Kidney Disease: 13 Habits that could cause Kidney Damage

I have kidney disease what should I do for most of us learning that we had chronic kidney disease it came as a surprise in the United States there are 35 and a half million people that have kidney disease and data shows that that number is rising not only here in the U.S but worldwide here are 13 habits that you must stop doing to help preserve what kidney function you have left I'll start with the obvious ones and end with some that might surprise you the first one is not managing your pre-existing health conditions there are many things that can cause kidney disease learning about and understanding what kind of kidney damage you have and what health conditions contributed to your kidney decline will help you make the best choices to slow down and even stop the progression of your kidney disease studies show that the two main conditions that lead to kidney failure is hypertension which is high blood pressure and diabetes if you have either one of these make sure you manage them do whatever you need to do to keep these pre-existing health conditions in check either by changing your diet your lifestyle or taking the medications that you need not managing your high blood pressure or your diabetes on a daily basis will damage your kidneys it's not a question of if you'll get kidney disease but it's more of a matter of when the second habit is smoking we all know that smoking is harmful for our lungs and our hearts and we know that it can cause all kinds of cancer but smoking also affects our kidneys just as the lungs and the heart work together the heart and the kidneys work together so if the heart is affected so are our kidneys people who smoke are more likely to have foamy urine foam in your urine means you're losing protein and that is called proteinuria proteinuria is a sign of kidney damage because of protein's large size it shouldn't be fitting through the filters of your kidneys studies show that the more protein you are leaking into your urine the faster your kidneys will Decline and that will ultimately lead to kidney failure the third habit is drinking alcohol not only does alcohol affect the liver promoting liver disease but it also affects the kidneys it makes it harder for the kidneys to balance sodium and electrolytes and the fluid in our blood overworked kidneys will lead to kidney damage heavy drinkers who also smoke have five times the chance of getting chronic kidney disease compared to those who don't and if they continue to drink and smoke while having chronic kidney disease the damage to their kidneys will progress quickly the fourth habit is overuse of pain medication there are many over-the-counter drugs that can be harmful to your kidneys NSAIDs which are steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics are some of the medications that cause more work for your kidneys to do because they are broken down or metabolized in the kidney a few examples of NSAIDs would be ibuprofen Advil aspirin and Naproxen a few examples of algesics would be coding oxycodone methadone and Fentanyl be very careful when taking these medications if you have chronic kidney disease and never ever go over the recommended dose even taking small quantities over a long period of time will negatively affect your kidney function it's okay to not take something for minor aches and pains and don't feel embarrassed if you have to let people know that you're being really careful with what you put in your body and you're not able to take these pain medications see if you can't find other ways to deal with this pain and disc Comfort before you decide to take medications the fifth habit is drinking too much or too little water how much water you need to take daily will depend on an individual and how much kidney damage they have talk to your health care provider or your dietitian to help you know what the right amount of water is for you look for signs of dehydration or for edema which is fluid retention to help you know how much fluid your body can actually handle drinking plenty of water will help your kidneys remove the excess sodium and toxins from your blood having enough fluid in your body will also help you to not get kidney stones which can be really painful most people should try to drink one and a half to two liters a day that's six to eight cups but again that depends on an individual like where you live how active you are and how much your body can take set a timer to help you remember to drink water or carry around a water bottle to help you be able to drink enough fluid and to figure out how much you need to drink each day those with severe kidney damage may need to limit how much fluid they can take because their kidneys are unable to remove the extra fluid from their bodies also keep in mind that being dehydrated will make it harder for your kidneys to balance the electrolytes and it also UPS your chance of getting an infection which can cause kidney damage the sixth habit is eating too much salt or sodium so sodium is salt and salt is sodium diets high in salt can raise your blood pressure because salt makes your body retain more fluid and the more fluid you have on your body the more work your heart has to do and that raising of your blood pressure will damage your kidneys so it makes more work for your kidneys also by making it a little bit harder for your kidneys to balance your electrolytes and to pull off that extra fluid data also shows that there's a connection between diets high in salt and getting kidney stones so what foods are high in salt processed foods are high in salt canned food fast food deli meats salty snacks and also here in the United States they often inject raw meat with salt for added flavor make sure that you read the labels of the your packaged food or canned food that you eat and try to get ones that say no salt added if you have kidney disease try to use herbs and spices to flavor your food rather than Salt and Please be aware of salt substitutes because often they use phosphorus and those of us with kidney disease we have to not only watch our sodium or salt intake we need to watch our potassium and our phosphorus too the seventh habit is eating processed foods processed foods are a significant source of sodium phosphorus fats and simple carbs processed food also lacks fiber which helps us to fill full and to regulate our body's blood sugar level even processed food that is labeled as organic or vegan can be unhealthy try eating whole natural foods to help limit the amount of processed foods you eat often the more processed something is the harder it is on your kidneys