The kidneys are a pair of bean shaped organs responsible for blood filtration. It also eliminates waste products from the body. The kidneys are located in the abdomenal cavity of the body and help in keeping a check on the electrolyte level in the body.

Polycystic kidney disease or PKD is a condition in which a number of cysts grow on the kidneys. The cysts are filled with fluid, and if the number or the size of the cyst increases, it can lead to kidney damage and kidney failure. 5% of kidney failures are caused by PKD. PKD does not affect only the kidneys. It can also cause the cyst to grow on other organs, such as liver, pancreas, ovaries, spleen and large bowel. The brain and the heart can also be affected by PKD. If it reaches the brain, an aneurism is caused. Heart murmurs may occur if PKD affects the heart.

Symptoms: Symptoms are visible for those in the 30 to 40 age group; however, it differs from person to person. Back pain or side pain, enlargement of the abdomen, blood in the urine, high blood pressure, and frequent bladder or kidney infections are some of the common symptoms of PKD.

Diagnosis: An ultrasound is the most dependable, affordable and non-invasive way to diagnose PKD. MRI and CT scans can be used to detect the volume of the cyst. It also helps to determine small cysts which cannot be detected by ultrasound.

Treatment: There is no specific treatment for PKD at present. But certain steps and measures can be taken to slow down the growth of the cyst and to control the symptoms.

Prevention: Keeping a check on blood pressure, use of prescribed antibiotics to treat kidney or bladder infection, restricted use of caffeine, and medications to control pain are some of the treatments for relief and for arresting the growth of the cyst. Research also shows that drinking plenty of water throughout the day can also slow down the growth of the cyst. A diet low in fat and moderate in calories is recommended.

Types: Autosomal dominant kidney disorder is a genetic disorder and is passed on to the child from the parent by dominant inheritance. It is the most common type of PKD. The symptoms are visible after the age of 30 to 40. Infantile or autosomal recessive PKD is a genetic disorder and is inherited by the child from the parent by recessive inheritance. The symptoms are visible during the early months of life or in the womb. It is a rare form of PKD and occurs in 1 out of 25,000 people. Acquired cystic kidney disease occurs due to long-term kidney damage and is linked with kidney failure and dialysis. The bleeding of the cyst causes the bleeding in the urinary system and leads to urine discolouration.

Poly Cystic Kidney Disease - How You Can Prevent it?

Kidney failure or infections are usually unsafe and serious diseases. Their consequences affect every single other organ in the body. Minor problems in the kidney may demonstrate no side effects. However, when the sickness progresses, it can bring about numerous serious indications, for example, seizure, tissue squandering, gastrointestinal bleeding and a failure state. Total kidney failure requires routine dialysis until a transplant operation can be performed.

Homeopathy, on the other hand, is a very effective cure for kidney problems. It eradicates the problem from its roots and helps prevent any further diseases and problems in the kidney. Homoeopathic solutions have had been successful in treating kidney diseases for which standard prescription give no cure and are not effective. Some of the homoeopathic cures are as follows:

Ammonium carb's rubrics: Taken when there is excruciating pee. This includes white, burning, insufficient, painful or orange urine with drowsiness and weakness.
Apis mel's rubrics: These are used when there is general oedema or swelling, kidney aggravation and inability to pass urine.
Arsenic alb's rubrics: This occurs when there is trouble in passing urine. Also useful in case of uremia, nephritis, urgent need to urinate or urinating without knowing.
Aurum met's rubrics: When there is difficulty in maintenance of urine and the urine constitutes of mucous like residue.
Berberis' rubrics: When there is hypertension, renal (kidney) stones, dull yellow or green urine and neuralgic pain originating from the kidneys.
Cannabis indica s rubric: Used in case of a urinary tract diseases.
Cantharsis' rubrics: This is used in cases of delicacy in kidney regions, renal colic and nephritis (kidney irritation).
Chelidonium's rubrics: These are effective when a person goes through the urge of urinating a lot at night when there are abundant urination and pale white pee.
Cuprum Aas' rubrics: When there is kidney failure, excruciating pee and stained pee.
Cuprum met's rubrics: It is used when a person goes through bed-wetting, extremely watery urine, and feels shooting pain in the urethra.
Helonia's rubrics: Used when there is kidney irritation, albuminous (white) pee, sickliness, cramps and bluntness.
Juniper's rubrics: Used when there is difficulty in retaining water.
Kali carb's rubric: Used in case of kidney stones, and is a general solution for problems in the kidneys.
Sanicula's rubrics: Used when the bladder is swollen, there are kidney stones and kidney irritation.
Terebinthum's rubrics: When there is blood in the urine, kidney irritation and urinary tract aggravation.
Urea's rubrics: In cases of are general oedema (swelling because of water maintenance) and extreme pain in the urethra.
Opium's rubrics: Used in cases of uremia (a type of blood disease), general oedema, dark stool, white urine, concealment of urine, swelling of the stomach, mucous-like urine and uremic shakings.

