How to Prevent Kidney Disease: 10 Tips That Could Save Your Life!

Summary

Dr. Freda, a board-certified nephrologist, shares 10 essential tips to prevent kidney disease, emphasizing the importance of family history awareness, regular checkups, hydration, and limiting certain medications. She advises against smoking, promotes a healthy diet and exercise, and stresses the need to control blood pressure and manage blood sugar levels to maintain kidney health. Dr. Freda encourages proactive lifestyle changes and early detection to avoid preventable kidney issues.

Takeaways

• 👩‍⚕️ Know your family history: Being aware of kidney diseases in your family can help you be proactive about prevention and early detection.
• 🏥 Get regular checkups: Routine medical examinations can screen for kidney disease, especially important as early signs are often absent.
• 💧 Stay well hydrated: Dehydration can lead to kidney failure, so drinking plenty of water helps flush out toxins and waste.
• 💊 Limit NSAID use: Excessive use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause kidney damage; use as directed and stay hydrated.
• 🚭 Avoid smoking and limit alcohol: Both smoking and heavy alcohol consumption increase the risk of kidney disease.
• 🏃 Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet: Regular physical activity and a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins support kidney health.
• 🌡️ Control your blood pressure: High blood pressure is a leading cause of kidney failure, so work with healthcare providers to maintain normal levels.
• 🧘 Reduce stress: High stress levels can worsen blood pressure and lead to kidney disease; find ways to manage stress effectively.
• 🍽️ Maintain normal cholesterol levels: Elevated cholesterol can cause blockages in kidney arteries, leading to kidney disease.
• 🍬 Maintain normal blood sugar levels: Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, so managing blood sugar levels is crucial for kidney health.

Q & A

What does being a board-certified nephrologist mean?

Being a board-certified nephrologist means that Dr. Freda is a kidney specialist who has met specific education, training, and examination requirements to be recognized as an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases.

Why is it important to know your family history in relation to kidney disease?

Knowing your family history is important because many kidney diseases run in families. Being aware of this can prompt individuals to be more proactive about getting screened and taking preventive measures if they are at a higher risk due to genetic predispositions.

What are some of the early warning signs and symptoms of kidney problems that Dr. Freda mentions should be watched for?

The script does not provide specific early warning signs and symptoms of kidney problems, but it emphasizes that the most common symptom of early kidney disease is often the absence of symptoms, which is why regular checkups are crucial.

How does dehydration contribute to kidney failure?

Dehydration can lead to kidney failure because it prevents the kidneys from flushing out excess toxins and waste products effectively. Adequate hydration is essential for the kidneys to function properly.

What is the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in causing kidney disease?

NSAIDs, when used excessively, can lead to kidney disease. They can worsen kidney function, especially in individuals who already have kidney issues or are at risk due to other health conditions.

Why is it advised to avoid smoking and limit alcohol consumption to prevent kidney disease?

Smoking can damage blood vessels and decrease blood flow to the kidneys, increasing the risk of kidney disease. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to hypertension and other conditions that may result in kidney failure.

What are some lifestyle changes that can help improve kidney function?

Regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, staying well-hydrated, controlling blood pressure, reducing stress, and maintaining normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels are all lifestyle changes that can help improve kidney function and prevent kidney disease.

How does stress impact kidney health?

High stress levels can cause cortisol and adrenaline to surge, leading to tightened blood vessels and increased blood pressure. This can exacerbate hypertension, which is a risk factor for kidney disease.

What is the significance of maintaining normal cholesterol levels in kidney health?

Maintaining normal cholesterol levels is important because high cholesterol can lead to plaques or blockages in the arteries, including the kidney arteries, which can decrease blood flow to the kidneys and cause kidney disease.

How does diabetes relate to kidney disease, and why is it important to manage it?

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure. Managing diabetes and maintaining normal blood sugar levels and hemoglobin A1c are crucial in preventing the progression of kidney disease.

What steps can be taken to prioritize prevention of kidney disease according to Dr. Freda?

Dr. Freda advises getting regular checkups, understanding family history, making lifestyle modifications, controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, managing blood sugar, reducing stress, and educating oneself and others about kidney disease prevention.

Outlines

00:00

👩‍⚕️ Introduction to Preventing Kidney Disease

Dr. Freda, a board-certified nephrologist, introduces the topic of kidney disease prevention and emphasizes the importance of early detection and prevention. She mentions that over 30 million Americans have kidney disease, often without knowing it, and highlights the role of diabetes and high blood pressure as leading causes. Dr. Freda also points out that many other causes of kidney disease are preventable through lifestyle choices. She offers a one-on-one consultation service for health concerns and encourages viewers to subscribe and engage with her channel for new content on kidney health.

