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clear search termsKidney Myths and Truths for Practitioners
Hi!
I am so excited to share this Facebook Live and THESE POWERFUL PEARLS of functional medicine with you. At SAFM we honor that scientific knowledge is always evolving. That’s why we are regularly revise our content in light of new research findings.
The information is CRITICAL for ALL practitioner modalities.
In this video, you will learn how one of the most widely prescribed nutrient supplements can actually be dangerous to kidneys. Know which one it is? You will be surprised!
Although you may already be a savvy practitioner, I am certain you will learn something new in this video. You’ll walk away with pages of notes and practical pearls you can use in your practice right away.
Here are some of the things we’ll be discussing:
- Why the most widely Prescribed nutrient supplement can actually be dangerous to kidneys (you will be surprised)
- Kidney stones begin in the Gut?
- Why Vitamin D supplementation can be detrimental to kidney health in your clients and patients (especially if its prescribed!)
- Seldom understood Candida and kidney stone connections
- UTI resolution can increase Autoimmune disease risk?
- Kidney stone warning flag for cardiovascular disease?
- Unintended kidney impacts from common prescription drugs
- And much more!
Thank you very much for joining in the fun and learning!
With warmth, love, and gratitude to you for sharing your gifts with so many –
P.S. If you are passionate about transforming healthcare through the power of functional medicine, we encourage you to learn more about our training program here.
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I was especially interested in the last part of your talk about UTI’s and low cortisol with low Aldosterone in clients with conditions such as Autoimmune disease. Would this likely present in low B/P as well?
Yes, it would. Here’s a well-penned blog article by an MD that explains the relationships between cortisol, aldosterone, and blood pressure: https://www.drlamcoaching.com/articles/adrenal-fatigue-and-blood-pressure-symptoms/
Thank you for this interesting conversation. You mentioned a post on kidney stone prevention tips. Where do I find that?
Here it is:
https://schoolafm.com/ws_clinical_know/kidney-stones-remedy-recurrence/
Question is about salt. So many say that good salt does not raise blood pressure. In my experience it does. Sometimes critically. If so, what can be done to optimize sodium in the body especially, as you had mentioned regarding dehydration?
Dehydration may lead to an imbalance in the body’s electrolytes and thereby contribute to raised blood pressure. When it comes to blood pressure regulation the sodium must be balanced with adequate amounts of potassium. Here is a very recent study that goes into this dynamic:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41440-020-00536-7
I know implementing new diet and lifestyle will take precedence and in time will improve overall health for struggling kidneys. Working on balancing blood sugar, improving gut and addressing stressors will take some time. However, is there anything immediate for rapid relief and improvement of kidney function while these things are being addressed?
Kidney filtration rate can indeed improve at any stage:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3862566/
Changing the diet as soon as possible will likely have the biggest effect on the kidney burden. Antioxidant support to counteract the oxidative stress that is typically the root cause of kidney issues would fall into the category of the ‘rapid relief’ supplement support. True antioxidants such as reduced liposomal glutathione or superoxide dismutase could be helpful here. There is also research on Nrf2 activators to be also beneficial:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30248418/
I’ve heard that “we would not want to put in large doses of supplemental minerals for someone who has kidney dysfunction and poor kidney clearance.”
I know there are lab markers to evaluate kidney function but what about “poor kidney clearance”? Can you please clarify that a bit more? Thank you!
Sure. For example, someone who is dehydrated or who has recently wrestled with a kidney/urinary tract infection or kidney stones or an enlarged prostate.
Hi Tracy. You said that erythropoietin might be affected in kidney dysfunction. Would that show up on a lab result as high RBC or Low RBC or hematocrit?
Yes, erythropoietin (EPO) is a cytokine that is produced in kidneys and in the liver and stimulates the red blood cell production in the bone marrow when the oxygen concentration in the tissues gets low. Oxygenation of the tissue depends on the RBCs to deliver the O2 to the cells. Kidney disease can negatively affect the production of EPO and affect this feedback loop between oxygen and EPO levels. Depending on the severity of this situation it may or may not be reflected by lower RBC number and decrease in hematocrit. Keep in mind that this may be affected also by the iron, B12 and folate status.
Hello Tracy. My client who is 63 had a recent routine labs this past year she had elevated creatinine (1.14)elevated BUN(35) and a GFR of 51. She was so worried. Her doctor said its regular aging process and its normal. I looked up some journals and it appears that is the case with alot of people over 60. She was on a high protein diet consuming one large protein shake and 2 other high protein meals. I recommended to her to eat a more balanced diet with a greater amount of greens and some fruits and a more moderate amount of protein. I also suggested parsley and dandelion greens. Is there any other suggestions to retard the normal decline in renal function with the aging ?
Kidney disease may be labled as “regular aging process and being normal”, but if you look closer, not all that is common should be considered “normal”.
National Institues of Health Even talk about prevention of kidney issues:
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/kidney-disease/chronic-kidney-disease-ckd/prevention
As you can see there are many disease drivers that are largely preventable. As discussed in the video, a common dirver for kidney issues is elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance, that are becoming increasingly common and at a younger age. Thus, supporting healthy carbohydrate metabolism and blood sugar balance may be a big area to explore in this case. You may also be interested in these existing SAFM posts:
https://schoolafm.com/ws_clinical_know/kidney-stones-remedy-recurrence/
https://schoolafm.com/ws_clinical_know/interconnectedness-of-gout/
https://schoolafm.com/ws_clinical_know/deep-dive-on-diabetes-for-practitioners/
Thank you Tracy!
I so appreciate your ability to make the connection through your discussion on hormones and how they effect kidney function. My husband is in congestive heart failure, and it is reassuring to know that we are addressing his electrolyte balance, hypertension and dehydration with a safe multi faceted approach. Magnesium, Potassium and now I will speak to his Dr about Boron! We are also going to look at his aldosterone, his kidney function was affected by a recent presentation of imbalance. I think this area is really necessary at this point. thank you.
Hello Tracy,
Great name! 😀
I would like to know more about the important markers for CVD and which ones are the best indicators of dis-ease and what dietary recommendations and supplementation to follow to normalize the abnormalities/risk factors.
Thank you for all that you provide; you are a pearl!
I am looking forward to your course!
Make it a healthy happy energetic day!
Tracey
Thank you for your comment, Tracey. We are glad that you find the provided information useful. Indeed, there’s an entire clinical course devoted to the subject of cardiovascular health, called Cardiovascular Myths and Truths: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-courses/. To give you something to start with the most common risk factors/ dis-ease markers for CVD are insulin resistance, oxidative stress, specific lipid profile skewing (high VLDL and low HDL), high homocysteine, etc.
Fascinating to learn the connection between candida overgrowth causal to high oxalates! I needed this info!