Fluid Intake Precautions for Kidney Patients

When a kidney patient visits a doctor, there are a few things that are a must for him to explain to his doctor. Apart from the possible symptoms of the disease, the health expert would ask whether an immediate family member is also suffering from the same kidney problem. Now when we speak of kidney problems, the most common issue people face is Chronic Kidney Disease or CKD. It is a whole bunch of other kidney problems that last for a longer period. Usually, a doctor relates these kidney problems to the patient’s lifestyle. Consider a situation when a patient with a history of several problems like High Blood Pressure, excessive alcohol consumption, etc., visits a doctor with a damaged kidney(s). In most of these cases, a homeopathic or allopathic doctor would simply suggest the patient go for kidney dialysis or kidney transplant.

However, procedures like kidney transplants and kidney dialysis are very complicated and never offer a long-term or permanent solution to the patient. Data suggests that around 99% of the patients who were asked for kidney dialysis by their doctor were later asked for a kidney transplant as dialysis made their condition even worse. But when it comes to Ayurveda, things are handled differently. Kidney treatment in Ayurveda promises a once-in-all solution that not just cures the kidney problem but also revives the complete body only by making certain changes in the lifestyle and by using natural herbs or plants with medicinal benefits. Coming back to kidney problems, apart from all other problems associated with kidney, consumption of water or other fluids are also given importance.

What is Hypervolemia?

The condition when a person drinks too much water that results in an overload of fluid is called hypervolemia. Kidneys are vital organs in human anatomy. They are responsible for the filtration of blood and other waste components that might otherwise harm our bodies. Another important function of the kidneys is to maintain the water level inside the body. The excess amount of water flows out of our body in the form of urine through the urethra.

As mentioned above, kidneys are responsible for maintaining levels in the body. But if too much fluid builds up inside the body, it can have severe effects which can damage kidneys as well. It can further result in swelling in different areas of the body followed by shortness of breath. Hence, whenever a kidney patient visits a doctor, he is always asked how much quantity of water he drinks in a day. Excess water is harmful to the body, especially when you are on dialysis.

It is obvious that a kidney patient gets into the dialysis procedure because his kidneys are not performing the functions they are meant to. It means that the kidneys are not able to keep the required levels of water inside the body. Under dialysis, kidneys cannot remove or filter out excess amounts of water from the body. It makes it important for the kidney patient to reduce the intake of fluids rich in salt. However, if you prefer kidney treatment in Ayurveda, first of all, there would be no need of getting into dialysis which would make your kidney much healthier and revive overall health simultaneously.

Now let us discuss some of the most common symptoms when a kidney patient consumes more than the required quantity of water.

Ill-Effects Of Consuming Excessive Amount of Fluids

These are some of the most common symptoms noticed in people who are already suffering from a kidney ailment or are under dialysis. However, the degree of these symptoms depends completely on the kidney disease a patient is already suffering from.

Swelling All Over Body

As mentioned above, consuming excessive fluids while suffering from kidney problems reduces kidneys’ ability to remove excess water from the body. As a result, the excess amount of water keeps accumulating inside the body that results in swelling in different parts of the body. The condition is called edema. A patient might experience swelling in the following areas:

• Feet
• Ankles
• Wrist
• Face, etc.

Feeling Uncomfortable

Since your kidneys are already not functioning properly, they are not filtering out water products and toxins from the blood. All these things result in situations like:

• Cramping
• Headache
• Pain in the abdomen, etc.

High Blood Pressure

• The excess amounts of fluids stored in the body due to the improper functioning of kidneys make it difficult for kidneys to filter out the blood that results in difficulties for the body to manage normal blood pressure levels.

Breathing Difficulties

• Since the kidneys are not able to remove the excess amount of water from the body, the water could possibly enter your lungs thereby resulting in life-threatening problems like Shortness of breath.

Heart Problems

• Extra amounts of fluids present inside your body can also affect your heartbeat and the muscles of the heart which could even result in a sudden heart attack or heart failure.

How does Ayurveda help?

Unlike other forms of treatment, kidney treatment in Ayurveda does not merely focus on medications. Though the medicine made according to Ayurvedic knowledge is 100% natural (as they are made from herbs and plants with medicinal qualities), Ayurveda also focuses on improving the overall health of a kidney patient by bringing required changes in his lifestyle.

Here are a few steps that an Ayurvedic expert would ask you to take to control the problem of excess fluid:

• Tracking fluid: Always keep a container beside you to record what quantity of water you are drinking on daily basis. It will help you to understand how much excess water you drink.
• Managing Sodium Intake: Sodium that we take in form of salt has the property that forces your body to hold down water. Consuming a sodium-rich diet will further increase the chances of excess fluid which could result in severe problems inside the body.
• Exercise: If you are a fit person or do not have any serious kidney problems, Ayurvedic experts would advise you to exercise in small amounts that would burn the water inside your body naturally.

Kidney treatment in Ayurveda thus promises a healthy kidney by reviving the complete body. However, it must be noted that Ayurveda always focuses on bringing changes in the lifestyle. Hence patients who are seeking Ayurvedic remedies must be ready to bring all the required changes in their lifestyle.

Disclaimer: The displayed information on this page is not intended to provide medical advice. It should not be taken as a substitute for medical help or a basis to delay consultation with a qualified healthcare provider. For further advice, you can use this helpline: +91-9821929797 number or visit www.karmaayurvedahospital.com.