#chronic kidney disease causes and treatment

[kidneytreatment01]

A Comprehensive Method: Homeopathic Therapy for Advanced Kidney Failure

When the kidneys are unable to remove waste and extra fluid from the blood, the disease is referred to medically as treatment for kidney failure. As a result, the body may accumulate fluids and poisons, which could result in a number of problems. Homeopathy offers a comprehensive approach to managing renal failure, whereas mainstream medicine offers therapies like kidney failure treatment without dialysis. By treating the underlying causes of the ailment, homeopathic treatment seeks to restore balance and promote the body's inherent healing abilities.

Understanding Homeopathy:

Homeopathy is a natural medical approach that operates under the tenet that "like cures like." To encourage the body's self-healing processes, it employs highly diluted compounds that are sourced from plants, minerals, and other natural sources. Homeopathic remedies are individualized treatments that are chosen according to the patient's particular symptoms, temperament, and general state of health.

A comprehensive and customized approach to treatment for kidney failure is offered by homeopathic treatment, which emphasizes reestablishing emotional, mental, and physical equilibrium as well as promoting the body's self-healing processes. Although homeopathy cannot heal advanced kidney failure treatment without dialysis, it can relieve symptoms, enhance general wellbeing, and improve quality of life when used in conjunction with conventional treatments. For individualized care catered to each patient's needs and health objectives, speaking with a licensed homeopath is imperative.

How to Reduce High Creatinine Levels Naturally: Using a Homeopathic Approach

Since the kidneys are in charge of removing creatinine from the blood and excreting it in the urine, elevated blood creatinine levels are frequently a sign of compromised renal function. high creatinine treatment levels may indicate renal injury or dysfunction, which needs to be addressed right once to avoid worsening the situation. A comprehensive approach to treating the underlying causes of elevated creatinine levels and promoting kidney health is provided by homeopathy, whereas conventional treatments concentrate on symptom management and halting the progression of the condition.

Understanding homeopathy: 

Homeopathy is a natural medical approach based on the individualization and "like cures like" tenets. It stimulates the body's self-healing systems by using highly diluted natural sources of chemicals. Homeopathic remedies are customized to each patient's distinctive symptoms, temperament, and chronic kidney disease causes and treatment.

Lowering raised creatinine levels and promoting kidney health are the two main goals of homeopathic high creatinine treatment levels. It is customized and comprehensive. Although it cannot heal advanced kidney impairment, homeopathy can relieve symptoms, enhance quality of life, and support conventional treatments. For individualized care that is suited to each patient's needs and health objectives and that promotes renal function and general well-being, speaking with a trained homeopath is crucial.

[lexingtonrenalcare]

Lexington Renal Care

Provides comprehensive care for patients who are facing kidney disease, kidney transplant hospital in Lexington, KY transplants, dialysis, and hypertension.   Our patients are our highest priority. We understand that each the patient is unique and individual needs will be considered when deciding on treatment options.

[cripplecharacters]

Disabilities that You Should Consider Representing in Your Writing More… part 1

[large text: Disabilities that You Should Consider Representing in Your Writing More… part 1]

While all disabilities are underrepresented in basically all sorts of media, it’s hard to not notice the trend in what disabilities make up the majority of representation. It’s especially visible when having a blog like this, where we can see what disabilities writers even consider including in their writing, and which ones never come up.

One in four people are disabled. With eight billion people alive it means there’s a lot of disabled people, and a lot of reasons why they are disabled in the first place - but this diversity is rarely represented, even on this blog, and anyone who has been following for a while has probably noticed that fact.

To be blunt: there are disabilities other than “amputee” and “(otherwise invisibly disabled) mobility aid user”. Does that mean that it’s wrong to write either of those? Of course not, and we don’t want to imply that it is. Does it mean that either of these have a ton of good representation? Hell no. Does it mean that when you are deciding on what to give your character, you should think beyond (or along! people can be multiply disabled!) just those two? Absolutely. Disability is a spectrum with thousands of things in it - don’t limit yourself for no reason and embrace the diversity that’s built into it instead. 

This is, simply, a list of common disabilities. This is just a few of them, as this is part one of presumably many (or, at least three as of right now). By “common” we rather arbitrarily decided on “~1% or more” - so at least 1 in 100 people has the disabilities below, which is a lot. Featuring!: links that you should click, sources of the % that are mostly just medical reports and might be hard to read, and quick, very non-exhaustive explanations to give you a basic idea of what these are. 

Intellectual disability (about 1.5%) Intellectual disability is a condition we have written about at length before. It’s a developmental disability that affects things such as conceptualization, language, problem-solving, or social and self-care skills. ID can exist on its own or be a part of another condition, like Down Syndrome, Congenital Iodine Deficiency, or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. This post covers a lot of basic information that you might need. We have an intellectual disability tag that you can look through!

Cancer survivors (5.4% in the US, about 0.55% worldwide) A cancer survivor is a pretty self-explanatory term. There is a lot of types of cancer and some of them are very common while others are very rare, which makes this a very diverse category. Cancers also have different survival rates. While not every survivor will have disabling symptoms, they definitely happen. Most of the long-term side effects are related to chemotherapy, radiation, and other medication, especially if they happened in children. They can include all sorts of organ damage, osteoporosis, cognitive problems, sensory disabilities, infertility, and increased rate of other cancers. Other effects include removal of the affected area, such as an eye, a spleen, breasts, or the thyroid gland, each of which will have different outcomes. Cancer, and cancer treatments, can also result in PTSD.

Diabetes (about 8.5%, ~95% of that are type 2) Diabetes is a group of endocrine conditions that cause hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) for various reasons depending on the type. The vast majority of people have type 2 diabetes, which can cause fatigue, poor healing, or feeling thirsty or hungry. A diabetic person will use insulin when needed to help manage their blood sugar levels. There are many complications related to diabetes, from neuropathy, to retinopathy, and chronic kidney disease, and there's a lot of disabilities that coexist with diabetes in general! You might want to check out the #how to write type 1 diabetes tag by @type1diabetesinfandom!

Disabling vision loss (about 7.5%) Blindness and low vision are a spectrum, ranging from total blindness (around 10% of legally blind people) to mild visual impairment. Blindness can be caused by countless things, but cataracts, refractive errors, and glaucoma are the most common. While cataracts cause the person to have a clouded pupil (not the whole eye!) blind eyes usually look average, with strabismus or nystagmus being exceptions to that fairly often (but not always). Trauma isn't a common cause of blindness, and accidents are overrepresented in fiction. A blind person can use a white cane, a guide dog or horse, or both. Assistive solutions are important here, such as Braille, screenreaders, or magnifying glasses. We have a blindness tag that you can look through, and you might want to check out @blindbeta and @mimzy-writing-online.

Psoriasis (about 2-4%) Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition with multiple subtypes; it can cause intense itching, pain, and general discomfort, and often carries social stigma. It’s an autoimmune and non-contagious disability that affects the skin cells, resulting in raised patches of flaky skin covered with scales. It often (30%) leads to a related condition, psoriatic arthritis, which causes joint pain, tenderness, and fatigue, among other things.

Stroke survivors (0.5-1%) A stroke survivor is a person who has survived any kind of stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic, etc.). While the specific symptoms often depend on the exact location on where the stroke happened, signs such as hemiplegia, slurred speech, vision problems, and cognitive changes are common in most survivors to some degree. When someone has a stroke as a baby, or before they are born, it can result in cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and other disabilities. We have a brain injury tag that you can look through!

