Chronic Kidney Disease

[Kati*did]

I am wondering if anyone knows of natural ways of helping the kidneys when they are already a little damaged.  I have read that some of the herbs used for acute kidney problems can have an adverse effect if you have chronic kidney disease. 
I am also wondering if anyone knows what might work as a very gentle cleanse for mildly damaged/sluggish kidneys -- something that will not overwhelm them or put them under too much pressure, but that will clean them well.

I think I damaged my kidneys to some extent in my college years of disregarding my diabetes, and would really appreciate any knowledge or experience on this.  Thanks!

[dara]

Herbs for kidney support: Marshmallow Root, Cleavers, Oatstraw, Horsetail, Dandelion Root, Uva Ursi

I know my MH MIL recomends this formula:  http://www.drchristophers.com/pages/products/89104.php

I'll let you know if/when I find any more...

[Kati*did]

Herbs for kidney support: Marshmallow Root, Cleavers, Oatstraw, Horsetail, Dandelion Root, Uva Ursi

I know my MH MIL recomends this formula:  http://www.drchristophers.com/pages/products/89104.php

I'll let you know if/when I find any more...

Thanks, Dara.  I guess I'm a little confused because, from what I've read, certain herbs that are good for general kidney support are not necessarily good for someone who may have damage to the kidney.  For instance, a couple sites said to avoid Uva Ursi if you have the beginnings of Chronic Kidney Disease because it will actually put more stress on the kidney.   

[Kati*did]

bump 

[ForeverGirl]

Doing the Water Cure with half a lemon squeezed in each quart is supposed to gently cleanse the kidneys over a period of time. It is also said to dissolve stones. (Curezone.com)

I've also heard that drinking water with a little (Tblspoon per quart)  AVC - with the mother - cleanses and rejuvinates the kidneys.

The Master Cleanse is supposed to clean the kidneys as well, but it's pretty extreme, so I'd do that much later.

And lastly, I believe Kombucha maintenances both the liver and the kidneys gently, but thoroughly. (If you are interested, we've come up with a really "dry" version of kombucha, that is not vinegary at all, but also not sweet. It's more like champaign in dryness.)

My .2, 

Rebekah

[DawnsEarlyBirds]

(If you are interested, we've come up with a really "dry" version of kombucha, that is not vinegary at all, but also not sweet. It's more like champaign in dryness.)

Rebekah

I would be quite interested in the dry kombucha recipe.  I recently found kombucha in the health food store (at $4/12oz.  YIKES) but bought a bottle to try.  I have been wanting to make some, just because of all the raving about it on this site, but wanted to taste it first.  DH and I both sort of liked it, though I admit, for me it would take some getting used to for drinking on a regular basis.  And it was the vinegary taste that I was thinking about that I would have to get used to.

Also, anyone have any kombucha mothers to sell?

[ForeverGirl]

Posted in the Kombucha thread.

I'll have mushrooms in a month... but there are others that have mentioned they have some to sell in the buy/sell/trade thread.

-Rebekah

[Kati*did]

Doing the Water Cure with half a lemon squeezed in each quart is supposed to gently cleanse the kidneys over a period of time. It is also said to dissolve stones. (Curezone.com)

I've also heard that drinking water with a little (Tblspoon per quart)  AVC - with the mother - cleanses and rejuvinates the kidneys.

The Master Cleanse is supposed to clean the kidneys as well, but it's pretty extreme, so I'd do that much later.

And lastly, I believe Kombucha maintenances both the liver and the kidneys gently, but thoroughly. (If you are interested, we've come up with a really "dry" version of kombucha, that is not vinegary at all, but also not sweet. It's more like champaign in dryness.)

My .2, 

Rebekah

Thanks Bek.  I do the water cure with lemon pretty much everyday.  I used to do the ACV as well, but didn't know it helped kidneys, so I can try that again.  I think the master cleanse would be too much for my kidneys at any point -- I don't want to do anything that will stress them at all because I still want to be able to be pregnant soon  (that will be my one "allowable" big stress).  I'll try out the dry kombucha -- thanks.  I'm still working on making some of that.

