How to Reverse Kidney Damage From Diabetes Neuropathy?

Last updated on August 1st, 2022

One of the major problems with diabetes is that it triggers several health issues. Among the host of health problems it causes, kidney damage is one of the major problems. This kidney damage occurs in stages and has various risk factors attached to it. Breathe Well-being’s signature program on diabetes reversal help people not only in dealing with diabetes and its reversal. But this program also helps in managing and reversing the after-effects of diabetes on other body organs, especially kidneys. Read this blog to know about ways to reverse kidney damage from diabetes neuropathy.

People with diabetes often suffer from health complications, including kidney diseases. Among the reasons, high blood sugar levels cause kidney problems. Sometimes, it leads to kidney damage or failure. Diabetes-related neuropathy is also a reason for kidney problems. Diabetic neuropathy gives you long-term kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. The kidneys of people with end-stage renal disease cannot meet the body’s daily needs. It may also lead to kidney failure.

Cause of Kidney Problem in Diabetes Patients

High levels of blood sugar cause diabetic neuropathy. It is the nerve damarkease in the functionality of the kidneys and causes kidney failure. Breathe Well-being’s healthcare program can be a great help to identify the real cause of kidney damage.

Stages of kidney problems

The stages of kidney diseases are divided based on their percentage of effective functionality. The stages of kidney diseases are:

• Stage 1: When your GFR is 90% or above, kidney damage is present, but kidneys can function correctly.
• Stage 2: GFR percentage is between 60% and 89% in stage 2. It indicates kidney damage with some loss of function.
• 3rd Stage: Kidney loses mild to severe function, and the GFR is 30% to 59%.
• Stage 4: The GFR percentage reaches 15%-29%, and there is a severe loss in kidney functions.
• Stage 5: The GFR percentage gets under 15%. In this stage, kidney failure occurs.

Symptoms of Kidney Problems

Often people with diabetes may not notice the early symptoms of kidney problems. They may presume that health problems can be due to diabetes before they worsen. At stage 4 and stage 5 of kidney diseases, they may feel unwell and experience several symptoms. Some of the symptoms that people with kidney problems experience are:

• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Protein in urine
• Frequent urination
• Persistent itching
• Poor blood pressure
• Swelling of feet, ankle, eyes, or hands
• Loss of appetite

The occurrence of symptoms varies from one person to the other. Not every person with diabetes experiences all or the same symptom. Therefore, you need to check the occurrence of a symptom in your body. You can take help from the diabetes expert from Breathe Well-Being to identify the symptoms of kidney problems.

Risk Factors of Kidney Damage from Diabetes Neuropathy

People with diabetes are at the high risk of developing kidney damage from neuropathy who have:

• High or low blood sugar levels
• High or low blood pressure levels
• Obesity
• Family history of diabetes and kidney diseases
• High cholesterol levels
• Smoking

If you have any risk factors, take proper preventive measures to reduce the chances of developing kidney damage. The risk assessment test of Breathe Well-being is the best way to assess the risk of kidney damage due to diabetes. If you are at a higher risk of developing kidney damage or your kidneys are already damaged, Breathe Well-being offers multiple programs that help reverse kidney damage from neuropathy.

Diagnose the Kidney Damage From Neuropathy

People with diabetes may get confused about whether their diabetes has turned worse or developed kidney problems. Therefore, consult your doctor to experience any kidney damage symptoms. It would help if you discussed your symptoms in detail with your doctor. Your primary care physician will suggest undergoing at least one of the following tests to diagnose the kidney damage:

• Blood pressure test: High blood pressure damages the blood vessels of your kidneys. If your blood pressure levels are below 140/90, you are on the safer side.
• Protein in Urine test: Traces of albumin in the urine is an early sign of kidney damage. When there is a regular presence of albumin and a few more types of protein in the urine, it indicates urine damage. If albumin is more than 30 mg per gram of urinary creatinine, your kidneys are damaged.
• Glomerular Filtration Rate: It is a test that checks how well the kidneys function. A GFR of 60 or higher is normal. If GFR is below 60, it indicates kidney damage, and GFR below 15 means kidney failure. Apart from these, other tests can diagnose kidney damage in diabetes patients. These diagnostic tests are:
• Kidney biopsy: In this test, the doctor takes the kidney tissue as a sample for microscopic examination.
• Imaging test: Imaging tests like ultrasound and X-rays are also helpful in determining kidney health. These tests provide images of the kidney to assess their size and structure. CT scanning and MRI help identify how well the blood is circulating in the kidney. Better blood flow means better health of the kidneys.