05:00

💡 Proactive Steps to Prevent Kidney Disease

Dr. Freda provides a comprehensive list of 10 tips to prevent kidney disease, starting with understanding family history's impact on kidney health and the importance of regular checkups for early detection. She discusses the risks associated with dehydration and excessive use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and advises against smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. The doctor also stresses the importance of regular exercise, a healthy diet, and maintaining a healthy weight to improve cardiovascular health and support kidney function. Additionally, she covers the significance of controlling blood pressure and managing stress to prevent kidney disease.

10:02

🌟 Lifestyle and Health Management for Kidney Health

Continuing with her tips, Dr. Freda explains the importance of maintaining normal cholesterol and blood sugar levels to prevent kidney disease. She advises on the benefits of exercise, a healthy diet, and avoiding foods high in saturated fats to manage cholesterol. For blood sugar control, she emphasizes the need to prevent or manage diabetes effectively, as it is the leading cause of kidney failure. Dr. Freda encourages viewers to prioritize prevention, commit to awareness, and take action by making lifestyle modifications and seeking regular medical checkups. She concludes by offering a free resource to help reduce stress and promote overall health.

Keywords

💡Nephrologist

A nephrologist is a medical specialist who has been certified by a board to diagnose and treat kidney diseases. In the video, Dr. Freda, as a board-certified nephrologist, discusses her expertise in managing kidney patients and the importance of prevention.

💡Kidney Disease

Kidney disease refers to any condition that damages the kidneys and diminishes their function. The video emphasizes that over 30 million Americans have kidney disease, often without knowing it, and it is a preventable condition.

💡Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar. In the context of the video, diabetes is mentioned as a leading cause of kidney disease, highlighting the need for managing blood sugar levels to prevent kidney complications.

💡High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a condition where the force of blood against the artery walls is consistently too high. The video identifies it as another leading cause of kidney disease, underscoring the importance of blood pressure management.

💡Dehydration

Dehydration is a state where the body has insufficient water to function properly. The script mentions dehydration as a potential cause of kidney failure, emphasizing the importance of staying well hydrated to support kidney health.

💡Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

NSAIDs are a class of drugs used to reduce inflammation and relieve pain, such as ibuprofen. The video warns against excessive use of NSAIDs, as they can lead to kidney disease, especially when used improperly or without medical guidance.

💡Smoking

Smoking is the act of inhaling and exhaling the smoke of burning tobacco. The video points out that smoking can increase the risk of various diseases, including kidney disease, by damaging blood vessels and affecting blood flow to the kidneys.

💡Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption refers to the intake of alcoholic beverages. The script advises limiting alcohol intake to prevent kidney disease, as excessive alcohol can lead to conditions like hypertension, which can contribute to kidney failure.

💡Exercise

Exercise is any physical activity that helps maintain or improve health and fitness. The video encourages regular exercise as a means to improve overall health and kidney function, contributing to a healthy weight and cardiovascular health.

💡Blood Pressure Control

Blood pressure control involves managing one's blood pressure to stay within a healthy range. The video stresses the importance of controlling blood pressure to prevent kidney disease, suggesting lifestyle changes and medication when necessary.

💡Stress Reduction

Stress reduction involves practices and strategies to lower stress levels. The script highlights that high stress can worsen blood pressure, which can lead to kidney disease, and encourages finding ways to reduce stress for better health.

💡Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol levels refer to the amount of cholesterol in the blood. The video mentions maintaining normal cholesterol levels to prevent plaques or blockages in arteries, including those in the kidneys, which can result in kidney disease.

💡Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar levels are the concentration of glucose in the blood. The script emphasizes the importance of maintaining normal blood sugar levels to prevent diabetes, which is the number one cause of kidney failure, and thus a critical aspect of kidney health.

Highlights

Dr. Freda is a board-certified nephrologist specializing in kidney care.

Over 30 million Americans have kidney disease, often undiagnosed.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are leading and preventable causes of kidney disease.

Dehydration and overuse of certain medications can lead to kidney failure.

Lifestyle choices significantly impact the risk of developing kidney disease.

10 actionable tips are provided to prevent kidney disease.

Knowing your family history can be crucial for early detection and prevention.

Regular checkups are essential for early identification of kidney issues.

Staying well-hydrated helps flush out toxins and prevent kidney failure.

Limiting the use of NSAIDs can prevent kidney damage.

Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption increase the risk of kidney disease.

Regular exercise and a healthy diet improve overall cardiovascular health and kidney function.

Controlling blood pressure is critical to prevent kidney disease.

Reducing stress can help prevent hypertension and kidney disease.

Maintaining normal cholesterol levels is important for kidney health.

Managing blood sugar levels is key to preventing diabetes-related kidney disease.

Dr. Freda emphasizes the importance of prevention and lifestyle modifications.

Education and awareness are vital in preventing kidney disease.

Dr. Freda offers a free resource for reducing stress and promoting overall health.

