Taking Care of our Kidneys
Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water everyday. That’s what our teachers said during our elementary grades. Yet, when we grow up, most of our peers often have kidney problems due to unhealthy lifestyles. Yes, some of our friends indulge in a drinking spree that can result to damaged kidneys that can lead to early death if not taken care of.
Kidneys act as the main waste regulator in the excretory system of our body. Left kidney is larger that right kidney .Luis Limchu Jr., MD, Nephrologist added that controlling to urinate will not affect the normal functioning of the two; unless, you have a defective pair due to your lifestyle .
Avoid fatty and salty foods. Eat food rich in potassium. If you’re uric acid is high, don’t drink too much beer that can cause dehydration that can lead to kidney failure. Those who have polycystic kidneys. Don’t take too much herbal tea that can affect the kidney operation.
Dialysis
When our kidneys are not functioning totally, persons with kidney failure or trouble are often seen undergoing dialysis operation every week.
Dialysis machine consists of an artificial kidney or dialyser which purifies the blood of the patient. There are two colored long tubes attached to the patient, the red one carries the unpurified blood to the machine and it will pass to the dialyser then back to the body through the blue tube. The process took about four hours.
In the United States of America, it is often advised to kidney patients to undergo the process almost everyday, but in the Philippines, an ordinary patient can only afford to go to the clinic once a week. The monthly fee for dialysis is about 30,000 to 50, 000 pesos or 1,200 US dollars.
National Kidney Foundation "Make a Difference" c/o KidneyFoundation
Healthy Routine on Kidneys
Since kidney failure is the prevailing problem in the US or even in other parts of the world, we should associate on healthy routine to avoid ending in the dialysis machine before it's too late.
- The basic rule is to be kind to our
body.
- Maintain a sensible, balanced diet.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not take drugs.
- Do not drink too much alcohol.
- Drink one and a half to two liters of
water a day.
- Drink only moderate amounts of tea, coffee and cola because they contain caffeine. This, like alcohol, is a diuretic - which means that it dehydrates the body.
- Daily exercise is a must everyday.
If we can follow these reminders, then and only then that we will live a healthy life without having kidney problems.