Best Homeopathic Treatment of Kidney Disease & Disorders - Try Now

If you are experiencing pain in urination along with a burning sensation, a health condition known as dysuria is indicated. This condition is usually common in women and men alike. However, older men are more prone to face this problem. Pain during urination may occur because of various reasons. The most common causes are as follows:
Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common cause of painful urination. Infections may occur in any part of your urinary tract, such as in the kidneys, bladder, and the ureters. These infections occur due to bacteria, which gets into the urinary tract via the urethra. There are several factors, which increase your chances of being affected by UTI. They include diabetes, an enlarged prostate, old age, pregnancy, and kidney stones. UTI is signified by other symptoms such as fever, bloody urines, flank pain, stronger smelling urine, and an increased urge for urination.
At times, painful urination may also be associated with vaginal infections in women, like yeast infection. Vaginal discharge and foul odor are indicated in the case of vaginal infections.
Painful urination is also caused because of certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as gonorrhea, genital herpes and Chlamydia.
Inflammation and irritation
There are several problems, which can cause inflammation of your urinary tract and genital region. This further results in painful urination. Inflammation and irritations also occur because of other factors such as urinary tract stones, vaginal changes associated with menopause, certain physical activities and the side effects of several medicines, treatment procedures and health supplements.

Consulting a doctor for painful urination
Your doctor will suggest you to undertake certain laboratory tests for the proper diagnosis of the cause of your painful urination. After this, a suitable treatment method is sought and undertaken. Before this, an overall physical examination is also carried out. Your doctor is likely to ask you some important questions regarding your painful irritation, how the condition worsens, and is felt during the onset of urination. It is also likely for your doctor to know about any other symptoms, which you might be experiencing such as fever, flank pain and vaginal discharge. You must tell your doctor about any changes observed in your urine flow, such as difficulty in initiating flow, an increased urge to urinate, and dribbling.

Apart from these, your doctor may also ask whether you experienced any character in urine after painful urination. These may include colour, amount, cloudiness, presence of pus in the urine and so on. 

Pain in Urination - Common Reasons Behind it!

The kidneys make urine, which is a fluid through which wastes from the body including urea are eliminated from the body. There are two kidneys on the right and left side, which make urine, and pass it down to the bladder through tubes known as ureter. The bladder acts as a reservoir of the urine that is formed in the kidneys. It is stored temporarily there before being excreted out of the body through the urethra. The urinary bladder is a highly muscular organ and has a rich connective tissue. 

Interstitial cystitis (IC) or painful bladder syndrome (PBS) is a very common condition, which affects females more than males. While the exact etiology is not known, it could be age-related and also lifestyle related. People who are used to controlling the urge to pass urine are highly likely to develop this condition. The simple logic is that there is additional pressure on the bladder from the urine that is contained for longer period of time. As such, the muscular wall stretches and begins to feel stressed.

When this habit continues over a period of time, the bladder wall may become irritated or inflamed or even scarred in severe cases. There is no role of bacteria in this condition, and antibiotics are of no help in managing this condition (though the name cystitis usually indicates infection).

The following symptoms are seen as a result of this constant irritation and inflammation.

