like a small tunnel.
Though the session would last about 3 to 4 days, normal activities can be done, including reading, working on a laptop, watching television, or even sleeping.
Once the dialysis session is complete, the tube will be removed and a dressing is placed over the site.
After the session

The same site is used each time for the dialysis, so for the first couple of sessions, there could be discomfort. There could also be nausea, diarrhoea, cramping, and headaches.
The treatment needs to be adjusted based on symptoms, so please let the doctor know if you experience any symptoms.

Call the doctor if you are facing the following:

Bleeding from the access site
Inflammatory signs around the site
Persistent fever of over 104 degrees
Numbness or weakness in the arms
Confusion, drowsiness, or cognition problems
Though initially uncomfortable, once you get into the dialysis schedule, you will notice the difference of how cleansed you will feel after each session.

Undergoing Dialysis - What To Expect From It?

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!

Infection caused in the kidneys, bladder, urethra or the ureters is known as urinary tract infection. According to doctors, women are generally more at risk of suffering from this condition than men. Some of the causes which contribute to the development of this infection are:

1. Invasion of bacteria: like any other infection, one of the causes of urinary tract infection is the invasion of the bacteria escherichia coli in the bladder. This type of bacteria is most commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract and is most often held responsible for urinary tract infection.

2. Spreading of the bacteria from anus to urethra: the spread of the gastrointestinal bacteria from the anus to the urethra leads to the infection of the urethra thereby causing urinary tract infection. 

Some of the symptoms of urinary tract infection are

1. A nagging urge to urinate: one of the most predominant symptoms of urinary tract infection is a persistent, nagging urge to urinate. You would know your urinary tract is infected when you feel the urgency to urinate extremely frequently.

2. There is a burning sensation when you urinate: the symptoms of urinary infection are extremely visible and are felt intensely by the one suffering from it. If you feel a burning sensation while urinating, chances are extremely high that you are suffering from urinary tract infection.

3. Red colored urine: sometimes your urine may contain perceptible amount of blood in them. In most cases, presence of blood in urine is a definite sign of urinary tract infection.

4. Foul smelled urine: an internal infection in the urinary tract manifests itself in different ways. One of the chief symptoms of this infection is discharging foul smelling urine.

5. Pain in the pelvic area: women who suffer from urinary tract infection experience excruciating pain near the pelvic area, sometimes extending to the pubic bone.

Causes and Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection

The general perception that hereditary diseases cannot be prevented is changing. Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one such hereditary condition. The kidneys are the body's detox machine, which remove all impurities and flush it out of the system through urine. PKD is a condition where there are multiple, fluid-filled cysts which develop in the kidneys. These can vary in size and though noncancerous, can grow to a very large extent, producing severe symptoms including extremely high blood pressures and kidney failure.

In the recent past, however, there have been various theories that put forth how a modified and healthy lifestyle can prevent PKD. A child with a parent who suffers from PKD has 50% likelihood to develop the same. That cannot be prevented; however, changes can be made which can delay the onset and reduce the severity of symptoms of PKD, most notably high blood pressure and kidney failure which may require lifelong dialysis.

Symptoms and complications: The most common symptoms include high blood pressure, kidney pain (behind the back above the buttocks), infections of the kidneys or the bladder, bloody urine, kidney failure, headache, bloated abdomen due to the fluid-filled cysts, frequent urination, and kidney stones. There could be impact on pregnancy plans, with high blood pressure complicating the pregnancy. This needs extra care in management and is not life-threatening in most cases.

Prevention: The kidneys take the brunt of all the toxins that a body is subjected to. It is therefore, very important to reduce the exposure of body, especially kidneys to toxins. One of the best ways to keep the kidneys in good health is to control blood pressure. Some of the ways to do this include:

    Following a low-sodium diet with a good amount of hydration
    Reduce fat in the diet as much as possible
    Include a lot of berries, broccoli and apples
    Be diligent in taking your blood pressure medications as directed
    Ensure that your weight is within the prescribed limits for you
    Quit smoking and drinking
    At least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity should be included in your daily regimen

Read up on symptoms of PKD and keep an eye on them. If you are having a bloated feeling or pain in the kidneys or blood in the urine, consult a doctor. If you are planning on having a baby, genetic counseling may be useful to see if there is a risk of passing on the genes to the baby. Keep a positive outlook and have a frank discussion with family and friends on your overall condition. So, as much as PKD is a hereditary disease, there are ways to manage it and improve the quality of life.