Noonan Syndrome (about 0.1-1% - mild is 1%, severe 0.1%) Noonan Syndrome is a disability that is almost never mentioned in any context, but certainly not around the topic of writing disabled characters. It’s a congenital condition that can cause cardiomyopathy, chronic joint pain, hypermobility, short stature, facial differences such as ptosis, autism, and various lymphatic problems among other things. Some people with Noonan Syndrome might use mobility aids to help with their joint pain.

Hyperthyroidism (about 1.2%) Hyperthyroidism is a condition of the endocrine system caused by hormone overproduction that affects metabolism. It often results in irritability, weight loss, heat intolerance, tremors, mood swings, or insomnia. Undertreated hyperthyroidism has a rare, but extremely dangerous side effect associated with it called a thyroid storm, which can be fatal if untreated.

Hypothyroidism (>5%) Hypothyroidism is an endocrine condition just as hyperthyroidism is, and it causes somewhat opposite symptoms. Due to not producing enough thyroid hormones, it often causes fatigue, depression, hair loss, weight gain, and a frequent feeling of being cold. It’s often comorbid with other autoimmune disabilities, e.g. vitiligo, chronic autoimmune gastritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Extreme hypothyroidism can also be potentially fatal because of a condition known as Myxedema coma (or “crisis”), which is also rare.

Deafblindness (about 0.2-2%) Being DeafBlind is often considered to be an extremely rare disability, but that’s not really the case. DeafBlindness on its own isn’t a diagnosis - it can be caused by a wide range of things, with CHARGE syndrome (congenital), Usher syndrome (born deaf, becomes blind later in life), congenital rubella, and age-related deafness and blindness being some of the most common reasons. DeafBlindness is a wide spectrum, the vast majority of DeafBlind people aren’t fully blind and deaf, and they can use various ways of communication. Some of these could be sign language (tactile or not), protactile, the deafblind manual, oral speech (aided by hearing aids or not), the Lorm alphabet, and more. You can learn more about assistive devices here! Despite what various media like to tell you, being DeafBlind isn’t a death sentence, and the DeafBlind community and culture are alive and thriving - especially since the start of the protactile movement. We have a DeafBlindness tag that you can look through!

It’s probably worth mentioning that we have received little to no asks in general for almost all the disabilities above, and it’s certainly not due to what mods answer for. Our best guess is that writers don’t realize how many options they have and just end up going for the same things over and over.

Only representing “cool” disabilities that are “not too much while having a particular look/aura/drama associated” isn’t what you should aim for. Disabled people just exist, and all of us deserve to be represented, including those whose disabilities aren’t your typical “cool design” or “character inspo”. Sometimes we are just regular people, with disabilities that are “boring” or “too much”, and don’t make for useful plot points.

mod Sasza (with huge thank yous to mod Sparrow, Rot, and Virus for their contributions with research and data!)

[sriaaschronickidney]

How To Reduce Creatinine, Improve Kidney Function, and Avoid Dialysis?

Creatinine is seen as an essential factor while concluding the health of kidneys, but why is it important for kidney patients to keep it under control? What are the methods that kidney patients can apply on their own to manage creatinine and kidney health? So let us know it from the basics.

What is Creatinine? Creatinine is a waste product our muscle produce when they perform any work. It comes from the breakdown of a natural substance in the body known as creatine. Whenever the muscle does some work, creatine is broken down to provide energy, and in the midst of this, creatinine is produced. All the creatinine body flows with the blood and is filtered out by the kidneys to be excreted through the urine. However, When the Kidney function is hindered and they do not filter properly, levels of creatinine rise. The higher amount of creatinine also affects kidney functioning and could lead to Chronic kidney disease. That is why creatinine levels are measured to determine whether kidneys work correctly.

How Reducing Creatinine can Increase Kidney Functioning? Creatinine is a marker of kidney health, and its high values indicate kidney disorder, but it does not directly affect kidney health. Then how reducing creatinine levels can improve kidney health? When kidneys are damaged, they cannot filter out all the waste in the blood. Over that, if the amount of creatinine increases, it overloads the kidney to filter out more and can cause further damage to the kidneys. That is why kidney patients must keep creatinine as low as possible to prevent further kidney damage.

Methods to reduce creatinine naturally

As we know, creatinine is essential in preventing the kidney from further damage, and kidney patients must know how to manage it. Although you are taking treatment for kidney disease and medicine for creatinine clearance with medications, you must control its production by knowing and eliminating causes of increased creatinine within the body, providing a helping hand to your kidneys and letting them recover faster. Kidney patients must follow the tips given below to strictly manage their creatinine level.

Diet The most basic thing that significantly impacts your creatinine levels is your diet. Conditionally customized dietary changes can help reduce creatinine production within the body and thus lower it in the blood. Specifically, the amount of protein defines the risk factor for creatinine production. High protein foods make the chances of alleviated creatinine levels higher. Therefore, red meat, Fish, Chicken, and Dairy products that are higher in protein should be avoided. Diet for kidney patients should also be low on sodium, potassium, and phosphorus, so kidney patients should include vegetables good for high creatinine which includes fiber rich vegetables. A combination of all the restrictions makes up a diet that restricts the waste material production within the body. It reduces stress over the kidneys and lets the organ use the energy to improve its ability and functioning.

Controlling Root Cause Treatment of kidney disease can only be accomplished after controlling the root cause of it. Kidney damage progression can only be stopped after having control over the thing that caused the damage in the first place. In most kidney disease cases, High Blood Pressure and High Sugar Levels (Diabetes) are the cause. High blood pressure causes contraction of blood vessels and an increase in blood flow pressure which over time damages the kidney's filtering unit (Nephrons). Kidney patients whose kidneys are damaged due to hypertension are given medications to control their blood pressure and medicines for kidneys. By this, any further damage to the kidney is prevented, and kidneys have a chance to recover more quickly. Diabetes (High Sugar Levels) for a long time affects kidney functionality. Alleviated sugar levels damage the blood vessels carrying blood to the kidneys and negatively impact the kidney filtering unit. Therefore, a Kidney patient having diabetes is given sugar-controlling medications to manage the sugar levels along with the kidney medications. This ensures any further damage to the kidneys. Ayurvedic kidney treatment fundamentally focuses on curing the cause of the disease first and boosting the healing ability.

Following precautions There are some other precautions that a kidney patient should follow to ensure better results from the medications they are taking.

Avoid Heavy Exercising Creatinine is released when muscles work and are one of the major causes of increased creatinine. Because if the work intensity is more, the creatinine will produce more. Thus a kidney patient should avoid heavy exercises; however, light physical activities are unbounded.

Evade staying in cold environments A cold environment makes muscle use more energy to use in shivering, thus producing more creatinine. Therefore, avoiding colder climates is necessary for kidney patients.

Avoid Alcohol Alcohol creates more waste in the body, which the kidney has to filter out. It can also promote creatinine production and cause high blood pressure, which causes further damage to the kidneys.

Drink adequate water quantity A dehydrated body has the tendency to generate more waste, like creatinine. In addition, a habit of staying dehydrated puts strain on the kidneys and negatively influences the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).

[pumpkin-belly]

Ok. Pumpkin update when I should be filling out his medical forms or fighting fruitlessly with the pharmacy, my doctor's office, and insurance to get a replacement for the discontinued immunosuppressant I need to fight the damage covid did to my immune system, turning it against me even worse than the arthritis i had before.

To review, my Elder Statescat has:

Nineteen years

Feline herpes triggered by stress, causing cold sores/irritation inside nasal passages

Arthritis in his back legs

Hyperthyroidism since 2022, which dropped him from 12 to 10lb.

Chronic Kidney Disease confirmed Dec 2023

Congenital enlarged heart and intermittent heart murmur.

