When your kidney function falls below a certain point, it is referred to as a kidney failure or renal failure. Fortunately, you can still continue to lead a normal life with the right treatment for renal failure. Here are the three best treatments that you can choose depending on your condition and lifestyle:

1. Dialysis: Dialysis is the process that takes over the function of your kidneys to filter out the waste from your blood and maintain the proper balance of chemicals in the blood. You may use dialysis for many years or as a short-term treatment while waiting for a kidney transplant. Dialysis is not a cure for kidney disease, rather it helps you deal with renal failure. It is life-saving and without it, the kidneys will no longer function.

There are two types of dialysis treatments that you can choose from:

Hemodialysis   This type uses a machine to remove waste from the blood and sends it back to your body. It can be done at home or at a dialysis center.
Peritoneal Dialysis   This type uses the lining of your belly called the Peritoneum to do the work of your kidneys. A catheter and dialysis solution is used to carry out the function.
There are benefits and complications for each type of dialysis. The treatment decision will largely depend on the patient s illness and their past medical history. Discuss with your doctor to decide the best option for you.

2. Kidney Transplant: Kidney transplants can provide a better quality of life than dialysis and can be seen as a potential cure for kidney failure. A healthy kidney from a live donor or deceased donor is surgically placed in your body as a replacement to the failed kidneys. Although this may be a better option for you, it has certain shortcomings. There is an element of rejection and you may have to wait for a long time to get a donor. Extensive testing and anti-rejection medications are prescribed with this treatment.

3. Palliative Care: Rather than cure, it is the care that people with serious illness need. With so much to deal with, the patients have an array of tough questions and challenges to deal with. Patients need to take into account all medical options and care options based on their condition and severity of the renal failure.

Making the right treatment choice is difficult and that too when you are ill. It is normal to be fearful and worried about the risks involved. Get support from your family and doctor to help you make the right treatment choice. It may also be helpful to visit a dialysis or transplant center to talks to others who have been through these treatments.

3 Best Treatments for Renal Failure!

The medical term for protein leak in urine is commonly known as Nephrosis and if the leakage is too much it is termed as Nephrotic Syndrome. Such a situation can lead to kidney failure, if not treated on time can be highly dangerous. There can be a number of causes for this condition and it is detected by carrying out a urine test. The treatment for Nephrosis is a long-term process and is done mainly to prevent kidney failure.

The treatment for Nephrosis aims at controlling the protein leak and prevent kidney failure. It is very important for people who are new to kidney disease that they know about these below mentioned nine things, in order to stay strong.

9 Important things you must be aware of kidney disease:

The feeling of helplessness due to the occurrence of kidney disease can be overcome by educating yourself. Individuals should learn everything about kidney disease and can gain vital information even from the Internet.
It is very obligatory that the advice of the doctor must be followed by an individual suffering from kidney disease. It is not indispensable that the kidney disease always leads to failure of kidney and to prevent it from damage, it is necessary to comply with the orders of the Doctor.
It is very important that you stick to a diet, which would keep you healthy and protect your kidneys from any further damage. You should be careful about everything you eat, and you can gain assistance on your diet from a renal dietitian.
When you suffer from Chronic Kidney Disease, the blood value becomes very important to gauge the condition of your disease and whether it is getting worse or stable. From time to time, the healthcare provider would check your urine and blood, and he would also monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar.
You can take help from the support group and accept their assistance. Your family is your best support system at the time of need, thus involving them is very important.
You must make sure that you are getting the required care you need, and you need to educate yourself by communicating as well as asking questions.
You will feel much better by being active, so do things that make you happy. You can exercise regularly but after taking advice from your doctor. Your main focus must be to keep yourself healthy.
A positive attitude is anytime helpful in healing a disease. You can listen to music that entertains your mind and helps you stay positive.
It is not difficult to stay healthy even with kidney disease, as the positive feeling would eventually help you face your problems. You must plan ahead and be ready for kidney transplant without getting worried.
Most importantly, it is important that you spread awareness and help people tackle the situation without any difficulty. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a Nephrologist.

Kidney Disease? 9 Things You Must Do!

Hunner's ulcers, simply put are painful ulcers in your urinary bladder. These ulcers are inextricably linked to another disorder called the painful bladder syndrome or intestinal cystitis. They occur in 10 to 15 percent of people with interstitia cystitis. These, in fact, are red patches or lesions on the bladder wall which can stiffen tissue and cause reduced bladder capacity. Hunner s ulcers bleed, ooze pus and can be of different sizes. The ulcers in the bladder can be extremely painful and uncomfortable.

