If you or someone that you love has been diagnosed with kidney disease, the first question that probably comes to mind is "is there a cure?". Don't worry, there are a wide variety of options available to manage symptoms and improve kidney function.
Your kidneys are a very important part of your system as a whole. Every thirty minutes, all of the blood in your entire body passes through your kidneys to be filtered and cleaned. If your kidneys are not doing their job correctly, they will return toxic, waste-filled blood and other fluids back into the body. This can cause a whole host of problems. The kidneys are not independent organs closed off from the rest of your body's functions.
If you have issues with high blood pressure or diabetes, for instance, there is a huge likelihood that you will develop kidney problems if the aforementioned problems are not addressed. On the flip side, improperly functioning kidneys can cause a whole list of other problems, such as anemia and back pain. So it is important to look at the kidneys relationship to the body as a whole.
If you want to address kidney problems with western medicine, your doctor may prescribe a medicine such as an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) to reduce the protein in your urine and to help manage high blood pressure. For infections, a round of antibiotics may do the trick to knock down bacteria build-up. In more extreme cases, dialysis or a full kidney transplant may be required to restore the efficiency of the kidneys. Traditional medicine can be effective at treating symptoms, but they may not address the fundamentals of what was causing the problem in the first place and in some cases pharmaceutical medication can actually contribute to kidney damage.
There are other methods of treating kidney disease, which can be used safely in combination with traditional remedies that address the root cause of kidney damage. For example, there are a wide variety of herbs that nature provides which act as kidney cleansers and tissue restoratives, effectively encouraging the kidneys to cleanse and heal themselves. Examples of cleansers are: corn silk, goldenrod, hydrangea and nettle leaf. Kidneys that are consistently cleansed do not have much of a chance to build up sediment, which turns to stones, or bacteria, which can lead to infections.
There have been many success stories resulting from a change to a more natural, unprocessed diet can help restore kidney health. Think about it - the kidneys function is to cleanse toxins and wastes. If you already have stressed kidneys, why would you knowingly put more 'toxins' such as acidic foods, sugar, preservatives, artificial colouring and flavourings into your body?
By eating fresh and natural foods, you give your kidneys a break, and cut down on their work load immensely. Foods such as sprouts, fish, seeds, asparagus, watermelon, green vegetables and whole grains all work to build up your kidney strength. You may find that watching your protein intake also helps give your kidneys a breather, though protein consumption is mainly based on what stage of kidney disease you are in.
There may not be one right answer that works for everyone or for a 'one size fits all' cure, however, if you suffer from kidney problems you should know all of your options available, whether they are through traditional medicine or natural medicine. Be open-minded, do your own research, and work with your doctor or naturopath to find a solution that works for you to restore your kidney health, as there are many people healing themselves right now and reversing their kidney disease naturally.
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