On occasion, depending on what I eat, I can feel my kidney.  It doesn't hurt...I can just feel it, like they're having to work harder.  I had this happen one other time about 11 years ago (when living in TN).  My kidneys really hurt that time because I knew nothing about being gentle, and thought I was doing the best thing for them by fasting and drinking tons of lemon water.  That made them very painful!  Thankfully, they still came through, and after a month or so of regular eating and lot's of lemon juice, they seemed to be fine.

[NotLuckyButBlessed]

Doing the Water Cure with half a lemon squeezed in each quart is supposed to gently cleanse the kidneys over a period of time. It is also said to dissolve stones. (Curezone.com)

I've also heard that drinking water with a little (Tblspoon per quart)  AVC - with the mother - cleanses and rejuvinates the kidneys.

The Master Cleanse is supposed to clean the kidneys as well, but it's pretty extreme, so I'd do that much later.

And lastly, I believe Kombucha maintenances both the liver and the kidneys gently, but thoroughly. (If you are interested, we've come up with a really "dry" version of kombucha, that is not vinegary at all, but also not sweet. It's more like champaign in dryness.)

My .2, 

Rebekah

Hey Bekah,

Do you still have this recipe? My kidneys are not functioning properly, not sure yet why that is. I am seeing and ND right now and am on a special diet, supplements, etc. but would love to try your recipe so it will be ready when she says I can drink it!

[NotLuckyButBlessed]

Herbs for kidney support: Marshmallow Root, Cleavers, Oatstraw, Horsetail, Dandelion Root, Uva Ursi

I know my MH MIL recomends this formula:  http://www.drchristophers.com/pages/products/89104.php

I'll let you know if/when I find any more...

The link will not work for me. Do you know the name of the product? Thanks!

[Jade]

This is going to sound really weird, but I thought I'd post it just in case someone was interested. My friend is going to a highly-recommended chiropractor, and he believes very firmly in the alignment of the spine affecting the functioning of the organs. He had a patient come into his office, and in looking at the x-rays of her spine and noting certain areas that were out of alignment, he asked her, "Do you have any problems with your kidneys?"

She informed him that she most certainly DID have problems with her kidneys - in fact, she had already had TWO kidney transplants. After having chiropractic work done, she no longer has any kidney problems at all.

Sounds bizarre, I know, but I think herbalmom has mentioned that having a chiropractic adjustment relieves gallbladder pains, so maybe there really is something to it.

Just something to think about... 

[Rene]

My Mom has been having some kidney trouble for about 3 months now.  She went to the doctor twice, thinking it was a kidney infection.  He didn't find anything wrong but gave her antibiotics anyway.  She would feel better while taking the meds but as soon as she was done with them the pain would come back. 

After spending almost $500 on doctor visits and meds and not being helped she turned to natural stuff. 

She's been drinking ACV in water daily, plus drinking tons of plain water.  Right now she said she needs to urinate every 15 minutes or so, but if she doesn't drink tons of water here kidneys start throbbing.  Yet this is interferring with her sleep.  She is 59 and works full time.  She is starting to get worn down from this. She also said she feels constantly swollen around her waist and has had to wear very loose skirts that she can wear below her belly because the waistband would put pressure on her back where her kidneys are and give her terrible pain.

She said she feels that her kidneys are blocked, but yet she doesn't have sharp pains like with kidney stones.

Does anyone know what this might be?  I've just read about the chiropractor and kidneys.  I'm going to mention that to her.

[doug-again]

Hey Rene, at Melly Lane's request, i'm gonna take a stab at this.  Her heart, as does mine, goes out to your mom blowing 5 bills - lame. >>frowns>>
Is her pee dark or clear?  Was the $500 spent on tests?  If so, what were the results?  Given the symptoms you mentioned, it could be any number of things.  They should've given her a pee test to check for the presence of blood and albumin.  Get the test results if they exist, and post them. 

Time for a new internet abbreviation, you saw it here first - TLI - too little information.  This is a site -wide plague, please don't take it personal.  What's her diet like?  Does she push papers at work, or is she physically active? What meds did they give her?  Sorry about all the questions.  If it was you, i could get a profile by digging into your posting history.

