Tips to keeps your Kidney healthy

Your kidneys are essential to your body. They are responsible for filtering the waste out of the body and also aid in the metabolism of various proteins in your body. Any failure or issue that disrupts the body processes can impact your kidney health and over all body adversely. It is important to know the various ways through which you can keep your kidney’s healthy.

7 Recommendations For Healthy Kidneys:

1. Eats healthy and keep your weight in check. Reduce salt intake. The recommended salt intake is 5-6 gm of salt per day (around a teaspoonful)
2. Maintain a healthy fluid intake:The ideal amount of fluid intake for any individual depends on many factors including gender, exercise, climate health condition.Ideally one should consume at least 15-20 lt of water per day.

3. Do not take over counter pills on regular basis.
4. Keep regular control of blood sugar level
5. Regular monitoring of blood pressure
6. Do not smoke- smoking cause worsening of kidney disease
7. Get kidney function check if someone has one or more at high-risk factors:-

Such as diabetes, hypertension, obese, family history of kidney disease.

Tests recommended to check your Kidney Health:             

It is important to keep a check on your kidney health. Hence it is recommended that you go through 2 tests bi-annually to keep a check. Please also note that these tests are even more essential for people who smoke and drink alcohol.

Two simple tests to check for kidney disease:

1. Blood test for creatinine
2. Urinary test for albumin

Important Points to Understand about Kidney Disease:

• High BP and diabetes are two leading cause of kidney disease. The kidney is a vascular organ meaning it contains many blood vessels. Therefore, diseases that damage the blood vessels, including high B.P. and diabetes, can damage the kidneys.
• Maintaining a healthy weight has important implication for kidneys. Being overweight means that kidney has to work harder to filter out toxins and to meet the metabolic demands of increased body mass. Obesity also increases chance of developing diabetes and high B.P.
• Keep a check on your pain medications. Many prescription and over the counter meditative including pain medications are filtered by the kidney. This means that kidneys break down and remove these medications from the body. One should avoid excessive use of medications that can harm the kidneys such as ibuprofen and haproxen.
• Make healthy choices. Because damage to the kidneys usually happens slowly over time, daily decisions make a difference in preventing kidney disease. Making good choices each day such as incorporating physical activity and eating healthy foods will reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.