Ways to Keep Your Kidneys Healthy

Don’t Overdo Certain Medications

NSAIDs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and naproxen. They can damage your kidneys if you take too many at once or take them too often. And using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for an ulcer or GERD for a long time can raise your chances of chronic kidney disease. You should only take them if your doctor says you need them.

Take Care With Antibiotics

These bacteria-fighting drugs can damage your kidneys if you use them too often. It can happen even if you’re perfectly healthy, though it’s more serious if your kidneys don’t work as well as they should. Some types, like penicillin, sulfonamides, and cephalosporins, are more likely to cause problems.

Skip Herbal Supplements

Herbal supplements dont have any evidence considering their safety and especially over kidneys moreover they can damage kidneys or affect how medications work. It is better to consult your doctor before the use of any supplment.

Eat Healthy

Kidneys are responsible for processing food and drinks. High fat, salt and sugar diet could harm kidneys as it is linked to diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure all of them may lead to kidney disease.

Watch Your Salt

Salt affects kidneys in different ways as it can increase protein in the urine or even raise blood pressure which has been linked to kidney disease and stones.

Drink Enough Water

Water helps get important nutrients to your kidneys and move waste to your bladder in the form of urine. If you don’t drink enough, the tiny filters inside your kidneys can get stopped up and lead to kidney stones and infections. Even mild dehydration can damage your kidneys if it happens often enough. Four to six cups a day is typically about right, but you might need more if you’re sick or out in the heat.

Exercise

Exercise is really important to prevent chornic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Too much exercise if you dont do it regularly could affect and damage your kidneys. Work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes at least five days a week. Start always gradually and consult your doctor if you have any health issues.

Get Screened

It is really important to check your risk for kidney disease especially if you have a familiy history of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. The early you detect the disease, the best for preventing complications and start treatement.

Be Careful With Alcohol

Binge drinking (having more than four drinks in less than 2 hours) can cause sudden, serious damage and possibly lead to long-term problems. And alcohol often can dehydrate you, which can keep your kidneys from working well and lead to weight gain, liver disease, high blood pressure, and other conditions that put more stress on them.

Quit Smoking

Smoking raises your risk of kidney cancer and damages blood vessels, which affects your kidneys by slowing blood flow to them. Plus, smoking can affect certain drugs that treat high blood pressure. This is serious because uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of kidney disease.

Manage Health Problems

Two conditions diabetes and hypertension could harm kidneys. So it is better to manage high blood sugar and take appropriate medications along with diet and exercise. Considering high blood pressure, you need to follow appropriate diet, exercise and medications.

Sources:

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/ss/slideshow-keep-kidneys-healthy

https://goqii.com/blog/simple-ways-to-keep-your-kidneys-healthy/