Which wasn't a problem until last checkup, when it showed ventricle thickening & constriction.

Probably the cause of a syncope (fainting) incident while I was in Texas. i've never seen that happen before.

Plus he's outlived his original owner. Her family, including vet tech granddaughter, are my neighbors.

Since December, kidney and heart disease have progressed, herpes flareups keep giving him cold-like symptoms, he's lost appetite (not normal with hyperthyroidism), and his thyroid med has stopped working. His weight has dropped to 8.4 and falling. 😢

When he first came to me, he was an overstuffed plush toy of 17 lbs.

But he's still opinionated and purring and talkative, and he just climbed up to bug me bc  I haven't been paying attention to him while writing this.

So, after ultrasounds to make sure there weren't other problems causing his loss of appetite, I've signed him up for Iodine-131 treatment on Sunday.

This is a Hail Mary: hyperthyroidism aggravates kidney disease and heart problems, and can cause nausea/ibs too. if we can get some weight back on him, maybe he'll have more reserves to fight the herpes flareup too.

Otherwise, I think we'll be saying goodbye pretty soon.

Even if it works, of course, he's old. The doctor's prognosis was 2 to 4 more years, with kidney disease finishing him off like most cats (including my last). But hopefully his quality of life will be better.

Wish the old man luck.

April 1, 2020 - Floofer pre-hyperthyroid

[savrenim]

not to be another donations post but you may remember how over the summer we had massive amounts of plumbing problems and other unexpected moving costs? well. after proceeding to work every single hour available to me for six months, take no holidays whatsoever, and budget the hell out of every aspect of my life, I was actually on track to pay everything back and maybe have a little bit of wiggle room by the time summer came around!

and then we got a call from the vet about routine labs saying that if we didn't take Suzy in to an emergency specialty hospital immediately, she would die within in a week, she might die anyways if we took her there, but it was our only chance to have a few more months with her. after an extremely difficult household discussion, we decided that we needed to do as much as we could for her. she's been a beloved member of the family for 18 years. we were not going to abandon her in her hour of need.

with two days at the specialty hospital, the prognosis was better than we could have possibly hoped! the most important thing is she does not have heart problems at all, which means that we can treat her chronic kidney disease with normal IV fluids and with careful treatment she could easily be with us for years to come. the timely intervention also may or may not have saved her from acute kidney failure too, we'll know when we go back to the vet on Wednesday to get her blood checked where her levels have stabilized at.

two days at the specialty hospital means we are also down $3652 , and no longer are on track to pay back everything by July when it comes due unless a couple of uncertain things going forward Go Right, I do not trust everything to Go Right, and we're also still uncertain about what long-term treatment going forward is going to cost.

I still have my ko-fi and my patreon, but honestly, I'm aware that everything is tight for everyone always and there are also a lot of causes that need money right now and in the face of that "hey my family went super out on a limb to try to save our cat and would love some help not falling off" feels kind of shallow. but like. not to sound dumb or like a youtuber or podcaster, but, like. honestly I think the Most Helpful Thing that anyone could do for me right now is take a fucking HelloFresh link that will send you a "free" box for cost-of-shipping ($7ish?) if you Sign Up For An Account that you can then cancel Immediately After The Box Has Shipped and Never Give Them Any More Money Than That and get Six To Ten Meals Out Of It, and for getting someone to "sign up", they will give me a free box too. like. if 13 people are willing to take a link then I don't need to worry about food for the next three months. which would be. HUGE.

so I guess.... dm me if you want a link? otherwise expect to see a lot of promotion of my writing/ patreon as I scramble the hell to try to make this money up

[joshua-beeking]

Celebrate Disability Pride Month by learning how to be a better ally featuring Minuamu from Dirge for Broken Men on #WEBTOONCANVAS!

I made a little project with @webtoon on Twitter and Instagram !

(go give a like/RT on their account if you can!)

It was a tremendous amount of fun to make and everyone has been so sweet when planning this! A very big thank you to them for this opportunity!

[FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW]

How to be a Disability Ally! Special Edition: Autoimmune Conditions by @joshua-beeking

The information found on this post is for educational purposes only, & is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

What is an autoimmune disease?

It occurs when a dysfunctional immune system mistakes the body's own cells for harmful invaders. It produces cells & antibodies that attack, & damage healthy cells, tissues, & organs.

This results in a wide spectrum of possible symptoms & severity. There are 80-100 known autoimmune diseases & many more conditions are autoimmune-related. Some autoimmune diseases are organ-specific while others are systemic.

Source: http://autoimmuneinstitute.org

A lot of these conditions are what you would call "Invisible." Their symptoms are often internal & not visible from the outside. Two examples are Crohn's Disease & Rheumatoid Arthritis!

"My creators have these conditions!" - Minamu, Dirge for Broken Men

Possible symptoms of Crohn's Disease include: fatigue, severe diarrhea or constipation, fever, weight loss, malnutrition, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding/blood in stool, mouth sores, anemia, Inflammation of the skin, eyes, joints, liver or bile ducts, kidney stones, delayed physical/sexual development.

Possible symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis include: fatigue, joint pain, morning stiffness, swelling of the joints, weight loss, fever, weakness, anemia, inflammation of the skin, eyes, lungs, heart or nerves loss of appetite, periodontitis, local osteoporosis.

It's worth noting that someone can have multiple autoimmune diseases at the same time!

Conditions that affect the digestive tract - Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome are often seen as the "black sheep" of awareness coverage for their "embarrassing symptoms."

This causes these conditions to receive poor coverage, support, & understanding caused by social stigmas. Being a better ally starts with gathering information. If a family member or a friend has an autoimmune condition, do your research! Learn as much about it as you can!

You can start to gain a better scope about how that illness affects their daily life. Not only will this help make you more prepared, it'll also help this person be more at ease around you w/out them feeling like they have to share things about their illness they'd rather not.

A lot of people with chronic illnesses are afraid to talk about their condition, or admit that they're in pain for fear of shame or feeling like they're "Bringing down the mood." Please refrain from giving unsolicited advice regarding the medical management of their illness.

Not only is most 'alternative medicine' not scientifically proven & their sources dubious at best, some can prove to be potentially dangerous mixed with other medications or lead to a sudden worsening of the condition or "Flare up."

The people dealing with those illnesses know what's best for them. Another important aspect of autoimmune diseases is symptoms management. Most autoimmune conditions have no definitive cure.

The goal of medical treatment is to reduce symptoms, manage inflammation, maintain remission and improve long-term prognosis by limiting complications.

Keep in mind that no single treatment works for everyone and a lot of people dealing with these conditions have met individuals with "Good intentions" forcefully advising them on how they should manage their illness.

[behaviour to avoid listed below]

[x] "If you were more positive the symptoms would improve!"

[x] "You just aren't trying hard enough to get better."

[x] "But you were fine yesterday!"

[x] "I had stomach pain yesterday and you don't see me cancelling plans for it."

Becoming a better ally means knowing such conditions aren't easy to deal with for the sufferer.

When planning an event, look up bathroom placement for friend with digestive ad and ask what diet restrictions they have.

For ad with movement impairment, plan outings with easy access, mobility assistance or rest areas.

Offer a helping hand with chores or an ear on days when symptoms flare up.

...However! Don't assume someone who appears to be struggling wants the help! Ask before assisting! Being a better ally also means not getting annoyed or angry when your assistance is refused.

While the intention is of course appreciated, some prefer their independence. The loss of autonomy is difficult to accept, and imposing help can be seen as pushy or selfish. In summary: the best thing you can do as an ally is listen, learn, and be understanding of our condition!

