Kidney damage may be caused by health problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes. In addition, other diseases such as cancer, infection, injury, or kidney stones are also prone to disrupting your kidney function. In many cases, kidney damage is a permanent health disorder. However, patients are generally able to slow down the rate of damage, or even completely treat it! Be careful, severe kidney damage can lead to kidney failure which requires you to do dialysis or dialysis regularly.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Changing Your Diet
Step 1. Drink as much water as possible (if your doctor allows it)
Water can help cleanse the kidneys and keep them healthy. For that, try to consume at least 6 to 8 glasses of water (approximately 1.5 to 2 liters) every day. For those of you who have kidney stones, the recommended amount of water to consume every day is 8 to 12 glasses of water (approximately 2 to 3 liters).
If you are asked to limit your fluid intake, make sure you follow your doctor's instructions regarding the recommended amount of fluids
Step 2. Reduce your sodium intake
Foods high in sodium can also worsen kidney conditions and make it difficult for the kidneys to recover on their own. Therefore, make sure you who are under the age of 51 only consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Meanwhile, for those of you who are over 51 years old, make sure you only consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. To limit your sodium intake, try to get into the habit of checking the nutritional content listed on each food label. Generally, processed foods contain very high levels of salt. Therefore, make sure you avoid processed and frozen foods whenever possible! Processed foods that are particularly high in sodium include:
- pizza
- Processed meats and bacon (smoked meat)
- Pasta
- Frozen food
- Canned soup
- Cheese
- Fast food
Step 3. Limit your potassium intake
In fact, people with good kidney health are recommended to consume 3,500 to 4,500 mg of potassium per day. However, for those of you whose kidney function is not good and must do a low-potassium diet, make sure you only consume 2,000 mg of potassium per day.
- Ask your doctor if you need to go on a low-potassium diet.
- Some foods that are rich in potassium are bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, chayote, cabbage, dried fruits, whole grains, and salt substitutes.
- If you want to limit your potassium intake, make sure you check the potassium levels of all the foods you eat and always monitor your potassium intake.
Step 4. Eat enough protein
At the very least, make sure that protein only takes up 20-30% of your calorie intake. In other words, make sure your body is still getting the nutrients it needs from protein, but don't eat too much protein to keep your kidneys functioning properly.
- Stay away from foods that are high in protein if your kidney function is not good. Eating foods that are high in protein can further worsen the condition of your kidneys.
- Choose low-fat protein such as fish, skinless chicken, nuts, and low-fat cheese.
Step 5. Consult the consumption of any supplements to the doctor
Some types of vitamins and traditional medicines made from natural can also damage your kidney function. Therefore, make sure you always consult your doctor before taking any health supplements, even if they are made from natural ingredients.
Method 2 of 3: Changing Your Lifestyle
Step 1. Make sure your other body functions are under control
Be careful, some diseases and health conditions can make your body more susceptible to kidney problems, or even worsen the kidney disease you already have. Try as much as possible to keep your body healthy so that your kidneys can improve on their own.
- If you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about how to lower your blood pressure properly. If you have diabetes, make sure you take any treatment to control the sugar levels in your body.
- A history of kidney disease in the family is also prone to expose you to impaired kidney function. Therefore, make sure you are more vigilant if your parents, siblings, or even grandparents have suffered from kidney disease.
Step 2. Exercise
Regular exercise can help maintain physical health, prevent weight gain, and reduce your blood pressure. If you're currently fit enough to exercise, make sure you get at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week.
- Before doing any exercise, ask your doctor if your body is fit enough to do it.
- Find an interesting sport that will motivate you to keep doing it. For example, you can try swimming, biking, mountain climbing, dancing, or even a combination of these sports if you really like it.
Step 3. Quit smoking
Indeed, smoking risks clogging your blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the kidneys. Since blood is a very important element for maintaining healthy body tissues, blocked blood flow can damage your kidneys and even make it difficult for your kidneys to heal themselves afterwards. In addition, smoking also increases the risk of kidney cancer and other health problems such as high blood pressure.
Ask your doctor if there are special programs and medications that can help stop your smoking habit
Step 4. Use painkillers as needed
If taken too often, over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen can interfere with your kidney function. If you have to take these medications every day, try consulting your doctor for other options for pain relief.
If absolutely necessary, of course you may occasionally take over-the-counter drugs. However, don't do it too often if you don't want to damage your kidney function
Step 5. Test your kidney function
If you are concerned about the health of your kidney function, or if you are genetically at high risk for impaired kidney function, try asking your doctor to perform various tests to test your kidney function. Based on the results of these tests, you will know whether or not there is a problem with the kidneys that needs to be treated as soon as possible before it worsens.
Method 3 of 3: Exploring Medical Treatment Options
Step 1. If necessary, go on a low protein diet
For patients with acute kidney damage, a low protein diet is highly recommended to prevent the accumulation of waste in the blood. Remember, protein produces waste that forces your kidneys to work harder to get rid of it.
Ask your doctor if you need to go on a low-protein diet. If it turns out to be necessary, you will most likely be asked to see a nutritionist to adjust the pattern of daily intake
Step 2. Consider whether or not you need to go on a low-phosphate diet
If your phosphate level is high, your doctor will likely ask you to go on a low-phosphate diet. In fact, dairy products are very rich in phosphate. Therefore, make sure you limit the consumption of dairy products and some other foods that are high in phosphate such as eggs, red meat, and fish.
If reducing your phosphate intake doesn't improve your condition, your doctor will most likely ask you to take a phosphate-binding medication. Medicines like this should be taken immediately after eating to bind some of the phosphate from the food you eat
Step 3. Ask for medication recommendations to treat complications
Poor kidney function can lead to various health problems. Therefore, make sure you take medicines that are able to treat complications of the disease. Some health problems that may be caused by poor kidney function are:
- High blood pressure
- Cholesterol
- Anemia
- Swelling
- Brittle bones
Step 4. Consider dialysis or dialysis
If your kidneys are not able to work optimally to remove waste and excess fluid from the body, try dialysis. Two types of dialysis that are generally offered by the medical community are hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
- Hemodialysis is a dialysis process that is done with the help of a machine to filter waste and excess fluid in your blood. Generally, patients need to come to the clinic or hospital several times a week to do this.
- Peritoneal dialysis is also a machine-assisted dialysis process. In the process, your abdomen (lower abdomen) will be filled with a special medicinal fluid that works to push waste, chemicals, and excess fluid out of your body. This type of dialysis can be done yourself at home with the help of a special machine, but make sure you do it every day.
Step 5. Perform a kidney transplant
For those of you who have kidney failure but are reluctant to undergo dialysis for life, the only option you have is to have a kidney transplant. To receive a new kidney, you will need to find a kidney donor or wait for a new kidney to be available at the hospital.