also make sure that you're aware of how much phosphorus has been added to this processed food the eighth habit is consuming too much sugar studies show that foods high in processed sugars are addicting and bad for our bodies processed sugars contribute to inflammation obesity and diabetes all of which will increase your risk of reaching kidney failure in addition to desserts and candies there is often a lot of food that have hidden sugar added to them make sure that you read your food labels and if anything has high levels of sugar and added sugar go ahead and put it down avoid consuming sugary drinks whether that's sodas or juices but also be aware that condiments breakfast cereals and even white bread have sneaky amounts of processed sugar in them also be aware of artificial sweeteners because many of them can have a negative effect on your kidney function the ninth habit is eating too much meat now protein is very important for our bodies it is needed for growth for repair and upkeep in all aspects of our body but for those of us with kidney disease we need to make sure our diet is balanced with enough fruit and vegetables so that we are getting enough of the nutrients and fiber that we need animal protein especially that found in red meat is a little bit harder on our kidneys than plant-based protein animal protein creates a little bit more acid in our blood than plant-based protein high levels of acid in your blood can damage your kidneys this is called acidosis it's a condition in which your kidneys are unable to remove the acid quick enough from your body now I'm not poo pooing diets that are high in protein because each individual is different and if a high protein diet is helping you to eat healthier and not eat processed foods then yes keep doing that but for those of us with severe kidney damage eating too much protein from animals may not be the best choice habit number 10 is not getting enough sleep getting enough rest and sleep are important to your overall health whether it's your physical or your mental well-being your kidneys also need an opportunity to rest they are affected by your sleep and awake cycle getting enough sleep and rest helps to coordinate the kidneys workload over a 24-hour cycle while we sleep we're not eating or drinking during this period of rest and fasting our kidneys produce less urine this gives them time to slow down and rest not getting enough sleep or poor quality sleep will cause our kidneys to be overworked overworked kidneys are more susceptible to inflammation and damage to get a good sleep wake cycle it really helps to make sure that you get enough exercise during the day and to also find ways to release extra Stress and Anxiety the 11th habit is sitting still sitting for long periods of time is linked to kidney disease we know that physical activity helps with your heart helps with your blood pressure and your body's glucose metabolism exercise also helps with your blood flow and that means that there's enough oxygen getting to your kidneys to keep them healthy exercise also helps us stay within a healthy weight for those of us suffering from kidney disease we often don't have a lot of energy so make sure that you use some of that energy that you have towards physical movement it doesn't matter what you do you just need to get your body moving walking is one of the best ways to exercise because you're able to have a conversation with somebody and you're able to look around and notice the beautiful things around you the last two habits I think are really important and are rarely talked about on YouTube videos and I think that's because there's something that someone can't sell to you the 12th one is going through kidney disease alone learning you have kidney disease can be overwhelming frightening and often lonely it's hard to express and to share with others all these emotions you were feeling because it's just a lot to unpack and it takes a lot of time not only are we trying to digest this new change but we have to kind of change our daily habits and our daily routines and often we have to change what we imagined our future to be like and then that can be depressing often you have to make new plans and new goals and having to do this is hard and going through this experience can often make you feel isolated as you try to continue to move forward instead of pulling away and surrounding yourself with this overwhelming feeling of change and uncertainty try to find someone who will help and support you as you go through this journey of kidney disease I know this is easier said than done it's going to take work it's going to take time and it's going to take your ability to overcome disappointment whether in yourself or in other people but that time and that effort is worth it the best help and support anyone can give you is to help you not feel like you have to go through this journey on your own keep sharing what you're experiencing that will help you deal with life and don't give up on finding somebody who will help and support you despite all the things that are going on in this world there are still people that want to help and support you the 13th and last habit is not trying the best way to fight kidney disease is to be proactive in your health choose one or two of these habits to stop or to change for the better each month steps forward towards a healthier life no matter how small is still moving forward to something that you know you can accomplish and make that a priority by doing that you will give yourself the motivation you need to take the next step give yourself credit for the progress you've made and don't give up because you've quote unquote failed failure is when you stop caring and stop trying the fact that you might be frustrated with yourself for not doing better or for falling off the wagon shows that you still care the fact that you still care means that you want to and that you can do better slow down and make goals that better fit you and the situation you're in slowing down or making smaller goals does not mean you're weak or you lack the will do not compare yourself to somebody else and find someone who can help and support you where you are now for many people with kidney disease making these small changes can have a big impact on the progression of their disease some people are able to even stop the progression of their kidney damage start small and start today you can do it thanks for watching

Channel: KidneyKeeping

Views: 912,241

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Id: KIK7H9zvdQc

Length: 14min 56sec (896 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 03 2023