Enjoyed this? Take a look at @joshua-beeking webcomic "Dirge for broken men" available on WEBTOON!

You can also support the project on Patreon!

http://Patreon.Com/joshuabeeking

[pandemic-info]

I teach patho to nursing students. Every semester since spring of 2020, I have taught about Covid. And every semester to have to change my lecture to keep up with new data. I was teaching Covid this semester and I told them that if nothing else, understand the science.

I explained how Covid attaches to ACE2 receptors in the nose, throat, heart, kidneys, and gut first. That’s why you see a runny nose, sore throat, myocarditis and acute kidney failure first. There aren’t as many ACE 2 receptors in the lungs, so Covid hits the lungs later.

That’s why you see lag time between initial infection and respiratory symptoms. More importantly, I explained that Covid is not just a lung disease, it is a massive systemic inflammatory response to the virus. Covid also upregulates a protein called bradykinin, causing clots.

If nothing else, I told them to think of Covid as huge inflammatory process that causes injury, scarring and clots to form everywhere. That’s why we are seeing so many strokes, MIs, weird liver failure in peds, bowel ischemia, and long Covid. It all points to chronic inflammation. There is no immunity as the variants keep changing, kind of like the flu, which is why we get flu shots every year. We’ve just let this run rampant, so a slew of Covid variants keep popping up, rendering treatments less effective.

The worst part of this was when one student said that their parents had gotten Covid and asked how to keep them safe from the complications. Another student piped in and said she had Covid 3 times and was she at risk too? It was my moment of reckoning. I realized that there wasn’t much I could say except to protect themselves with masks, vaccinations, and to try not to get Covid again. I told them that if they had Covid, they were at higher risk of long Covid and lantern complications. There was nothing to be done.

Except to protect themselves going forward. After that there was silence. One of my students then said how disappointed in government and public health leaders he was. Another told me she was disappointed in her professors and her school for not being more vigilant.

I told them that as long as they understood the patho of the disease, they could guard against misinformation. I told them to educate their families and patients about the science, not the rumors. This left me feeling so sad. What have we done?

If I can teach this to first semester nursing students, why couldn’t we have taught this to everyone? People do not understand the disease and no one bothers to explain it. Perhaps that’s why we have failed so miserably.

We need to backtrack and explain the disease before we start talking about immunity debt (a non issue) and endemicity. My students are so young. It’s heartbreaking.

via Kali

[kidneytreatment01]

Holistic Methods for Maintaining Kidney Health: Going Beyond Dialysis and Traditional Therapies

The kidneys are silent heroes in the complex symphony of our bodies' processes, filtering waste, balancing fluids, and controlling blood pressure. But when these essential organs fail, like in the case of chronic kidney disease causes and treatment or renal failure, it can throw off the balance of our whole system. The conversation surrounding kidney health is frequently dominated by conventional therapies like medicine and dialysis, but there is a field of complementary therapies like homeopathy that provide alternate avenues for healing.

Comprehending Chronic Kidney Disease and Kidney Failure:

Millions of people throughout the world suffer from chronic kidney disease, a prevalent condition marked by a progressive decrease of kidney function over time. There are many different reasons why this happens, from autoimmune disorders and genetic predispositions to diabetes and hypertension. If chronic kidney disease causes and treatment is not treated, it can lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), which is characterized by significantly reduced kidney function and kidney failure treatment without dialysis to survive.

Traditional Interventions and Restrictions:

Even while kidney failure treatment without dialysis can save lives, there are a number of difficulties associated with it, including lengthy sessions, dietary restrictions, and other consequences. Furthermore, it treats the symptoms rather than the fundamental cause, highlighting the necessity of holistic methods that focus on the body's underlying imbalances.

A Comprehensive Strategy for Renal Health:

Nutritional therapy: 

Dietary adjustments designed to support renal function are a fundamental component of comprehensive kidney care. Reducing consumption of salt, phosphorus, and potassium and making sure you drink enough water will help the kidneys work less hard and slow down the advancement of the condition.

Herbal medicines: 

For millennia, people have utilized traditional herbal medicines to promote kidney health. Plants with diuretic qualities, such as dandelion root, parsley, and nettle leaf, encourage the generation of urine and aid in the removal of toxins. But, it's imperative that you speak with a licensed healthcare professional before adding herbal supplements to your routine.

Stress management: 

By raising blood pressure and inducing inflammatory reactions, long-term stress can make renal failure worse. Mind-body techniques like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises provide comprehensive ways to reduce stress and create an atmosphere that is favorable for high creatinine treatment.

Homeopathy: 

A Calm Method for Maintaining Kidney Health

When treating kidney diseases, homeopathy offers a mild yet effective method that doesn't mask symptoms in favor of reestablishing the body's natural balance. The choice of remedies is determined by the individual presentation of each patient, taking into account mental, emotional, and physical factors. Because homeopathic treatments don't have harmful side effects like conventional pharmaceuticals do, they can be used for an extended period of time.

In summary:

Although dialysis and other traditional treatments are still essential for treating advanced kidney disease, holistic methods provide additional means of promoting renal health, reducing symptoms, and raising overall quality of life. As a safe and efficient treatment option for kidney diseases, high creatinine treatment tailored care and gently stimulates the body's healing mechanisms. Adopting a holistic approach that incorporates dietary changes, lifestyle adjustments, and complementary therapies can enable people to take charge of their own kidney health and vitality.

[dr-smita-goel-homeopathy-clinic]

*Dr. Smita Goel Homeopathy Clinic*

www.thehomeopathyclinic.co.in

A person with short stature, or restricted growth, does not grow as tall as other people of the same gender, age, and ethnicity. The person's height is below the 3rd percentile.

Short stature can be a variant of normal growth, or it may indicate a disorder or condition.

Growth rate is an important indicator of overall health. Children who do not reach the 5th percentile by the age of 5 years are said to be small for gestational age (SGA). A pediatrician will look out for signs of "failure to thrive."

Early intervention can prevent future problems in many cases.

Normally, at 8 years of age, a child's arm span is around the same as their height. If these measurements are out of proportion, this may be a sign of disproportionate short stature (DSS), sometimes known as "dwarfism."

Fast facts on short stature

Here are some key points about short stature. More detail is in the main article.

• Short stature can happen for a wide range of reasons, including having small parents, malnutrition, and genetic conditions such as achondroplasia.

• Proportionate short stature (PSS) is when the person is small, but all the parts are in the usual proportions. In disproportionate short stature (DSS), the limbs may be small compared with the trunk.

• If short stature results from a growth hormone (GH) deficiency, GH treatment can often boost growth.

• Some people may experience long-term medical complications, but intelligence is not usually affected.

Causes

Growth depends on a complex range of factors, including genetic makeup, nutrition, and hormonal influences.

The most common cause of short stature is having parents whose height is below average, but around 5 percent of children with short stature have a medical condition.

Conditions that can underlie short stature include:

• Undernutrition, due to a disease or lack of nutrients

• Hypothyroidism, leading to a lack of growth hormone

• A tumor in the pituitary gland

• Diseases of the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, or gastrointestinal tract

• Conditions that affect the production of collagen and other proteins

• Some chronic diseases, such as celiac disease and other inflammatory disorders

• Mitochondrial disease, which can affect the body in different ways, including growth

Sometimes, an injury to the head during childhood can lead to reduced growth.

A lack of growth hormone can also lead to delayed or absent sexual development.

Rheumatologic diseases, such as arthritis, are linked to short stature. This may happen because of the disease, or as a result of the glucocorticoid treatment, which can affect the release of growth hormone.

Disproportionate short stature (DSS) usually stems from a genetic mutation that affects the development of bone and cartilage and undermines physical growth.