Transcripts

I'm Dr Freda and today we're talking

about how to prevent kidney disease 10

tips that could save your life I'm a

board-certified nephologist which means

I'm a kidney specialist taking care of

kidney patients is what I do Daye in and

day out one of the toughest things about

my job is when I have a patient with

kidney failure and I'm starting that

patient on dialysis for reasons I know

could have been prevented

over 30 million Americans have kidney

disease and most don't even know it one

in three is at risk and yes many of the

causes of kidney disease are preventable

we know that diabetes and high blood

pressure are the leading causes of

kidney disease and these are two

illnesses that are potentially

preventable and certainly manageable but

then there's a list longer than my arm

of other causes for example did you know

that dehydration could lead to kidney

failure or taking excessive amounts of

certain pain

medications many of the lifestyle

choices you make can lead to kidney

disease preventable Life Choices so

today let's be proactive let's have a

conversation on how to prevent kidney

disease I'm giving you 10 tips that

could save your

life keep watching would you like to

have a one-on-one conversation with me

to discuss your blood pressure

specifically or other medical concerns

you may have would you like my undivided

attention as we discuss your specific

medical Journey if so you are in luck

because I offer a conge tella Health

Service where you can get my direct

input on your health concerns be sure to

click the link below I'm Dr Freda and as

we get ready to dive into this very

important topic please go ahead and hit

that like button and be sure to

subscribe to my channel hit the

notification Bell so you'll be among the

first to know when I'm releasing new

content all right let's get started 10

tips on how to prevent kidney disease

number one know your family history

something that I have learned over the

years as a kidney doctor is that our

secrets make us sick many of the kidney

diseases that people have actually run

in families and if you know that you

have a family history then you'll be

more likely to be proactive you'll go to

the doctor you'll be screened to find

out if you have signs of kidney disease

if you have protein in your urine if you

have high blood pressure also some of

the diseases that run in our families

can be preventable or at least

manageable for example if diabetes runs

in your family well we know that

maintaining a healthy weight can help to

prevent diabetes having a low carb diet

can help to prevent diabetes if high

blood pressure runs in your family you

know that there are certain things that

you can do to manage your high blood

pressure to prevent kidney disease and

then there are other genetic causes such

as

adpkd autosomal dominant polycystic

kidney disease and this is something

that if you know early on about it there

are things we can do to slow down the

progression and so a lot of people have

the attitude of what happens in my house

stays in my house but again our secrets

make us sick talk to your family be

proactive and know your family history

number two get regular checkups it is so

important that you see your physician or

health care provider on a regular basis

you know why because when you get your

routine histories and physicals your

doctor is actually screening you for

kidney disease I have so many patients

who have developed kidney failure and

they're shocked and they say you know I

never had any problems with my kidneys I

always made good urine I didn't have any

symptoms well guess what the most common

symptom of early kidney disease is

nothing you can be asymptomatic but if

you get regular checkups then your

doctor can do certain blood work certain

urine work they can find out certain

things in your history that will let

them know that you have a potential to

develop kidney disease and guess what

you can prevent it so be proactive get

regular checkups and be sure to watch my

video on seven early warning signs and

symptoms of kidney problems after you

finish watching this video number three

stay well hydrated now this is a little

known fact but dehydration is actually a

cause of kidney failure I have had to

dialy countless numbers of patients just

from severe dehydration so make sure

that you drink plenty of water you stay

well hydrated consult with your

physician to find out how much hydration

is appropriate for you but by drinking

that water you help your kidneys to

flush out excess toxins excess waste

products

number four limit insid use

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

such as ibuprofen Motrin Advil Alie

neoen celibre Maloy cam these

medications if used in excess can

certainly lead to kidney disease and

even if they're not used in excess if

you're someone who already has kidney

disease or if your kidneys are

vulnerable to kidney disease then

insides can actually make that kidney

disease worse now certainly sades have

their place they are wonderful

anti-inflammatory drugs but you need to

consult with your physician to find out

if insides are safe for you and if they

are make sure you use them as directed

and that you are well hydrated when

taking the insides I have had many

patients whom I have had to dialy due to

insid nephropathy or kidney disease

caused by excess insid use just because

a medication is over the counter does

not mean that it is safe for you consult

with your physician and limit insid use

to prevent kidney disease number five

avoid smoking and limit alcohol

consumption when it comes to smoking

cigarettes if you look at multiple

diseases you'll find smoking on the list

of risk factors smoking can increase

your risk for lung cancer for COPD for

empyema for skin cancer for heart

disease for cervical cancer and yes

smoking can increase your risk for

kidney disease what smoking does is that

it Alters your blood vessels it damages

them and it can decrease the vascular

flow to your kidneys so you definitely

want to avoid smoking cigarettes

drinking alcohol in excess can also