One may suffer from pain and pressure in the bladder as it continues to collect more and more urine.
This pressure in the bladder also puts pressure on the surrounding tissues in the abdomen including the pelvis, urethra, abdominal organs, uterus, etc.
Women may experience pain in the vaginal tract including vulva and behind the vagina.
Men may experience pain in the area of the scrotum, testicles, prostate, and penis.
There is an increased urge to urinate, which may be as much as 9 to 10 times a day. As the condition progresses, there could be more visits, as many as 40 to 50 visits a day.
This tendency and urge to urinate increases during nighttime.
For women, this urge to urinate and other symptoms including pain are worse during menstruation.
There could be pain during intercourse for both men and women.
There could be pain even otherwise, which can range from a mild dull ache to a piercing pain.
At a structural level, this constant pressure leads to pinpoint bleeding (glomerulations) and sometimes even ulcers in the bladder wall.
There is no definitive treatment for IC or PBS. However, bladder distention and instillation are proven methods of increasing bladder capacity, which therefore helps in relieving symptoms.

Painful Bladder Syndrome - Know The Signs!

Urinary Tract Infections are a group of diseases that affect one s urinary system such as the urethra, bladder, ureters or kidneys. Women are more prone to contracting UTIs than men. They may be accompanied by symptoms such as a constant urge to urinate frequently along with a burning sensation in the concerned parts and pelvic pain. The urine may have traces of blood in it. These infections are usually treated with antibiotics.

Causes behind Urinary Tract Infection:

Urinary Tract infection generally occurs when the bacteria enter the urinary tract via the urethra and begin to proliferate in the bladder. Although the urinary system is structured to ward off such invaders, at times, the defense mechanism fails. In that case, the bacteria may evolve into a full-blown infection in the urinary tract.

Few risk factors are:

Female anatomy: A woman s urethra is shorter as compared to a man s, thus lessening the distance the bacteria need to travel to the bladder. This increases the chances of UTIs in women.

Using diaphragms and spermicidal agents for birth controls

A dip in the levels of estrogen post menopause

Abnormalities in the urinary tract that hinder the discharge of urine or cause the urine to travel back into the urethra.

Enlarged prostate or kidney stones that cause the urine to be trapped in the bladder.

An impaired immune system because of diabetes and other ailments

Using catheters (tube) to urinate is one of the common risk factors because of the chances of infections.

Urinary Tract Infection - Reasons behind It

A diseased kidney is one that has lost its ability to carry out the filtration process in a proper manner. This process of filtration usually sends the waste and toxins out of the body in a routine manner. In such cases, a kidney disease manifests which requires a number of treatment measures. Dialysis is something that enters the treatment plan at a later stage as chronic early stage kidney disease can remain in the patient s body for many years. When the kidney function comes down to 15%, then most doctors recommend the start of dialysis which is basically a process that removes the excess waste and fluid from the blood. This can be a process that will leave the patient fatigued and in a mental state that is not exactly stable and positive at all times. It is common to see dialysis patients battling depression due to the chronic nature of the treatment as well as the low chances of recovery.

So, let us find out how dialysis patients can cope with depression.

    Professional Help: Depression is said to be like a common cold when it comes to mental diseases. The state of a person s body can very well affect the balance in his or her mind and lead to depression. Starting from pressing circumstances to hormonal changes as well as chronic ailments, depression can affect people due to a number of reasons. Dialysis patients who are undergoing depression must consult a professional specialist like a psychiatrist who will help the patient understand and cope with the situation with the use of therapy based counselling.
    Medication: The patient can also be given medication that will prevent the build up of unnecessary stress by blocking the production of those hormones that result in a negative state of mind. This medication must be prescribed after speaking the patient s nephrologist about what kind of medication will suit the patient specifically.
    Psychotherapy: Long term psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy that can help the psychiatrist or clinical psychologist in talking the patient through the problems. Besides giving the patient the scope and platform to air out the problems and reach solutions regarding normal day to day functioning despite the troubles, this kind of therapy also aims at equipping the patient with a better perspective and improved attitude.

While going through this kind of therapy and medication, it is important to keep a team of nephrologists and psychiatrists in the loop so that the patient may reach out at any time in order to avail help in the most trying situations. This will give a blanket of security to the patient as well.

3 Ways a Dialysis Patient can Cope with Depression

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