The parents may not have short stature, but they may pass on a condition that is linked to DSS, such as achondroplasia, mucopolysaccharide disease, and spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia (SED).

Types

There are different types and causes of short stature, or restricted growth, and they will present differently. Because the range of conditions is so broad, restricted growth can be classified in various ways.

One categorization is:

• Variant restricted growth

• Proportionate short stature (PSS)

• Disproportionate short stature (DSS)

Each of these categories includes a number of types and causes of short stature.

Variant restricted growth

Sometimes a person is small but otherwise healthy. This can be referred to as variant restricted growth. It may happen for genetic or hormonal reasons.

If the parents are also small, this can be called familial short stature (FSS). If it stems from a hormonal issue, it is a constitutional delay in growth and adolescence (CDGA).

The limbs and the head develop in proportion with the spine, and the individual is otherwise healthy.

Growth happens throughout the body, so the legs, for example, are in proportion with the spine.

In most cases, the individual's parents are also small, but sometimes small stature happens because the body does not produce enough growth hormone (GH), or the body does not process growth hormone properly. This is known as GH insensitivity. Hypothyrodism can lead to low hormone production.

Growth hormone treatment during childhood may help.

Proportionate short stature (PSS)

Sometimes, overall growth is restricted, but the person's body is in proportion, and the individual has a related health problem. This is known as proportionate short stature (PSS).

If the individual is heavy for their height, this can suggest a hormone problem. The problem could be hypothyroidism, excess glucorticoid production, or too little GH.

A person who is small and their weight is low for their height may be experiencing malnutrition, or they may have a disorder that leads to malabsorption.

Whatever the underlying reason, if it affects overall growth, it may impact development in at least one body system, so treatment is needed.

During adulthood, a person with this type of restricted growth is more likely to experience:

• osteoporosis

• cardiovascular problems

• reduced muscle strength

Rarely, there may be cognitive problems, or problems with thinking. This depends on the cause of the short stature.

Disproportionate short stature (DSS)

Disproportionate short stature (DSS) is linked to a genetic mutation. The parents are usually of average height. As with other types of short stature, a range underlying causes is possible.

An individual with DSS will be small in height, and they will have other unusual physical features. These may be visible at birth, or they may develop in time as the infant develops.

Most individuals will have an average-sized trunk and short limbs, but some people may have a very short trunk and shortened, but disproportionately large limbs. Head size may be disproportionately large.

Intelligence or cognitive abilities are unlikely to be affected unless the person has hydrocephalus, or too much fluid around the brain.

Achondroplasia underlies around 70 percent of cases of DSS. It affects around 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 40,000 people.

Features include:

• an average-sized trunk

• short limbs, especially the upper arms and legs

• short fingers, possibly with a wide space between the middle and ring fingers

• limited mobility in the elbows

• a large head with a prominent forehead and flattened bridge of the nose

• bowed legs

• lordosis, a progressive development of a swayed lower back

• average adult height of 4 feet, or 122 cm

Hypochondroplasia is a mild form of achondroplasia. It may be difficult to differentiate between familial short stature and achondroplasia.

Achondroplasia and hypochondroplasia result from a genetic mutation.

Genetic conditions, such as Turner syndrome, Down syndrome, or Prader Willi syndrome, are also linked to DSS.

Diagnosis

Some types of short stature can be diagnosed at birth. In other cases, routine visits to a pediatrician should reveal any abnormal growth pattern.

The doctor will record the child's head circumference, height, and weight.

If the doctor suspects restricted growth, they will carry out a physical examination, look at the child's medical and family history, and possibly carry out some tests.

These may include:

An x-ray, to assess for problems with bone development

An insulin tolerance test, to check for a deficiency in the growth hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).

In this test, insulin is injected into a vein, causing blood glucose levels to drop. Normally, this would trigger the pituitary gland to release growth hormone (GH). If GH levels are lower than normal, there may be a GH deficiency.

Other tests include:

• a thyroid-stimulating hormone test, to check for hypothyroidism

• a complete blood count, to test for anemia

• metabolic tests, to assess liver and kidney function

• erythrocyte sedimentation and C-reactive protein tests, to assess for inflammatory bowel disease

• urine tests can check for enzyme deficiency disorders

• tissue transglutinase and immunoglobulin A tests, for celiac disease

• imaging scans, such as an x-ray of the skeleton and the skull or an MRI, can detect problems with the pituitary gland or hypothalamus

• bone marrow or skin biopsies may help confirm conditions associated with short stature

Treatment

Treatment will depend on the cause of the short stature.

If there are signs of malnutrition, the child may need nutritional supplements or treatment for a bowel disorder or other condition that is preventing them from absorbing nutrients.

If growth is restricted or delayed because of a hormonal problem, GH treatment may be necessary.

Pediatric hormone treatment: In children who produce too little GH, a daily injection of hormone treatment may stimulate physical growth later in life. Medications, such as somatropin, may eventually add 4 inches, or 10 centimeters, to adult height.

Adult hormone treatment

: Treatment for adults can help protect against complications, for example, cardiovascular disease and low bone mineral density.

Somatropin, also known as recombinant GH, might be recommended for people who:

• have a severe growth hormone deficiency

• experience impaired quality of life

• are already receiving treatment for another pituitary hormone deficiency

Adult patients generally self-administer daily with an injection.

Adverse effects of somatropin include headache, muscle pain, edema, or fluid retention, problems with eyesight, joint pain, vomiting, and nausea.

The patient may receive treatment to control chronic conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, and arthritis.

Treatment for DSS

As DSS often stems from a genetic disorder, treatment focuses mainly on the complications.

Some patients with very short legs may undergo leg lengthening. The leg bone is broken and then fixed into a special frame. The frame is adjusted daily to lengthen the bone.

This does not always work, it takes a long time, and there is a risk of complications, including:

• pain

• the bone forming badly or at an inappropriate rate

• infection

• deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in a vein

Other possible surgical treatments include:

• use of growth plates, where metal staples are inserted into the ends of long bones where growth takes place, to help bones grow in the right direction

• inserting staples or rods to help the spine form the right shape

• increasing the size of the opening in the bones of the spine to reduce pressure on the spinal cord

Regular monitoring can reduce the risk of complications.

Complications

A person with DSS may experience a number of complications.

These include:

• arthritis later in life

• delayed mobility development

• dental problems

• bowed legs

• hearing problems and otitis media

• hydrocephalus, or too much fluid in the brain cavities

• hunching of the back

• limb problems

• swaying of the back

• narrowing of the channel in the lower spine during adulthood and other spine problem

• sleep apnea

• weight gain

• speech and language problems

Individuals with proportionate short stature (PSS) may have poorly developed organs and pregnancy complications, such as respiratory problems. Delivery will normally be by cesarean section.

Outlook

Most people with short stature will have a normal life expectancy, and 90 percent of children who are small for their age at 2 years will "catch up" by adulthood.

The 10 percent who do not catch up are likely to have a condition such as fetal alcohol, Prader-Willi, or Down syndrome.

A person with achondroplasia can also expect a normal lifespan.

However, some serious conditions that are linked to some cases of short stature can be fatal.

[ohwormwoodlore]

Introducing: Sanguine

Sanguine has been sitting on the back-burner for a while now, but since I started this account I decided that it was probably the best way to start off!

The idea at the center of this all is looking at the trope of vampirism in a different light. Not just humanizing it, which has definitely been done before, but extrapolating upon the actual effects of vampirism as a whole through the lense of modern medicine. When I first had this idea, I kind of toyed with it for a bit, then forgot about it. When I found it again, I proceeded to spend an entire day researching so that I could create an in-depth document that outlines symptoms, causes, and transmission.