increase your risk for kidney disease

when you have a high alcohol consumption

it can lead to hypertension and other

disease processes which can ultimately

lead to kidney failure number six

exercise regularly and maintain a

healthy diet now this may seem like

obvious advice but you would be amazed

to know at how many patients over the

years I have watched improve their

kidney function just by taking this

advice when you put in regular physical

activity and you maintain a healthy diet

this helps you to also maintain a

healthy weight and to improve your

overall cardiovascular health which of

course is great for your kidneys you

want to make sure that you follow the

advice of the American American Heart

Association which recommends that you

exercise at least 150 minutes per week

with moderate exercise so that works out

to be about 30 minutes of exercise five

times a week make sure you consult with

your physician and you want to eat foods

that help to repair the kidneys you want

to avoid foods that are high and

saturated fats avoid high sodium foods

avoid Ultra processed foods you want to

eat lots of fruits and vegetables you

want to eat foods that have whole grains

and lean proteins be sure to watch my

video on nine surprising foods that help

to repair your kidneys after you finish

watching this video number seven control

your blood pressure now this is a big

one since we know that high blood

pressure is the second leading cause of

kidney failure you want to work with

your physician and your health care

provider to make sure that you're

monitoring your blood pressure properly

and that you're doing everything to

maintain a normal blood pressure you

want to do so with proper diet proper

exercise proper lifestyle changes and

medications when necessary now here's

something that's really key a lot of

patients will come into my office and

they'll be like Doc I want to do this

holistically I don't want any

medications but here's the thing if you

walk into my office and your blood

pressure is 185 over 110 well then more

likely than not I'm going to start a

blood pressure medication because I

don't want to wait three months or six

months for all the lifestyle changes to

kick in because in the meanwhile you'll

be at a very high risk of having kidney

disease or worsening kidney failure and

so often times we have to have an

integrated approach okay we will

implement the lifestyle changes and when

necessary start medications because

guess what as the lifestyle

modifications kick in and the blood

pressure lowers due to Natural measures

then we can peel back the medications as

needed again make sure you consult with

your physician and you control your

blood pressure in order to prevent

kidney disease number eight reduce your

stress I know that sounds easier said

than done because we all have stress in

our lives and some stressors are

difficult to control but having a stress

reduced life really is a matter of life

or death because when you have high

stress levels this causes your cortisol

to Surge it causes your adrenaline to

Surge and these things cause your blood

vessels to tighten and it worsens your

blood pressure

and we know that having a worsened blood

pressure or hypertension can lead to

kidney disease so reducing your stress

can help to prevent kidney disease I

tell you what I have a freebie for you

that will help you to reduce your stress

and to stay healthy overall 10 healthy

habits for a better you and a better

life click the link in the description

to download this free pdf number nine

maintain normal cholesterol levels if

you have elevated cholesterol or

dyslipidemia this can lead to plaques in

your arteries or blockages specifically

in your kidney arteries which can

decrease the blood flow to your kidneys

and cause kidney disease so you want to

make sure you have low bad cholesterol

so that's a low LDL low triglycerides

and you can do so by making sure that

you exercise maintain a healthy weight

and avoid eating foods that are loaded

with saturated fats you also want to be

sure that you know your family history

to make sure that you don't have

something called familial hyper

cholesterolemia in your family which can

predispose you to high cholesterol

number 10 maintain normal blood sugar

levels this is so important you want to

make sure you have normal glucose and

you try to avoid having diabetes or

certainly manage diabetes if you have it

we know that diabetes is the number one

cause of kidney failure so maintaining

those normal blood sugar levels and

having a normal hemoglobin A1c is is

going to be key in preventing the

progression of kidney disease you want

to avoid added sugar you want to avoid

Ultra processed foods you want to make

sure that you maintain a healthy weight

and you certainly want to follow up with

your physician in a regular fashion to

maintain normal blood sugar levels these

tips that I have just shared with you on

how to prevent kidney disease are based

on my life experience as a board

certified nephologist a kidney

specialist I'm telling you what I know

not what I've heard and so I want you to

understand that it starts with you so I

want you to prioritize prevention don't

wait until you get symptoms of kidney

disease or wait until your doctor tells

you oh it looks like you have kidney

failure I want you to go and get your

checkups in a regular fashion and make

sure that you catch anything early on

and more importantly that you do the

right lifestyle modifications so that

you can prevent kidney disease I also

want you to commit to awareness make

sure that you educate yourself on ways

to prevent kidney disease and educate

others starting with this video be sure

to share this video If you share this

video with others I guarantee that you

will help someone to prevent kidney

disease most importantly take action

start now by doing the exercise using

food as medicine listening to a

physician you trust start small take

baby steps and give yourself Grace I

thank you for watching I appreciate your

support and I want you to do your best

to live your healthiest happiest

life I'm Dr Freda