What causes kidney failure?

What causes chronic kidney disease?  And how can we protect ourselves from kidney disease/failure?  The top two causes of chronic kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.  The good news is that there are things we can do to protect our kidneys and slow down/prevent chronic kidney disease and kidney failure.

According to the experts at Center for Disease Control (CDC), we can protect our kidneys by

keeping blood glucose numbers within normal range.  Diabetes and its high blood sugars damage the kidneys.  Think of high blood sugar as a thick, sweet syrupy liquid which “pickles” a person’s organs.  As the sugary blood volume circulates through the body, it does damage.  If we keep our blood sugar levels within a normal level, the kidneys can function much better and not be damaged by hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)  Work with your doctor to control your blood sugar.  For newly diagnosed diabetic patients, a diabetes education class gives valuable, proven strategies you can use to protect your body (and kidneys) from high blood sugars.  More information about how diabetes causes kidney problems at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/tcyd/kidney.htm 

World Kidney Day

March is National Kidney Month and March 14 is World Kidney Day

26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (kidney failure).  Millions more face a risk of developing it.  What are our kidneys and what do they do?  Our kidneys are bean shaped organs which act as filters. As blood circulates through the kidneys, excess fluid and waste products are removed and added to urine to be carried out of our bodies.  The National Kidney Foundation explains how kidneys function at their website, http://www.kidney.org/kidneydisease/howkidneyswrk.cfm  Our kidneys are pretty amazing organs that work hard without complaining—in fact, people may lose kidney function without knowing it is happening.  That’s the reason we need to be proactive in caring for our kidneys.  More information about chronic kidney disease can be found at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kidney-failure/DS00682 and the National Kidney Foundation at http://kidney.org/kidneydisease/aboutckd.cfm 

What causes chronic kidney disease (kidney failure)?  More next time.  

Healthy strategies for vacation--Overindulge??

     When people travel to all-inclusive resorts around the world, some people consider that they have paid for it; they better eat and drink all they want--and more.  With that mindset, they may over-indulge.  We saw one young woman hanging onto her boyfriend/husband.  She had over-indulged in alcohol and without his help, she could not have walked back to her room.  I wondered how much of her vacation she actually remembered.  Other people overindulge in food and gain weight while on vacation.  Neither over-indulgence is healthy. A word to the wise. 

Healthy strategies for vacation--keep hydrated

 Two more whale pictures.  (What magnificent creatures.  I could not resist sharing more pictures.)  My last healthy strategy for vacation involves preventing dehydration. 
Imagine this with me for a minute:  we arrived on a beautiful tropical island (St. Thomas).  The sun beams down on us, but the breezes keep us comfortable so we don’t sweat.  There’s lots to see (beautiful turquoise water and blue, cloudless skies).  We can be energetic (kayaking) or be lazy (lying in the sun around the pool.   The last thing we are thinking about is drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration.  Fortunately, a friendly resort staff member reminded us to drink lots of water and avoid dehydration.  Thanks, Heather, for your good advice.   

Healthy strategies for vacation time--consider sunscreen

       One more sunscreen issue:  sunscreens lose their effectiveness and expire.  I’ve heard people say we should buy a new sunscreen every year.  According the American Academy of Dermatology, the FDA requires all sunscreens to have an effective life of three years.  The problem lies in the fact that date labeling isn’t required.  When we purchase a bottle of sunscreen and there’s no expiration date on it, we cannot know when to discard it.  One recommendation says we should write the date of purchase on the sunscreen so you have a guideline on how long you have had it.  (My personal opinion is that I will buy a new bottle of sunscreen for any vacation trip where the sun exposure is intense.  A sunburn is painful and can spoil a vacation).  More information can be found at the American Academy of Dermatology website at http://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/prevention-and-care/sunscreens