How Well Do You Care for Your Kidneys?

There has been a rapid increase in the incidence of Kidney diseases, this has led to people becoming rather more conscious of kidney-related problems than the basic preventive measures necessary to avert same. The problem is that the Kidneys are generally prone to be neglected, the same way you neglect your attic or basement, only to be aware there might be a problem when you start having electric wiring issues, or when a dead rat starts to smell. Here are simple, cheap or surprisingly free ways to show you care about your kidneys.

Regular Water Intake
Perhaps the most effective way to care for your kidneys is through water intake. Water is not just needed to quench your thirst, it also helps to restore the optimum environment for your bodily organs to function at their best. The Kidneys are no less the most important organs in this regard, because they in fact regulate how much of water you should take or lose. Not drinking enough water is basically telling your kidneys to quit their jobs. The amount of water you should take is dependent on the climate, your level of activity, rate of dehydration etc. However, it is generally advisable to pay your kidney dues at about 3L per day.

Drug Precaution
It is quite strange that pain killers are very notorious for killing the kidneys thereby causing people more pain! This is in no way a rebuttal to the use of pain killers or a mockery of the earning potentials of the pharmaceutical industry, however, chronic and unregulated use of pain killers and many other drugs have been associated with Chronic Kidney Disease CKD. Unfortunately, many of these drugs can be gotten over the counter without prescriptions. Quit this injurious practice and let your kidneys know peace.

Blood Sugar Monitoring and Diabetes
Closely related to the control of water intake as a function of the kidney is the reabsorption of blood sugar. One of the complications of Diabetes is Chronic Kidney Disease. You normally should not have sugar in your urine making it abnormal if you do have. Make sure to check your blood sugar level regularly and control it if diabetic. Having a pocket glucometer is great if you are at risk.

Blood Pressure Checks
Although the slowest, your kidneys are the best regulators of your blood pressure, yet they would yield at the mercy of chronic and poorly controlled high blood pressure. As Hypertension often has a genetic predilection, it is wise to have your blood pressure monitored if you have close family members who are hypertensive. Many drugs help to control your blood pressure by regulating how your kidneys function, visit your doctor if you have raised blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg.

Salt Intake Reduction
One of the best ways to eat healthy is to reduce your salt intake. Abnormally high salt intake usually means that your kidneys have more work to do excreting it, and in the process of doing so you might run the risk of losing too much water because the salt drags most of your water with it. If the kidneys are however bad at excreting the salt, you run the risk of having a fluid overload and overworking your heart, leading to cardiac failure and a whole gamut of organ relapse.

Smoking Cessation
Smoking keeps showing up as a risk factor for thousands of diseases. In relation to the kidneys, smoking puts you at risk of coming down with kidney cancers. Quit smoking before your kidneys get “smoked”.

Exercising Regularly
Exercising has great benefits for your bodily functions and your kidneys would appreciate your exercising too. Exercising increases blood flow to your kidneys making them able to perform their functions of detoxification, regulation of body chemicals and control of blood pressure. Exercising also increases the likelihood of you drinking a lot of water which is an effective alarm for regular water intake. Exercising also helps to prevent other potentially dangerous noncommunicable diseases which can adversely affect your kidneys such as Obesity and Hypertension. 30 minutes of exercise in at least 3 times a week is fair enough exercise.