These are called Hunner s ulcers because they were first described by Dr. Guy LeRoy Hunner, a Johns Hopkins gynecologist, in 1915. Since Hunner s ulcers are seen only in people with intestinal cystitis, it s important to know more about this painful life-altering bladder disorder before we can even understand how to deal with them.

Interstitial cystitis (IC)
IC is also called painful bladder syndrome. Another important thing to know about IC is that it strikes more women than men. IC is a chronic disorder and there s no cure for it. It causes recurring bouts of pain and pressure in the urinary bladder and the pelvic area. This is often accompanied by an urgent and frequent need to urinate. Sufferers may have to rush to the  loo  as much as 40, 50, or 60 times a day.

Diagnosis
Hunner's ulcers can only be accurately diagnosed by doing a cytoscopy which involves inserting a fibre-optic tube through the urethra to look at the bladder wall closely. During this procedure, a tissue sample from the bladder wall is usually also taken to rule out bladder cancer. Cytoscopy is usually done with hydrodistention under local anesthesia. This involves filling the bladder with a liquid for stretching it to provide a closer view of the bladder wall. Usually, a urologist performs this surgery along with a gynaecologist. IC and also Hunner s ulcers are both a diagnosis of exclusion. This means that they re diagnosed only after a number of other conditions have been ruled out.

Hence, the urologist will first take your thorough medical history, followed by a physical exam and a pelvic exam for women patients and perform tests for ruling out infection, and other disorders like bladder stones and cancer, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases amongst others. Only after these tests are inconclusive or uncertain and if there is blood in urine, will the urologist go for cystoscopy.

Treatment
There's no cure for IC, but Hunner s ulcers can be cured by burning them off the bladder wall. Called fulguration, the process uses electricity or laser to burn the ulcers on the bladder wall. Resection is also used in which skin from around the Hunner s ulcer is cut for removing both the ulcer and the inflamed tissue around it. The problem is that ulcers may recur in the same location.
So, managing IC becomes critical. Your doctor can try to treat the patient with one treatment or with a combination of treatment depending on the condition of the patient.

Pain medicines are the first line of treatment to manage Hunner s ulcers and IC both, and many patients do go in for this. Patients also find relief by modifying their diet to remove foods and drinks like caffeinated beverages- tea, coffee, colas etc. Sodas, artificial sugars and fruit juices, especially Cranberry juice can trigger intense pain and discomfort, so these are usually contraindicated. Another important aspect is patient education about normal bladder function and tips on self-care and behavioural modifications like stress control to manage Hunner s ulcers.

Hunner's Ulcer In Urinary Bladder - How They Can Be Treated?

Urine is normally pale yellow or straw coloured. However, for various reasons, this can change. In fact, the change in the colour of urine is one of the first indications of a deeper underlying problem. This would also be one of the questions that the doctor would ask when suspecting any problem with the urinary tract, starting from infection to stones to cancer.

Hematuria is, therefore, a symptom and not a problem in itself. Some of the reasons for hematuria   presence of blood cells in the urine, producing a light pinkish urine, are listed below.

Urinary tract infections   starting from urethra all the way up to the kidneys

Glomerulonephritis

Kidney Stones-

Prostate enlargement

Tumours/cancers in the kidney, bladder, or prostate

Heavy exercises causing trauma to any of the internal urinary tract organs

Bleeding disorders

Certain medications

Appendicitis

Tuberculosis

As the disease progresses higher in the urinary tract, the severity of hematuria also increases. Though hematuria is a symptom in itself, there are some associated symptoms which are listed below-

Fever

Fatigue

Abdominal pain

Reduced appetite

Urge to urinate

Dysuria

Painful/burning urination

Feeling of incomplete emptying

Nocturnal urination (if prostate is enlarged)

Cloudy urine

Nausea, vomiting

Kidney pain (with stones especially)

Homeopathy believes in treating the person as a whole and not just the presenting symptoms. The doctor will ask a number of questions, some pertaining to unrelated organs, which will help them identify the reason for the hematuria. The treatment prescribed will be customised to the patient in question, but some of the common ingredients used in hematuria management are given below.

Hematuria from all causes can be managed with Terebinthina.

Bladder hematuria is better managed with Erigeron Canadense at 80% concentration while renal hematuria responds better to the same at 60% dilution.

Inflammatory hematuria can be reduced with Cantharis (80%)

Renal hematuria is better managed with Gossypium herbaceous (60%).

Renal colic with pain in the glans, groyne, and thighs responds well to Pereira brava.