Tips to Prevent Kidney Damage from Neuropathy

Diabetes is one of the primary causes of kidney damage and kidney failure. Here are some tips that can prevent kidney damage from diabetic neuropathy:

1. Manage your blood sugar levels: There are fewer chances of neuropathy when your blood sugar levels are under control. Hence, the chances of kidney damage also get lower.
2. Maintain a healthy weight: Obesity is a common cause of many health problems. It increases your blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels. These ultimately increase the chances of developing neuropathy hence kidney problems. Keep your weight healthy.
3. Increase water intake: Drinking plenty of water in a day keeps you away from many health problems. When you drink enough water in a day, your body hydrates well and promotes better blood flow in the body. Dehydration reduces the blood flow to your kidneys and damages them.
4. Avoid alcohol: Alcohol increases your calorie intake and leads to weight gain. It impacts the health of your kidneys and may result in kidney damage or failure.
5. Quit smoking: When you smoke a cigarette, it obstructs the blood flow in your body. Thus, reduced blood flow in the kidneys results in kidney damage.

Regular Exercises Keep Kidneys Healthy

Exercising is the best way to maintain overall health. If you have diabetes, uneven blood pressure, PCOD, or obesity, regular exercises help you reduce the effects of these health problems. You can do any form of exercise, including low-intensity exercise or high-intensity exercise. Swimming, yoga, walking, and running are the best exercises for people with kidney damage from neuropathy. Regular exercise slows down the progression of kidney damage.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Your diet describes the kind of health you have. If you eat healthily, you will have better health than those who binge eat. A healthy diet is a secret for maintaining good health. Therefore, if you want to reverse kidney damage from neuropathy, following diet habits can help a lot:

• Reduce salt intake: Consuming too much salt reduces your blood pressure. Therefore, it will reduce your kidney’s blood flow, which results in kidney damage.
• Dark leafy green vegetables: These vegetables are a dietary staple that contains various vitamins and minerals. They also contain a good amount of fiber and antioxidants. Thus, promote better health to people with diabetes.
• Fatty fish: Salmon, tuna, and cold-water fatty fish are the rich source of Omega-3. Omega-3 helps reduce fat levels and lower the blood pressure levels that cause kidney damage. Consuming fatty fish thus helps reverse kidney damage from neuropathy.
• Eat Apples: Undoubtedly, apples are a healthful snack. It contains a rich amount of fiber called pectin. Apples helps reduce the risk factors of kidney damage from neuropathy and promotes better health. It contains low calories hence people with diabetes can enjoy apples for their sweet cravings.
• Garlic: The intense garlic flavour can help avoid extra seasoning in your food. It helps control cholesterol levels and promotes better heart health. Consuming garlic daily also reduces the risk of developing kidney problems and reverses kidney damage.
• Cabbage: It is a leafy vegetable. You can eat it after cooking or raw in salads. It is beneficial for people with chronic kidney diseases. It contains low sodium, potassium, and other beneficial compounds and vitamins. 

Foods to avoid

In addition to the list of foods you should include in your daily diet, you need to know about the foods to avoid. It will also help you to maintain your health. Some foods to avoid when you have diabetes-related neuropathy as they can cause damage to kidneys and other organs are:

• Potassium-rich food: Potassium is an essential mineral that your body requires. It regulates the fluid, promotes nerve signals, and reduces muscle contractions. A high potassium diet reduces blood pressure. However, people with kidney damage should avoid potassium-rich foods as their kidneys cannot process potassium properly. It results in potassium buildup in the blood. Potassium-rich foods include Avocados, whole wheat bread, brown rice, bananas, etc.
• Phosphorus-rich food: The kidneys damaged from neuropathy cannot remove excess phosphorus from the body. It causes phosphorus deposition in the body, and its higher levels damage the body organs, including kidneys. Therefore, avoid phosphorus-rich foods like organ meats, seafood, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, beans, and lentils.

Different types of foods promote kidney health and can cause damage to the kidney. Therefore, it is essential to know about the diet that a person with kidney damage from neuropathy can take. Potassium and phosphorus-rich foods generally cause damage to your kidneys. Take consultation services from the expert dietician from Breathe Well-Being to get the best diet chart for you. It will help reverse kidney damage from neuropathy.

Conclusion

The kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood in your body. They also help eliminate waste products in the urine. When you develop diabetes, they cause damage to your kidneys. Very often, it is seen that people with diabetes suffer from kidney damage due to neuropathy. Diet control and exercises help reverse kidney damage from neuropathy. You can join the diabetes reversal program of Breathe Well-being to get expert advice. Experts take your health into consideration and provide personalized programs for reversing kidney damage from neuropathy.

FAQs:

References:

1. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2003/06/diabetic-kidney-disease-is-reversible/
2. https://www.verywellhealth.com/neuropathy-in-patients-with-kidney-disease-4019578#toc-diagnosis
3. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319686
4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-nephropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20354556

 Last Updated on August 1, 2022 by Dr. Damanjit Duggal