Low magnesium levels make nearly every disease worse, and if you suspect blockage well, i'd start downing cayenne or red clover or alfalfa or chamomile [all are good sources of mag.] or maybe i'd go get some magnesium pills - can't hurt.  If there's fluoride in the tap water then she's gotta stop drinking it.  It'll just make things worse.  If there is and she won't, then there's no way anything anyone suggests here is going to help. It'll be like trying to dry off in the shower.  Get her to start drinking distilled water until she figures it out.

[DHW]

Rene, was the antibiotic a fluoroquinolone?  Like Cipro? 

Mercola just posted an article about the longterm side effects of this group of drugs. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/18/Antibiotics-to-Avoid-Like-the-Plague-Due-to-FDAs-Oversight-Failure.aspx

Latent reactions may take weeks or months to appear.  Side effects can be disabling.

[hi_itsgwen]

Rene,
I have been hearing some amazing things about the use of D-Mannose powder or capsules.  D-Mannose is a natural sugar that attracts bacteria and allows it to be flushed out of in the urine, and prevents infections naturally.  If the antibiotics help her to feel better, then this would be my first course of action in helping her to feel better as she works out getting a cause nailed down.

HTH!
Gwen

(P.S. if you do a search for D-mannose on WTM, Patti has written some useful notes on dosage and such.)

[DHW]

I think you mean D-mannose.

[hi_itsgwen]

I think you mean D-mannose.

Oops!  YES! I will edit my post...

[ForeverGirl]

I agree about the D-mannose. I'd also ask if she is experiencing any eye troubles as well? How about edema? Proteinuria?

In my experience there is no herb or supplement that works on the kidneys like Blueberries/Bilberries. These can be eaten frozen, pureed into a shake, taken as a supplement (not as effective as fresh) or in a tonic/tincture. I have seen the most tenacious post-antibiotic kidney infections cured with simply eating a lot of blueberries... like a quart or more a day.

 I would also highly recommend oxygen baths; the kind where you use an oxygen tank, hook the hose up to a fish tank "bubbler" in the pool, which results in a highly oxygenated bath. It is partially described in this thread: http://www.welltellme.com/discuss/index.php/topic,17053.0.html

HTH's,
Beka

[skelliott2]

Oh, Rene, that sounds so horrible.  I'm sorry she's going through this.  I know lots of people have said this, but D-Mannose was a life-saver for me. 

I just started up getting infections every couple of months.  The antibiotics would work for a while, then the symptoms would come back.  Anyway, D-Mannose got rid of it.  I just did what Patti said, and took a tsp of powdered Mannose in a little water.  It tastes good, so it's really easy to take.  They symptoms cleared up every time!  So, I think it would definitely be worth trying.

After it's gone, she might want to take a tsp/day as a preventative.  Also, my mother says that a grapeseed extract capsule/day helped her stop recurring infections.  So, that might be another one to try.

Oh, I had one other thought.  Did the Dr. actually find an infection in her samples?  I don't want to scare you, but bloating and feeling really wrong down there, can be a sign of cancer.  Did her Dr. exlore that possibility at all when he checked her out? 

Hope she feels better soon.

[crystal]

Can anyone tell me if a <60 MDRD GFR blood test is really bad?  In doing research, it shows at least Stage 3 renal failure.  Is this right?

[crystal]

Can anyone tell me if a <60 MDRD GFR blood test is really bad?  In doing research, it shows at least Stage 3 renal failure.  Is this right?

Never mind.  I read the test wrong.   

[Rene]

I apologize for not responding back.  Thanks to everyone for their helpful replies.  Apparently the kidney issues did finally clear up.  My poor mom has had a horrible year from a health standpoint - it all seemed to start with a long-standing tooth infection.  She's just been to the doctor and they told her she has h-pylori and now she's on antibiotics for that - we were thinking IBS because her stomach hurt all the time and more when she ate certain foods.

Oh, I had one other thought.  Did the Dr. actually find an infection in her samples?  I don't want to scare you, but bloating and feeling really wrong down there, can be a sign of cancer.  Did her Dr. exlore that possibility at all when he checked her out? 

Hope she feels better soon.

The doctor seemed relieved after finding the h-pylori but did still want to test for cancer, but my mom just can't afford the tests, even with insurance.  She heard about a couple curing themselves of cancer with asparagus juice, so she's planning to try that just in case.