That being said, trigger warning! Lots of blood related talk and medical topics, since I know some people are sensitive to that.

To better summarize over four pages of writing, vampirism, formally known in this story as called the Sanguis Endogenus Retrovirus, is a blood-transmitted disease, like malaria or Hepatitis B/C. However, its usually spread through animal hosts. Within nonhuman animals, it's functionally inert, but when the virus finds itself in the bloodstream of a human host, it begins to make copies of itself and insert them into the hosts' genome, causing mutations. Some key aspects are that the human host is essentially mutated to spread the virus, whether they wish to or not:

The salivary glands produce even more copies of the virus, as well as draculin, the anticoagulant (blood thinner) found in the saliva of real life vampire bats

Teeth undergo a process similar to tooth growth in shark, and are able to be replicated if lost

Muscle mass increased, though through the same chemical process seen in muscular hypertrophy (the overgrowth of muscles)

The immune system becomes even tankier, as the virus attacks any other foreign bodies to maintain control

The eye changes to be able to see more UV light than average

On one hand, a lot of these seem like they'd buff an infected person, but the "pros" (if you can even call them that) are significantly dimmed when you take into account the cons:

A lot of traits consistent with sickle-cell anemia like fatigue, dizzy spells, weakness, and paling of the skin become chronic

The stomach, kidneys, and bladder all mutate, making the host unable to consume plant matter (aka become an obligate carnivore), while still being able to survive the resulting increase in protein and iron

Eyesight in daylight grows increasingly more sensitive, to the point of migraines

Skin blisters in any kind of UV light, and takes even longer to heal than average burns

Can cause effects like coughing up blood and frequent nosebleeds, which can lead to further exacerbation of the anemic traits mentioned before

The glands that produce adrenaline begin to work overtime, alongside the amygdala, which controls survival instincts and causes extremely heightened levels of anxiety and paranoia

The body requires much more sleep than before, up to 18 hours a day as a means to compensate for the energy needed to sustain the body and the virus

Overall, it becomes something of a very aggressive chronic disease rather than the Twilight sparkly vampires or demon-like Nosferatu equivalents. And because it's remains dormant when inside of animals, its hard to predict or contain the disease. However, the upside is that it is incredibly rare yet fast-progressing, meaning that "damage control" is often able to be conducted early on.

By "damage control", I mean the general detainment and capture of people who have contracted vampirism and the overall proliferation of an intercontinental conspiracy to suppress the existence of the disease from the public.

So, like with everything, the government(s) are in on it. And they're not afraid to commit crimes against humanity to keep the social order in check.

This brings in the Seward Institute, a medical research and technology company that specializes in blood-related diseases, developing treatments and medical technology, all while beneath the surface performing (wildy unethical) government-funded studies on individuals infected with vampirism.

Because of their massive global influence, medical technology (and the medical field overall) have gained an even higher status, and STEM research within colleges has increased tenfold. Seward hands out internships to those who seem promising, and this is exactly where we find one of the main characters of the actual story behind this project.

But that's for another day :)

I gotta keep some kind of other content to show you guys for later. Can't reveal all the secrets at the very start!

I'll keep on posting more as we go, so tune in!

[mcatmemoranda]

Doing review questions.

Hyperkalemia is a known side effect of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers such as olmesartan. The risk of hyperkalemia is increased with chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, moderately severe to severe heart failure, NSAID use, and older adults. Chlorthalidone and hydrochlorothiazide can cause hypokalemia.

In men who are diagnosed with hypogonadism with symptoms of testosterone deficiency and unequivocally and consistently low serum testosterone concentrations, further evaluation with FSH and LH levels is advised as the initial workup to distinguish between primary and secondary hypogonadism. If secondary hypogonadism is indicated by low or inappropriately normal FSH and LH levels, prolactin and serum iron levels and measurement of total iron binding capacity are recommended to determine secondary causes of hypogonadism, with possible further evaluation to include other pituitary hormone levels and MRI of the pituitary. If primary hypogonadism is found, karyotyping may be indicated for Klinefelter’s syndrome.

Daily use of polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution has been found to be more effective than lactulose, senna, or magnesium hydroxide in head-to-head studies. Evidence does not support the use of fiber supplements in the treatment of functional constipation. No adverse effects were reported with PEG therapy at any dosing regimen. Low-dose regimens of PEG are 0.3 g/kg/day and high-dose regimens are up to 1.0–1.5 g/kg/day. Ref: Tabbers MM, DiLorenzo C, Berger MY, et al: Evaluation and treatment of functional constipation in infants and children: Evidence-based recommendations from ESPGHAN and NASPGHAN. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2014;58(2):258-274. 2) Gordon M, MacDonald JK, Parker CE, et al: Osmotic and stimulant laxatives for the management of childhood constipation. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016;(8):CD009118. 3) Lauters R, Saguil A: Laxatives for the management of childhood constipation. Am Fam Physician 2017;96(7):433-434

Primary hyperaldosteronism should be suspected as a cause for hypertension if a patient has a spontaneously low potassium level or persistent hypertension despite the use of three or more antihypertensive medications, including a diuretic. This can be evaluated by checking a serum renin activity level and a serum aldosterone concentration and determining the aldosterone/renin ratio. Primary hyperaldosteronism typically presents with a very low serum renin activity level and an elevated serum aldosterone concentration. A 24-hour urine collection for 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) would be used to evaluate for a neuroendocrine tumor, which can present as chronic flushing and diarrhea. Cortisol levels can be checked if Cushing syndrome is suspected. Hypertension can be present in Cushing syndrome, but it is typically associated with other signs such as obesity and an elevated blood glucose level due to insulin resistance.

Psychogenic tremor is characterized by an abrupt onset, spontaneous remission, changing characteristics, and extinction with distraction. Cerebellar tremor is an intention tremor with ipsilateral involvement on the side of the lesion. Neurologic testing will reveal past-pointing on finger-to-nose testing. CT or MRI of the head is the diagnostic test of choice. Parkinsonian tremor is noted at rest, is asymmetric, and decreases with voluntary movement. Bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability are generally noted. For atypical presentations a single-photon emission CT or positron emission tomography may help with the diagnosis. One of the treatment options is carbidopa/levodopa. Patients who have essential tremor have symmetric, fine tremors that may involve the hands, wrists, head, voice, or lower extremities. This may improve with ingestion of small amounts of alcohol. There is no specific diagnostic test but the tremor is treated with propranolol or primidone. Enhanced physiologic tremor is a postural tremor of low amplitude exacerbated by medication. There is usually a history of caffeine use or anxiety.

Ref: Crawford P, Zimmerman EE: Tremor: Sorting through the differential diagnosis. Am Fam Physician 2018;97(3):180-186.

I got 100% on the first quiz! :)

[wanderlustt-101tn]

Dysautonomia;

Dysautonomia is a medical condition that affects the Autonomic Nervous System, which is responsible for regulating the automatic functions of the body, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, kidney function, and more. People with dysautonomia may experience difficulty in controlling these systems, leading to symptoms like lightheadedness, fainting, abnormal heart rates, and unstable blood pressure. Dysautonomia can manifest in different forms.

