Your kidneys are in charge of cleaning the blood. They play a vital role in excreting the waste products and toxins out of your body – and this perhaps is reason enough to take good care of them.
A failure to keep your kidneys healthy may result in kidney complications and diseases. Trust us when we say that kidney diseases are silent killers, which can badly affect the quality of your life.
Fortunately, you can ensure proper functioning of your kidneys by making a few easy lifestyle changes.
The following are the five golden rules that you need to follow to keep your kidneys healthy.
1. Say no to overhydration
While it is essential to drink ample amounts of water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated, going overboard with it is not going to help. Limit your water intake to the recommended six to eight glasses per day – over hydration is certainly not going to help your kidneys perform better in any way.
2. Eat healthy foods
Since kidney problems usually arise due to other medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, you should consider following a healthy, balanced eating routine to keep these ailments at bay. By controlling your weight and maintaining blood pressure levels, you can prevent diabetes and high blood pressure – and keep your kidneys in good health.
3. Engage in regular physical activity
Regular exercise also helps ensure the optimal health of your kidneys. Like healthy eating habits, a routine physical activity can prevent weight gain and high blood pressure.
However, make sure you do not put excessive strain on your kidneys by torturing your body when you are not conditioned to perform intense exercise. Working out excessively and intensely can cause your muscle tissues to break down – so, know your limits, start slow, and work your way up there!
4. Quit smoking
You must already know why smoking is not good for your health. It causes damage to your blood vessels, resulting in decreased blood flow in the kidneys, which disrupts its functioning.
With smoking, the risk of high blood pressure and kidney cancer also increases by about 50 percent! Hence, if you smoke consider quitting or at least try limiting the number of cigarettes you smoke daily for the sake of your kidneys.
5. Use medications, supplements, and herbal remedies with caution
Regular intake of over-the-counter medications, like ibuprofen and naproxen over a prolonged period can damage your kidneys. Moreover, an overdose of vitamin supplements and herbal extracts can also be harmful to your kidneys.
Therefore, always consult your doctor before taking any supplements or herbs and even non-prescription pills instead of self-medicating – and do not forget to take the right dosages!
These are some helpful tips to take care of your kidneys in the best possible way. In case you have diabetes or high blood pressure, get your kidneys screened regularly by your physician. This routine care will help detect any kidney dysfunction and treat it in due time. Your kidneys do so much for you – they deserve to be taken care of!
To consult a physician at Health One Family Medicine, visit http://www.healthonemedicine.com/.