Making healthy choices to prevent kidney issues

Dr. Rajasekara recommends a few tips for everyone to prevent their kidneys.

Hyderabad: A Few healthy choices can help you prevent your kidney from getting infected and causing kidney diseases, says Senior Nephrologist & Kidney Transplant Physician, Yashoda Hospitals, Dr. Rajasekara Chakravarthi Madarasu.

Kidneys have three different mechanisms, one is filtering the toxins, reabsorbing the toxins, and excreting these toxins from the body. One must be cautious about their lifestyle as well as their intake of food and liquids to prevent kidneys from failures.

“There are people who are prone to kidney diseases and are asked to get their kidney tested yearly to see if there is any issue. People who are diabetic, hypertensive, those who have stone diseases with recurring stone formations and urine infections, anyone who is obese beyond a particular point of Body Mass Index and lastly, when someone in their family has kidney disease, are at a risk of the same in future,” he said.

Both extremes of age, children as well as those beyond the age of 65 years are at a greater risk to have kidney diseases. Though the solutions to prevent kidney problems depend on kidney problems that a patient has, Dr. Rajasekara recommends a few tips for everyone to prevent their kidney failure.

Reduce salt intake:

One must cut down on their salt intake to at least two or three grams of salt per day. A diet high in salt can cause raised blood pressure, increasing your risk of kidney and heart diseases.

Keep Blood Pressure and Sugar in control:

If you have diabetes and high blood pressure, the best way to prevent your kidneys from being damaged is to maintain numbers close to your goal.

Physical Activities:

Regular exercise of at least one hour per day is recommended, staying active can help control blood pressure, build strength, and lower your chances of getting diseases.

Avoid unnecessary medications and herbal products:

Herbal supplements, antibiotics, or painkillers can cause kidney diseases due to certain ingredients present in them that causes damage to the kidneys.

Drink enough water:

Water helps the kidneys to remove wastes from your blood in the form of urine, being hydrated prevents kidney stones and urinary tract infections(UTIs) to hurt the kidneys. One must drink at least 2.5 to 3 liters of water.

Avoid Smoking and Drinking Alcohol:

Smoking causes diseases in almost every organ of your body while drinking too much alcohol can cause your blood pressure and cholesterol levels to rise.