Is Polycystic Kidney Disease Preventable?

The condition of enlarged prostate occurs due to the enlargement of a man s prostate gland, with the passage in time. Also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), it is more common in men over the age of 60. Some cases might have symptoms and others may be symptomless. Although the causes are relatively unknown, it is evident that BPH is not a form of cancer, neither does it cause cancer. The prostate is located below the bladder and is responsible for producing the fluid needed by semen. The growth of the prostate tissue that is associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia begins near the inner prostate which is a tissue ring around the urethra. Its growth is generally inward.

Causes
It is of common knowledge that in males, the urine originates from the bladder and flows through the urethra. BPH is a condition where the prostate experiences a benign i.e. non cancerous enlargement which leads to blockage of urine flow through the urethra (the urinary duct). The resultant enlargement, caused due to the gradual multiplication of cells, subjects the urethra to extra pressure. Further narrowing of the urethra causes more contraction of the bladder, resulting in the urine being forcefully pushed out of the body.

With time, the condition leads to the bladder muscles gradually becoming thicker, stronger and oversensitive. Contraction occurs even due to the presence of small amounts of urine, giving rise to frequent needs of urination. At one point, the bladder muscle is unable to overcome the effects of the narrowed urethra. Due to this, urine does not pass properly and the urethra is not emptied.

Some of the common symptoms of enlarged prostate include:
1. Frequent urination
2. Urgency to urinate
3. Difficulty during urination
4. A slow or weak urinary stream
5. Requirement of extra effort to urinate
6. Interrupted sleep due to need of urination

Further risks
Sometimes, when the bladder is not emptied completely, a risk of urinary tract infections develops. Some other serious problems which can be a result of enlarged prostate include blood in urine, bladder stones as well as acute urinary retention (inability to urinate). In some rare cases, kidney and/or bladder damage might also result from such a condition.

Frequent Urination - Can it be a Sign Enlarged Prostate

Blood circulation is one of the most important functions in our body because blood is the medium that carries oxygen and all the significant nutrients to the different organs. When blood circulation takes place, a certain pressure is exerted on the arteries of the heart and the blood vessels. However, when this pressure increases, a condition called high blood pressure develops whereby the systolic and the diastolic pressure escalate above the normal levels. High blood pressure not only leads to the damage of the heart, the brain and the eyes, it also leads to the impairment of the kidneys.

To combat a fast-paced life in an urban setting, we adapt certain lifestyle measures which serve some of the core purposes, like satiating our hunger, quickly. One of these measures includes the intake of canned products. With canned foods, cooking becomes faster and easier. But, one of the major downsides of canned foods is that too much of it can lead to the development of high blood pressure.

The link between BPA and canned foods
BPA or Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical that is present in high concentrations in canned foods and beverages. According to researchers, our body contains the reproductive hormone, estrogen in a particular amount. However, BPA mimics the properties of estrogen and tampers with the cells of the heart and our blood vessels that are otherwise sensitive to estrogen, thereby increasing the chances of high blood pressure. Because of that, same reason BPA can also lead to the development of cardiovascular disorders.

BPA is also the primary chemical used to prepare the food containers or the cans. That is why when people drink or eat from these cans, the body accumulates the chemical as well.

According to medical experts, the systolic pressure rises by 5 mm of Hg after consuming two bottles of canned beverages. To detect this effect better, a medical team conducted a study using 60 men and women, among whom some were asked to drink soy milk from canned bottles and the remaining drank the same product from glass bottles. After this, these 60 men and women underwent a urine test. The test results showed that those who drank from canned bottles had a significant amount of BPA in the urine, which concluded the fact that canned foods are not such a healthy option after all.

What can you do?
So instead of opting for canned foods, another option is basing your diet around fruits and salads. But not the canned variety, but the homemade ones. If you are strapped for time, then you can look for salad bars and cafes. Else simply look for easy to prepare recipes online, prepare the food and store them in your freezer.

How Can Canned Food Products Affect Your Kidneys?

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