The Kidney Repair Kit – ALL Kidney Patients MUST have this
Hello, Katherine from 00kidney here, welcome to our journey together to a better kidney health!
Today’s video is all about Herbal remedies and home remedies to give a boost to your kidney health!
What I have with me today is a special first aid kit for people with kidney problems!
Unlikely a standard first aid kit with bandages and tweezers, this one contains the solution to the most common problems people with kidney disease will experience
High potassium levels, Swelling, fatigue, Nausea, itching… they all have a solution!
As an added bonus, finding ways to treat these problems without the need for more prescription drugs may really give your kidneys a serious health boost!
So, let’s start immediately
one of the most common problem people with kidney disease, especially in stage 4 and 5, are facing every day.
Uremic pruritus or itching.
The main treatment for uremic pruritus has not changed by much in the years.
What doctors usually recommend is taking good care of the skin, with unscented oils and ointment.
Now, there’s a home remedy that’s effective and safe in treating uremic pruritus.
And not many people know about it, which is a shame in my opinion, because this home remedy has way less side effects than prescription drugs.
So, the home remedy for itching I have in my first aid kit is…
omega 3 fatty acids.
I always talk a lot about supplementing omega 3s so if you are following me here regularly you may already be taking this supplement.
It has some essential benefits for people with kidney disease… it can help with high blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides… it even fights depression and joint pain.
And, very interesting, there’s a review of studies on people in the advanced stages of kidney disease who were suffering from uremic pruritus.
They were treated with a high dose of omega 3s.
According to the researchers, patients “have shown a significant improvement in pruritus symptoms (evaluated by a standard questionnaire)”.
Ok, this is a really, really impressive result, in my opinion, because pain and discomfort are very subjective matters, aren’t they?
If researchers are saying that they are seeing SIGNIFICANT improvements it means that omega 3s can really help.
This is why you should consider adding this home remedy to your personal first aid kit if you suffer from itching caused by kidney problems.
But also if you have kidney disease, because this may really help you improving your kidney health.
Now guys I have to ask you to talk to your doctor if you want to use omega 3s to treat itching.
Even if you are already taking this remedy.
This is because as we can see here, the dosage you need to treat this symptom is really high.
We’re talking about 4.000 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day.
This is even more than the FDA consider safe.
It’s still a lot safer than any medication, according to the review I’ve shown you earlier. Researchers consider the risk negligible.
Now, another condition even more common than itching in people with kidney disease is anemia.
And there’s a remedy you should always keep in your first aid kit for anemia,
Ok, what do we have here… sorry, wasn’t able to fit this one in the first aid kit.
This is not just a simple skillet, it’s an Iron cast skillet. And it will be your best friend if you have anemia.
No, I’m not joking.
This is because people with CKD may start to have anemia even in the early stages of CKD, alright? It may cause some of the very first symptoms, such as fatigue.
So, if you often feel very weak and tired, anemia may be the cause.
And, if you have anemia, you absolutely want one of these. And not many people have them in their kitchen.
This type of cookware is not very used today because they require some maintenance.
On the plus side, cast iron skillets and pans are very cheap and really easy to find.
Now, there are two things worth knowing about the iron cast skillet.
First of all, it can really make a serious difference in fighting anemia.
In people with ckd, anemia, which almost always is the main cause of fatigue, is related to low iron intake from the diet.
This is because the best iron you can find is iron coming from animal based foods. It’s called heme iron and it’s easily absorbed.
It’s found in meat, poultry, and seafood.
And also, the best plant based foods rich in iron are almost all rich in potassium too: Spinach, kale, swiss chard, collard, beet greens and beetroot.
You see where I’m getting at? Even if you eat well and follow a well planned renal diet, chances are that you will have to limit many of the foods rich in iron.
This can easily cause or worsen anemia. Which will, if not treated, damage your kidneys.
Now, this little guy right here is actually made from… iron (! Non strillare) and it will release a little bit of iron every time you cook with it – especially if you’re cooking something with lemon, vinegar, but also beans and legumes or any acidic condiments.
This process is absolutely safe, alright, nothing to worry about, even if your meals tastes a bit … metallic. It’s normal.
It’s actually a great way to get more iron in your diet without the need for more meat or potassium rich veggies.
Foods prepared in cast iron cookware tend to provide two to three times more iron than those prepared in non-iron cookware.
Great to improve your kidney health!
Now, the other thing worth knowing about cast iron cookware is that it needs special care.
Before you use your cast iron skillet for the first time, wash it in warm, soapy water, and dry it immediately with a soft cloth.
Also remember to heat it up slowly.
Heating it up on a too high setting can make food stick or burn because the heat is conducted very efficiently.
Despite its tough exterior, cast iron is actually a porous surface susceptible to rust if you don’t dry it thoroughly after washing it or before storing it.
But, with proper care, a cast iron skillet can last decades, and many believe that these skillets get better with age and natural seasoning.
Now, this skillet won’t completely replace the need for a healthy diet and supplementation, but it costs almost nothing.
And, most of all, it is worth it’s hefty weight in gold if you have anemia.
So get one and use it every time you cook with lemon or vinegar.
You kidneys will thank you!
Ok, let’s move on now. There’s another very common issue people with kidney disease are going to face which can be solved with a home remedy I have in my kit.
