Kidney Health for all!

A global health campaign is celebrated on the 2nd Thursday of March every year to
commemorate the worldwide awareness of one of the most vital organ in our body – the
kidneys. The world Kidney day calls our attention to occurrence of kidney ailments and
health problems related to the kidneys. Initiated by the joint committee of “International
Society of Nephrology and International Federation of Kidney Foundations” in the year 2006
by 66 countries, kidney day reminds us to take care of our kidneys which regulate many vital
functions in our body.
Each year a theme is set to celebrate the day and create public awareness to prevent renal
ailment. This year’s theme is “Kidney Health for all”. Today, i.e. 12th March 2015 is observed
as world kidney day to create awareness and prevent chronic renal diseases.

Caring for Your Kidneys

In order to get the best care and solution, you must first question yourself, am I at risk? Do I
suffer from the high blood pressure? Do I have diabetes? Does my family have history of
renal ailment? Am I over-weight or obese? Do I smoke too much?
If your answer is yes to any of the question, you must fix an appointment with your doctor
to get yourself diagnosed for any possible renal ailment. It is always deemed best if chronic
kidney diseases are detected at an early stage so as to receive quick treatment. However,
many a times, the signs and symptoms are either ignored or not noticeable. Hence, it is
important to pay close attention to slight bodily discomfort and changes to catch kidney
diseases at an early stage. Abdomen pain in the kidney area, difficulty in sleeping, alteration
in the amount, frequency and appearance of the urine, nausea or vomiting, bad breath,
headache, shortness of breath and high blood pressure are early signs of kidney ailment. If
you are really health conscious, you should meet your doctor to avoid any delay in getting
the right treatment at the right time. You would be surprised that a person with a simple
kidney problem can lose up to 90% of his kidney functions without experiencing any signs or
symptoms.

The 8 Golden Rules for Kidney Disease Prevention

Generally kidney ailments show no or small symptoms that are usually ignored by many. It is
very important that you pay close attention to your body to avoid chronic ailments in the
future. Renal disease affect the quality of life and can be fatal too. Here are 8 golden rules to
help you prevent kidney problems.
1) Stay Fit and active. Regular exercise, cycling, walking or jogging helps in reducing
blood pressure which in turn reduces risk of developing chronic renal ailments.
2) Help you kidney by monitoring and maintaining a normal blood sugar level. Regular
test, check-ups and medication can help fight off the early signs of kidney problems.
3) Monitor your blood pressure regularly.
4) Maintain a healthy diet with optimal weight and a healthy lifestyle. Reduce intake of
salt and consumption of junk or fast food.
5) Drinks lots of fluid. Keep your body hydrated with daily consumption of at least 3 to
4 litres of water as it helps the kidneys to filters out sodium, urea and other body
toxins from body which may lead to the risk of developing chronic kidney diseases.
6) Avoid smoking or refrain from smokers or areas that are polluted with carcinogenic
agents.
7) Avoid excessive intake of over the counter pills on regular basis, especially non-
steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen) which may lead to serious kidney
damage. Such medications may cause arthritis or back pain and put your kidneys at
risk.
8) Follow a regular check-up routine to monitor your kidney functions. This comes in
handy if you have a family history of diabetes, hypertension, obese, or kidney related
disease.
This year on World Kidney Day...
Promise yourself following to Prevent Kidney Disease

 I shall stay fit and active

 I shall eat healthy
 I shall monitor my weight
 I shall keep my blood sugar under control
 I shall monitor my blood pressure regularly
 I shall maintain healthy fluid intake
 I shall NEVER smoke
 I shall get my kidney function checked regularly