Cocus cacti thrice a day is useful where there is itching of the urinary meatus along with the passing of red-coloured urine.

When there are small stones or sand particles in the urine along with pain at the end of the micturition process, Sarsaparilla thrice a day is known to be beneficial.

In some other people, Arnica Montana, Cantharis, phosphorus, and Hepar Sulphur are also used to relieve symptoms of hematuria.

As with any homeopathic treatment, the actual ingredient chosen would depend on the actual symptom that the patient presents with. Though these compounds are used, self-medication is not advisable. Talk to a specialized homeopath who will identify the right ingredient for a given clinical presentation.

Hematuria - Symptoms and Treatment

When we talk about health, the kidneys are rarely spoken of. These unsung heroes are responsible for filtering waste out of our bodies and ensuring that only clean blood flows through our system. The kidneys are a pair of small, bean-shaped organs located at the back of the abdomen. Along with removing waste from the blood, the kidneys also balance electrolytes and control the fluid balance in the body. Thus, keeping the kidneys healthy is as important as keeping the heart and lungs healthy.

Kidney stones are the most common condition that can affect these organs. Other conditions that can affect the kidneys include inflammation of the kidneys, renal failure, nephrotic syndrome and cysts. Thankfully, keeping the kidneys healthy is easy. Here are a few things you can do to improve the health of your kidneys.

Drink plenty of water: Keeping your body hydrated is crucial to kidney health. Ideally, a person should drink a minimum of 8-10 glasses of water a day. Water helps control the production of aldosterone- a hormone that regulates blood pressure- by the adrenal glands and helps the kidneys retain enough water and sodium to balance blood volume levels. If the kidneys do not get enough water, the adrenal glands are stressed into increasing blood pressure levels.
Limit consumption of caffeine: We drink caffeine in many ways- sodas, coffee, tea etc. While caffeine may act as a stimulant and keep you focused on what you are doing in the short run, in the long run, it dehydrates the body. Dehydration can also lead to the formation of kidney stones. Hence reduce your caffeine intake and instead drink more water and fresh juices.
Quit smoking: Smoking not only affects the lungs but also damages blood vessels thus decreasing blood flow to the kidneys thus preventing the optimal functioning of the kidneys. Smoking can also increase one s risk of suffering from renal cancer.
Get regular exercise: Exercise benefits all parts of your body including the kidneys. Regular exercise reduces blood pressure and helps keep the blood moving. This can help prevent kidney diseases and a number of other conditions. Ideally, aim for half an hours exercise a day at the least.
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables: Fruits like grapes, apples and blueberries and vegetables like spinach, beets, garlic and red bell peppers help improve kidney functioning. Women should also include oestrogen boosting foods like chickpeas, fennel, tomatoes, cherries and carrots in their diet to protect themselves against kidney damage and fibrosis. Foods that are low in gluten, sugar and soy also help reduce the risk of kidney inflammation.

Kidney - 5 Things To Keep Them Healthy & Fit!

Bladder cancer is characterized by irregular growth of abnormal tissue (tumor) on the lining of the bladder. This type of cancer may spread to the surrounding tissues or other body parts as well.

What are the causes?

Bladder cancer can be caused by environment-related factors and smoking. In fact, smoking tobacco is one of the major causes of bladder cancer around the world. The chemicals present in tobacco can irritate the bladder lining which ultimately leads to bladder cancer. It may also be caused by continuous exposure to chemicals such as dyes or leather dust and radiation. These chemicals tend to cause unusual changes in the cells of the bladder lining and causes cancer in the bladder.

It can also be caused by modifications in the dna in the cells of the bladder which may impair the functioning of the cells in the body. This can cause mutations in the bladder resulting in cancer.

What are the symptoms?

1. Presence of blood in the urine, often painless

2. Feeling of pain while passing urine

3. Back pain

4. Excessive urination

5. Infections in the urinary tract

6. Lower leg swelling

7. Pain in the bones, especially in the pelvic area

8. Weight loss

Treatment options

Treatments for bladder cancer depend on the stage of the cancer. The various treatment choices are:

Surgery - In some cases, these cancers are surgically removed by a surgeon. A type of surgery used is transurethral resection of bladder tumor (turbt) where the cancer cells are destroyed with laser by passing a thin fiber into the bladder.

Chemotherapy - In this method, medications are used to target and destroy cancer cells.

Radiation therapy - Radiation therapy uses rays such as x-ray or uv rays to destroy cancer cells in the body

Immunotherapy - This treatment boosts the immune system of the body so that it attacks the cancerous cells in the bladder.

Causes And Symptoms of Bladder Cancer

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