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a condition that affects an estimated 1 out of 100 teenagers, and including adult patients, it impacts a total of 1,00,000 to 3,000,000 Americans. POTS can cause various symptoms such as lightheadedness, fainting, rapid heartbeat, chest pains, shortness of breath, upset stomach, shaking, exercise intolerance, heat intolerance, temperature sensitivity, and more. Although POTS affects women more commonly, men can also get it. Despite appearing healthy on the outside, researchers compare the disability seen in POTS to the disability seen in conditions such as COPD, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

Dysautonomia and POTS can be challenging to treat, and the effectiveness of treatment may vary depending on the expertise of your local medical staff. There are some home remedies that may help alleviate some of the symptoms and triggers associated with these conditions. However, it is important to understand that these remedies may not completely cure Dysautonomia or POTS, and their effectiveness may vary from person to person.

Pots is supposed to be more common than MS or Parkinson’s so why is that some have never heard of it ?

It can take an average of 4-7 years to get proper diagnosis. Because of being misdiagnosed or how most symptoms can be linked to other illnesses. Lots of tests is involved and it just becomes and exhausting time period of wanting answers and fighting to be seen or heard by others.

Pots affects everyone differently so not all pots patients will faint and just because pots is postural doesn’t mean lying down will make symptoms better.

Did you know there are 15 different types of Dysautonomia and all should be taken seriously! No matter how it affects the person it’s a serious illness and it should never be brushed off!! Not only does the illness bring a variety of symptoms but also impacts your life in ways you’d never imagined.

* some of the different types of Dysautonomia 🩵🩵

We shouldn’t have to look sick to get the proper care, treatment and support!

I’m finally comfortable sharing my pots journey and even though I’m nervous and scared about it I can’t wait because while I’m sharing my story I plan to raise awareness on not only pots but als as well. Another illness/disease that impacted my life. I plan to share how much my life has changed since I was diagnosed with pots. I also hope this reaches other chronic illnesses warriors and can show that you can still have a beautiful life even though we have a certain illness.

If you want to know more

intsagram: rebeljennigaines_

TikTok: jennigaines101

February 24th I’ll be participating in my first ever polar plunge and leading up to the big day I plan on sharing my pots journey and how this illness has affected my life! If you have any questions feel free to ask.

🩵🩵🫶🏻💪🏻 no one fights alone!

[hiranandanihospitalpowai]

Kidney Diseases in Children - What Parents Need to Know

Kidney diseases are not just limited to adults; children can also be affected. As a parent or caregiver, it's essential to understand these conditions, recognize potential signs, and be prepared to navigate the challenges that come with pediatric kidney issues. In this article, we will shed light on kidney diseases in children, common pediatric kidney problems, early warning signs, and the necessary steps for parents and caregivers.

Understanding Pediatric Kidney Diseases

1. The Scope: Kidney diseases in children can encompass a wide range of conditions, from congenital anomalies to acquired diseases. These conditions may affect the structure or function of the kidneys, impacting their ability to filter waste and regulate fluids.

2. Congenital Kidney Conditions: Understanding congenital kidney issues in children is crucial for early detection and intervention. Some children are born with kidney issues, such as congenital anomalies like hydronephrosis, polycystic kidney disease, or renal agenesis. Hiranandani Hospital Kidney plays a significant role in providing specialized care and treatment for these conditions, ensuring that affected children receive the necessary medical attention and support for improved health outcomes.

3. Acquired Kidney Diseases: Children can also develop kidney diseases later in life due to infections, autoimmune disorders, or other underlying medical conditions. Early diagnosis and treatment are vital for managing these acquired conditions.

Early Warning Signs

1. Urinary Changes: Keep an eye out for changes in your child's urinary habits. Frequent urination, painful urination, or bedwetting beyond a certain age can be indicators of kidney issues.

2. Swelling: Noticeable swelling in the face, limbs, or abdomen may be a sign of kidney problems, as impaired kidney function can lead to fluid retention.

3. High Blood Pressure: Hypertension is not exclusive to adults. Elevated blood pressure in children can sometimes point to underlying kidney issues.

4. Growth and Development: Poor growth or delayed development could be attributed to chronic kidney disease, affecting the body's ability to absorb essential nutrients.

5. Fatigue and Anemia: Kidney problems may cause anemia and fatigue, as the kidneys play a role in producing erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production.

.

Read For More Blog: Causes and Treatments for Acne and Prevention Tips

Navigating Pediatric Kidney Care

1. Timely Consultation: If you notice any warning signs, consult a pediatric nephrologist promptly. Early diagnosis and intervention can significantly improve outcomes.

2. Diagnostic Tests: Your child may undergo various tests, including blood work, urinalysis, imaging studies, and kidney biopsies, to determine the nature and extent of kidney disease.

3. Treatment Approaches: Treatment will depend on the specific kidney condition. It might involve medications, dietary changes, or even dialysis in severe cases. Some children may require a kidney transplant.

4. Emotional Support: Pediatric kidney diseases can be emotionally challenging for children and their families. Seek emotional support through counseling or support groups to help your child cope.

5. Monitoring and Follow-up: Regular follow-up appointments and ongoing monitoring are crucial to ensure the effectiveness of treatment and the overall well-being of the child.

Conclusion

Kidney diseases in children may present unique challenges, but with awareness, early detection, and timely intervention, the prognosis can be positive. As a parent or caregiver, your vigilance is key to safeguarding your child's kidney health. At Hiranandani Hospital Powai we are here to support you through this journey, providing expert care and guidance for pediatric kidney issues. Your child's health is our priority, and we are dedicated to helping them lead a healthy, kidney-empowered life.

[puppyexpressions]

Is My Dog Dehydrated?

Water is a vital nutrient for dogs, just like it is for people. Dogs need to drink water daily because it helps regulate their body temperature, support organ function, lubricate their joints, and aid in digestion. Without water, a dog will become severely dehydrated and pass away if not treated in time.

That’s why it’s so important to recognize the signs of dehydration in dogs so you can get them the proper treatment. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Dehydration in Dogs?

Dehydration occurs when a dog loses more fluid than they are consuming. Water can be lost through panting, breathing, urination, defecation, vomiting, and even evaporation through the paw pads.

As a dog becomes dehydrated, they start to lose their ability to regulate their body temperature.

Dehydration also causes abnormalities in electrolytes. Dogs that suffer from dehydration often have low sodium, chloride, and potassium. These electrolytes are important for allowing transport of nutrients into cells throughout the body. They also aid in muscle function and nerve activity.

Why Is Dehydration in Dogs a Serious Issue?

Dehydration in dogs needs to be taken seriously. If your dog shows any signs of dehydration, offer them a small amount of water and immediately call your local or ER vet hospital.

Severe dehydration can be life-threatening because it can cause the organs, such as the heart, liver, and kidneys, to shut down due to decreased cardiac output and poor blood circulation throughout the body.

Puppies are more susceptible to dehydration due to their small body mass. They have a lot of energy and need plenty of water to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Signs of Dehydration in Dogs and Puppies

Here are some quick tests you can do at home and things you can check for to see if your dog might be dehydrated.

Skin Pinch Test (Skin Tent)

You can check for dehydration by testing the elasticity of your dog’s skin. Do this by gently pulling up some of your dog’s loose skin at the back of their neck or over the shoulder blades, and then releasing it.

In well-hydrated dogs, the loose skin should instantly spring back to its original position. The skin of dehydrated dogs will take longer to fall back into place and will have the appearance of being tented above the neck or shoulders. This is referred to as a skin tent.

Tacky, Dull Gums

If your dog will allow you to look in their mouth, check their gums. In a well-hydrated dog, they should be pink, glisten, and appear moist. Touch the gums. If your finger sticks to them, then the gums are said to be tacky. This is a sign of dehydration.

Dry Nose

A dog’s nose should be moist. If your dog’s nose is dry, this can be an indication of dehydration or another medical issue, like a skin infection.

