Chronic kidney disease is the last stage of end-stage renal disease. It happens when you need dialysis as a means to sustain life, and your kidney may not function without it. Kidneys are one of the adaptable organs in the human body. It is the only reason why a person can live with one functional kidney without having to compromise health. Mostly when the symptoms start to show up, it is too late. So, it is essential to be careful of how your kidneys are functioning with the help of routine or annual tests.
What are your kidneys?
Twin pair of the organ is placed on either side of the spine in the lower abdomen. The kidneys are responsible for keeping the toxins level in line. It is their errand to balance minerals, filter waste, and excrete toxins from the blood. Not to stop, they help produce red blood cells, regulate blood pressure, and produce urine based on how much you urinate. Such functions are needed to stay healthy and well. Besides, the kidneys are also responsible for releasing hormones that shape the bones.
While they do it mostly with diligence, any impairment in their function may lead to a waste buildup in the blood.
Kidney disease is a condition of the kidneys in which they fail to work as required. You may have to undergo dialysis that works as a substitute for kidney function. Dialysis works as an artificial kidney as it performs the blood filtration process.
If you ask if it possible to terminate kidney disease without dialysis? The answer is yes, apparently you can!
The body can function well if the kidneys are in top-notch condition. With increasing age and other medical conditions, the kidneys may start facing problems in the filtering process. Their performance gets affected when there is damage to the blood vessels that help in the filtration process. The process of kidney malfunction can be longstanding or sudden, and depending upon how it happens, kidney disease can be classified into:
- Acute kidney disease
- Chronic kidney disease
High blood pressure and diabetes may manifest kidney disease and take a toll on your health. And if the kidneys are not taken care of, you may lose your life. Ayurvedic kidney doctor should be consulted to get the right treatment approach. Only the right therapy can help improve kidney function on a cellular level. It slowdowns the progression of kidney disease and make sure it is permanently cured.
What are the symptoms of kidney disease?
If you are wondering about the symptoms of kidney disease, not apparently, you will see them all in the initial stage. The common signs that may appear along include:
- Loss of Appetite: Patients with kidney disease may feel their appetite to the fullest and not eat anything. Some people also lose their taste to the food.
- Chest Pain: As the kidney function declines, the harmful waste may accumulate in the patient’s blood that flows into the heart. A person may suffer from chest pain if the waste level is quite high.
- Shortness of Breath: Waste when getting deposit on the lungs lining can end up causing breathing issues. A patient with kidney disease may suffer shortness of breath or breathlessness in the later stages.
- Swollen Feet, Legs, and Face: This is edema, which occurs when the fluid deposit in the cells and tissues as your kidneys are not producing an adequate amount of urine. Edema is the sign of kidney disease, making an immediate diagnosis tough.
- Nausea and Vomiting: The presence of excess waste in the blood makes the body react differently and distinctively. The body may want to get rid of waste using other ways, and this leads to patients feeling nauseated.
- Persistent Itching: Uremia is a life-threatening condition in which the blood may have accumulated waste in the blood. It can cause persistent itchiness and dryness on the skin that may not go even if you apply moisturizer.
- Constant Fatigue: The kidneys produce a hormone called erythropoietin that generates RBC in return. When the amount of RBCs in the body falls down, you may suffer anemia. Anemia makes you feel fatigued, and your brain does not get enough oxygen to feel fresh.
- Confusion: Mental confusion is common in people with kidney disease. Kidney disease leads to anemia, which means the brain is not getting enough oxygen. The lack of oxygen reduces its efficiency to concentrate well and retain memories.
What are the causes of kidney disease?
Kidney disease does not develop in a day, and rarely your kidney function will stop all of a sudden. This means chronic kidney disease is caused by chronic diseases that slowly damage the blood vessels within. The possible causes of chronic kidney disease may include:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Kidney Inflammatory Infection (Glomerulonephritis)
- Polycystic Kidney
- Congenital issues at the time of birth
Factors that contribute to the risk of kidney disease
- Smoking or alcohol
- Autoimmune Disorders
- Urinary Infections (Repeated)
- Kidney Stones
Are there any stages?
Yes, if the damage is slow and gradual in nature, your kidney may not lose function all of a sudden. There are five stages of chronic kidney disease, starting from stage 1 to stage 5, which is also called end-stage renal disease.
The glomerular filtration rate is the assessment of the blood filtration process that further decides which stage of kidney disease you are in. GFR is measured based on several factors like age, serum creatinine levels in a person’s blood, gender, and so on.
- Stage 1 with normal or high GFR (GFR > 90 mL/min)
- Stage 2 Mild CKD (GFR = 60-89 mL/min)
- Stage 3A Moderate CKD (GFR = 45-59 mL/min)
- Stage 3B Moderate CKD (GFR = 30-44 mL/min)
- Stage 4 Severe CKD (GFR = 15-29 mL/min)
- Stage 5 End Stage CKD (GFR <15 mL/min)
Ayurvedic Treatment
Ayurveda is a part of ancient traditional medicines. The theories and medicines in it come from the knowledge of Vedas. Ayurvedic practitioners have flourished the art and science of Ayurveda for over 5000 years.
The ancient medicine sciences classify the human tendency based on life energies or tri doshas. Every part of the human body has been meticulously recorded and named according to its role in keeping the body functional.
Every part of the human body has been meticulously recorded and named according to its relative position and role in keeping the body alive.
Ayurveda focuses on the body at the cellular level, so the aim has never been on treating the signs only; rather, the focus is on treating the whole body. There is a healthy balance between the elements of the body when you consume herbs and spices in combination. And it is not only about spices; herbs play an important role in experiencing a wholesome being.