Swelling or edema.
This is caused by the extra fluid the kidneys cannot remove properly.
In kidney patients, Swelling affects ankle and feet prevalently.
Now, there are two things here in my first aid kid that can greatly help with swelling.
First there’s
Horsetail, or Equisetum arvense
It’s an adaptogenic herb, a potent remedy that was used to treat kidney problems since the times of the ancient romans.
A 2014 study found that horsetail extract had the same diuretic effects as prescription medications, but with fewer side effects.
Horsetail is not just used to treat fluid retention or edema,
But also kidney and bladder stones, urinary tract infections, the inability to control urination, and general disturbances of the kidney and bladder.
Yes, it’s absolutely something you want in your first aid kit.
And, while I urge you to talk to your doctor before using any of the treatments I talk about in my videos,
And horsetail may be a good alternative to prescription diuretics: it has way less side effects.
This is a benefit of many herbal remedies: herbal products are able to regulate some specific functions in the body without altering what’s already working.
The other thing you want to use to treat swelling is
Dandelion leaf, one of the most powerful herbal remedy for your kidneys.
How powerful? Let’s just say that In French, dandelion is known as pissenlit… a colorful description of its diuretic activity.
Dandelion has other benefits too:
It May Help Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
It may help treating high blood pressure
It also has anti diabetic properties.
But most important,
Research has found that one of the plant’s compounds enhances kidney activity and increases the frequency of urination.
Ok guys, another symptom that can have a big impact on the quality of life of a kidney disease patient is
nausea.
Nausea is not just a discomfort; it can impact your nutritional status, ok?
and this is important because your kidneys need to be nourished properly if you want them to improve.
Now, there’s one thing here that can help
Ginger
Ginger is an incredibly powerful home remedy.
It will treat many forms of nausea;
If you have nausea, chop a small cube of it and just eat it. It usually works very fast.
You can get it in tea or tablet form but for me the best option is getting it fresh.
Fresh Ginger is usually available in the produce island of many supermarkets.
It’s also pretty inexpensive, actually, and this is why you should always keep it in your ideal first aid kit.
Many kidney disease patients incorporate ginger in their cooking, because it has several benefits for kidney health.
- Ginger can be helpful in reducing muscle pain and soreness
- it may even reduce the risk factors for heart disease.
- and also, ginger’s anti-inflammatory content can help with the inflammation associated with kidney disease.
Great to improve your kidney function.
This is because Ginger is loaded with bioactive compounds and nutrients – especially gingerol, a substance with powerful medicinal properties.
And there are studies on kidney disease patients showing that ginger has therapeutic effects in improving renal function.
Now, let’s talk about another very common problem people with kidney disease have to face: high potassium levels.
How can we solve this
Ok, let’s see what we have here.
Baking soda.
Ok guys, I know that many of you already know about the benefits of baking soda, but what you may not know about this wonderful remedy is that it is especially effective in lowering high blood potassium levels.
It works because blood potassium levels in people with kidney disease are not caused by the foods you eat:
This is very important in my opinion because when your doctor tells you to eat less high potassium foods, you know, bananas, potatoes, avocados, beans … they’re not giving you a solution to this problem.
They’re basically telling you how not to make things worse.
Researchers studied 3-day food diaries from 96 kidney problem sufferers who were not on dialysis.
Special attention was paid to daily potassium intake or servings of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, dairy, and meats.
In doing so and looking at results, investigators could find no associations between dietary intake of potassium and high blood potassium levels.
According to this research, lower serum bicarbonate levels put a kidney problem individual at greater risk of high potassium levels. Notice that bicarbonate is the same thing as baking soda.
Because what’s really causing high potassium levels, (hyperkalemia) is not the banana you ate, it’s a condition called metabolic acidosis.
Which means that there’s too much acidity in the blood.
This is where baking soda can help.
Baking soda can relieve acidosis because it is a base and it neutralizes acid in the blood.
So if you are suffering from high blood potassium levels, consider taking baking soda.
Now, another thing worth knowing about hyperkalemia is that it is usually caused by medications too.
Now, I’ve explained how this works in my video “how to use potassium to repair your kidneys” you can watch it if you want to know more.
But you should know that all the most common medications taken by people with kidney disease, including those to used lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, have been linked to hyperkalemia, or high blood potassium levels.
So if you are taking medications and your blood potassium levels are always high, even if you’re not eating bananas and potatoes…
well, maybe you should talk to your doctor and see if there’s a way to lower the dosages.
For some patients, doing changes in their diet, lowering sodium for example can be enough to take less pills.
Obviously this is not something you can do by yourself, you would need your doctor to follow you in this process.
But this is exactly the kind of improvement you would need to do IN ORDER to get your kidney function back: improve your diet and lifestyle and find a way to lower your medications.
Ok guys, this was our last one for today. I hope this video was of help and that you found out about something you can use.
A very interesting new video is coming next Tuesday – you really can’t miss this one – so subscribe and set the notification bel to all.
In the meantime, keep taking good care of your kidneys and be good to yourself.
This is all for today, thank you for watching!
About the Author
Katherine My name is Katherine and I've been working with people suffering from kidney disease and other kidney issues for almost 10 years now. If there's one thing I learned is that you should never give up!
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