Thick, Stringy Saliva

Normal saliva from a dog’s mouth should be thin and watery. When a dog is dehydrated, their saliva is usually thick and ropey and clings to their mouth.

Sunken Eyes

This is often a sign of severe dehydration, which occurs when the amount of fluid in the fat pads behind the eyes is diminished and causes the eyes to sink into the eye sockets.

Decreased Energy Level (Lethargy)

Dogs that are dehydrated become weak and tend to lie around. They are not interested in playing, running, or jumping. Instead, they try to conserve their energy to prevent their dehydration from getting worse.

Excessive Panting

Dogs commonly pant to cool themselves down. If your dog is panting more than normal, this can be a sign of dehydration, but can also indicate pain, anxiety, or a chronic medical condition called Cushing's disease. Alert your local vet if your dog’s panting has increased.

What to Do If Your Dog Is Dehydrated

If you suspect your dog is only mildly dehydrated because they have tacky gums but no other symptoms (no lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, or decreased appetite), then offer them a small amount of cool water to drink. Do not give a large volume of water at once, as your dog may drink it too quickly and vomit.

For a small dog, give 1 teaspoon of water every few hours. For medium to large breed dogs, offer 1 tablespoon to a 1/4 cup every few hours.  

If your dog appears moderately or severely dehydrated and has other symptoms, like lethargy, decreased or increased urination, vomiting, or diarrhea, or they have not eaten in 24 hours, call your local vet or ER vet hospital immediately.

Provide any important information, such as if your dog was outside in the heat for a certain amount of time or if your dog has any symptoms (specify what symptoms and how often they have been occurring).

Causes of Dehydration in Dogs of All Ages

There are many causes of dehydration in dogs of all ages. Here are some of the most common.

Heatstroke

This is when a dog’s body temperature rises above 105.8℉arenheit (41℃elsius) due to severe heat exposure. This could be caused by being trapped in an enclosed vehicle, strenuous exercise, or non-stop seizure activity.

Never leave your dog (or any pet) in an enclosed vehicle, even when the temperature is 60℉ outside. Dogs can still develop heatstroke within 15-20 minutes in an enclosed vehicle with this type of weather, even if the windows are cracked.

Dogs are more prone to heatstroke if they are overweight or brachycephalic (short-muzzled/flat-faced) breeds, but all dogs are at risk. It is best to leave your dog at home if you are not able to run the air conditioning in your car and provide access to water, even if you are running a quick errand.

Persistent Vomiting and/or Diarrhea

When a dog has ongoing vomiting and/or diarrhea for various reasons, they are constantly losing fluids within the vomit or diarrhea.

Any dog that has had ongoing vomiting and/or diarrhea for 24 hours or more needs to be taken to a vet hospital immediately.

Dogs that are losing bodily fluids through vomiting and diarrhea are not able to drink enough water to replace their fluid loss, and they will develop severe dehydration if not treated quickly.

Not Getting Enough Water

If a dog is not provided enough water to maintain their daily water requirement, they will get dehydrated. Check your dog’s water bowls daily both inside and outside the house to make sure they are filled with fresh, clean water.

Chronic Illness

Dogs that have kidney disease, Cushing's disease, or diabetes tend to be dehydrated and often drink more water than normal. Even with an increase in water consumption, dogs with these chronic illnesses are usually still dehydrated.

Make sure water is readily available for your dog to drink. It is beneficial to feed your dog canned food, as this helps increase the amount of fluids your dog is consuming.

If your dog is suddenly drinking and urinating more than normal or having urinary accidents in the house, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of these symptoms.

Causes of Dehydration In Puppies

In addition to the previous causes, these are some common causes of dehydration in puppies.

Parvovirus

Parvovirus is a highly contagious intestinal virus that often causes lethargy, decreased appetite, and severe bloody vomiting and diarrhea.

Puppies with parvovirus are commonly dehydrated due to the constant vomiting and diarrhea that this virus causes. To protect your puppy from parvo, get them vaccinated against this virus and keep them away from public areas until they are fully vaccinated.

Intestinal Parasites (Worms)

Puppies are more often diagnosed with intestinal parasites compared to adult dogs. This is because puppies tend to acquire the most common parasites (hookworms and roundworms) through their mother’s milk when nursing.

They are also more prone to picking up parasites in the environment before they are old enough to start taking heartworm prevention, which protects against intestinal parasites.

Puppies also have weaker immune systems and typically show symptoms of parasites faster than adult dogs. However, dogs of all ages are prone to intestinal parasites. The most common intestinal parasites are hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, tapeworms, Giardia, and coccidia.

If you have a puppy or an adult dog that is vomiting or has diarrhea and they are not on heartworm prevention, have your dog’s stool checked at a veterinary hospital for intestinal parasites. Most parasites cannot be seen in the stool or the vomit with the naked eye. Your vet will be able to find the eggs of intestinal parasites in the stool by using a microscope.

Foreign Body Obstruction (Eating Rocks, Toys, Etc.)

Puppies are very curious about everything. They do not instinctively know what they should and should not eat. Puppies and even some adult dogs are prone to eating things like rocks, carpet, socks, etc.

When a dog consumes a foreign object, it tries to pass through the gastrointestinal tract but has a tendency to get stuck. If the foreign object becomes lodged in the gastrointestinal tract, it will prevent food or water from passing, as well. This is called a gastrointestinal obstruction.

Vomiting up food and water within 30 minutes of eating or drinking is common when a dog has an obstruction. This can quickly lead to severe dehydration. If your dog cannot hold food or water down, or you see your dog eating something they shouldn’t, immediately call your local or ER veterinarian.

Treatment for Dehydration in Dogs

Most dogs that are dehydrated need medical attention. The cause of the dehydration needs to be determined with a thorough medical history, physical exam (checking body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate), and diagnostic tests (intestinal parasite check, abdominal x-rays, urinalysis and/or routine bloodwork).

These tests will check for heatstroke, causes for vomiting/diarrhea, and chronic illnesses such as kidney disease and diabetes.

Veterinarians will treat a dog’s dehydration by giving subcutaneous fluids (fluids that go under the skin) or intravenous fluids (fluids that are given into the vein through an IV catheter).

These fluids will replace fluids that were lost and also treat any electrolyte imbalance. The severity and cause of the dehydration determines which fluid-replacement method will be best to achieve rehydration. The veterinarian must also treat the underlying cause of the dehydration.

How to Keep Your Dog From Getting Dehydrated

Here are some tips for making sure your dog stays well-hydrated.

Always have enough clean water available.

It is super important to keep your dog’s water bowl filled throughout the day with fresh, clean water. Monitor your dog’s water consumption daily to make sure your dog is drinking a normal amount of water.

On average, a dog should drink 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. This would equate to 3 cups of water daily for a 25-pound dog. You can use this calculation to get a rough estimate of how much water your dog should normally drink per day based on their body weight.

Provide more water when your dog is exercising or if they are outside in hot or humid weather.

Limit your dog’s time outdoors when it’s hot or humid outside. Do not leave your dog in your car when running errands. It is best to keep your dog in an air-conditioned environment away from the heat to avoid possible heatstroke.

Stay up-to-date on shots and parasite prevention.

Keep your dog up-to-date on vaccines and heartworm and flea/tick prevention to minimize the risk of infectious diseases and parasites.

Watch what your dog eats.

Prevent your dog from eating things they should not eat (fatty food made for humans, objects in the house or outside, table scraps, garbage, toxic substances).

Take your dog for regular checkups.

Have bloodwork and a urinalysis performed once a year on your dog as a screening test to check for kidney disease, diabetes, pancreatitis, and other illnesses that can lead to dehydration. For senior dogs, it’s best to take them every 6 months.