How to take ownership of your Kidneys as a woman
I saw the most gorgeous looking woman at our clinic the other day.
Fine face, smooth skin, gorgeous eyes, she spoke English but then also some very attractive Hausa, I say attractive because I’d never wanted to learn Hausa so much before as when she spoke. It felt like a goddess was speaking and I was missing out on her message.
The most amazing thing about Miss P. was that she was over 6o years old. She had come in for an orthopedic check up and by rule we had to run up some other body tests, and her random blood sugar had come up a bit high. We also noticed some derangements in her creatinine and urea. Creatinine and Urea are the most basic blood tests that could highlight one’s kidney functions.
She had indeed being diagnosed with diabetes some years back but was trying to control it all with some dieting.
You see, we were a bit worried. While she said she had no symptoms, there seemed to be something happening in the kidneys.
Today I’ve decided to zero down on one aspect of your and my health as women, Our kidneys.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD)develops as result of some primary abnormality in the kidney itself or as a secondary issue due to some other underlying illness in the body.
A study performed in 2020 in North central Nigeria found that CKD was more prevalent in females than in males. This was found to be agreeable with statistics gotten from similar studies carried out within the country and also on a global scale. The secondary causes such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, ageing, the use of harmful cosmetic products and herbal remedies also proved to be more common than primary causes in the study.
CKD has a poor prognosis, “About 90% of patients with CKD die within 90 days of starting dialysis”, according to Olanrewaju et.al (2020). Patient’s only treatment choices are to resort to dialysis or to prepare for a kidney transplant.
If you know anyone on a personal level undergoing dialysis, be kind to them, they are going through a lot. It takes a toll on patients financially, mentally and physically. It takes a toll on the whole family. These patients often need to have dialysis maybe twice or thrice weekly. A day of dialysis means the whole day is gone, dialysis for a few hours and then recovery in the following hours. For most persons, recovery often spills unto the next day, then a brief wait for the next dialysis session.
We had a hard time convincing Miss P. to see her endocrinologist again as she needed medication to control her sugar levels. The HBA1c which is much better indicator of sugar levels was higher than 8 which showed that her system was perpetually battling high sugar levels and it was beginning to affect her kidneys. These are a few things I put to her and wish to share with other ladies who might get to read this as well. A few steps you can take as a lady to take ownership of your kidneys.
1. Have yearly check ups.
You check up on your eyes and teeth every now and then. You service your car every now then. You get a facial, a manicure, a pedicure every now then. Please have a total body check up as well, every now and then. Depending on your age, take any other recommended screening tests.
And if you have some other underlying illness such as diabetes or hypertension, make that check up at least twice a year.
2. Eat healthy
A good portion of vegetables, fruits, protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats and the last but not the least water. Stay Hydrated.
Cut out sugar and salt. Replace dates in your porridges, honey in your tea. Limit sugary drinks
Try a different variety of spices to fade out the salt.
Healthier alternatives abound, some day I’ll share what I use, but honestly if you’re intentional about this, you’ll find what works for you.
3. Limit alcohol and energy drinks Intake
Taking alcohol or energy drinks once in a while might not cause much harm. But taking them daily means your kidneys have to work over time. Hey if you don’t need those babies, maybe consider that a loved one might desperately need them some day.
4. Stop Smoking
Avoid all forms of smoking, inhaling smoke from your partner or roommate counts. Smoke from cooking with firewood counts. Tobacco based shisha, herbal formulated shisha, all is shisha and contain carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar, heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, and zinc. The Kidneys still have to work over time to remove these harmful substances.
5. Choose carefully your cosmetics
Some anti-aging and skin lightening creams may harm your kidneys. If its components aren’t listed you want to dump it. And if the constituents are listed, be on the watch out for creams containing mercury, you might want to remember other names such as mercurous chloride, calomel, mercuric or mercurio.
6. Stop Abuse of Antibiotics and Painkillers
Some of are you are walking pharmacies and chemists. In short you distribute medication even to those who have not asked them of you. Painkillers like ibuprofen, diclofenac can really harm you kidneys. To be on the safe side, please make sure any medications you take have been prescribed and take thyem for the exact duration given.
7. Move your Body
Literally!
Aim for 30 minutes of mild to moderate activity on most days!
Exercise will decrease your blood pressure, decrease levels of stress hormone, release endorphins which make you feel good, remove toxins through your increased production of sweat.
There are so many forms and options of how one can exercise. Walk, dance, take up a sport, follow step for step exercise videos from the comfort of your bedroom.
Just move your body, follow Queen Bey.
All in all, I wish you a Happy International Day of Action for Women’s health, I wish you good health, and I hope you can begin to implement these actions to protect your kidneys.
Jesus said, no greater joy a man can have than that he die to save his friends.
I really admire spouses, siblings, children that are always ready to do the HLA matching for a family member in need of a kidney. They are able to donate because they have lived healthily. This is just a reminder that, when you stay healthy, everyone around you benefits.
N.B Name of patient and other details have been changed to maintain confidentiality.
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