In
recent times many Nigerians have been coming down with kidney failure
needing regular dialysis and kidney transplant, with their attendant
very high costs, to live. The increase in end stage renal disease or
kidney damage has been blamed on fake, substandard and adulterated drugs
and food products, pesticides and insecticides to mention but a few.
However, researchers have identified how to prevent kidney damage with
vegetables such as beetroot, cucumber, scent leaf/basil, lettuce,
ginger, and watermelon among others. CHUKWUMA MUANYA writes.
FORTY-THREE year-old Mr. Ikechukwu Osuji is married with three children: two girls, Nnenna and Chioma; and a boy, Ikechukwu, ages seven, five and two. The wife, Florence, is a house wife.
Osuji was diagnosed of end stage renal disease (kidney failure) on January 25, 2013, at the Nigerian Naval Medical Centre Naval Dockyard Wilmot Point Victoria Island, Lagos, after a two-week history of vomiting and urgently needs to travel to India for a kidney transplant to live.
Other early symptoms of kidney failure experienced by Osuji included among others: persistent vomiting, facial puffiness, abdominal swelling, hiccup, passage of dark coloured stool.
Osuji who hails from Uboegbelu Emekuku in Owerri North Local Council of Imo State was full of life few months ago before he suddenly took ill. A graduate of Insurance from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, Enugu State, Osuji was a vibrant Assistant Manager with Sterling Bank Plc about a year ago with the prospect of making it to the top of the banking carrier but suddenly lost his job due to rationalisation in the banking industry.
With the challenges of fatherhood and a legion of family problems and cost of dialysis and treatment for his current condition, Osuji who resides at 43b Kano Street Ebute Metta East in Lagos Mainland is completely cleaned out of his small savings and now needs at least N10 million being estimated cost of transplantation operation (N8 million) in Nigeria and that of gratuitous reward to a kidney donor and if abroad plus cost travel logistics for himself and that of another who will accompany him for the oversea treatment.
However, to prevent kidney failure, for dietitians, nutritionists and naturopaths have identified some fruits and vegetables that boost kidney function and lower blood pressure and glucose, which are two of the major causes of kidney damage.
The kidney health boosting vegetables include: lettuce, cabbage, beetroot, scent leaf/basil (nchuanwu in Ibo and effirin in Yoruba), bitter leaf, cucumber, watermelon, ginger (Zingiber officinale), radish, fennel, as well as honey.
Nigerian researchers from the Niger Delta University Bayelsa State and the University of Port Harcourt have found that that aqueous leaf extracts of scent leaf/basil (botanically called Ocimum gratissimum) affect the course of tubular repair after the onset of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity (kidney poisoning) in rats with accelerated recovery.
Cisplatin is a strong and widely used chemotherapy drug but can cause serious side effects including kidney damage.
The researchers in the study published recently in Indian Journal of Drugs and Diseases concluded: “Hence the extracts have the potential to be used for the management of nephropathies and as a therapeutic adjuvant in cisplatin toxicity.”
Previous studies found that a combination of bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) and scent leaf extracts could not only reduce the blood glucose level, but protects the heart and testes against impairment and complete destruction due to diabetes.
Scent leaf/basil is known as effirin ajasin inYoruba, ebavbokho in Bini, aaid dya ta gida in Hausa, nchuanwu in Ibo, froukena in Ijaw and oran in Urhobo.
A study published in The FASEB Journal found that ginger (Zingiber officinale) ameliorates metalexyl fungicide induced kidney damage in albino mice. The Saudi and Egyptian researchers found that treating animals with metalexyl and ginger led to an improvement in the histological structure of the kidney together with significant decrease in urea and creatinine.
Metalaxyl is a fungicide linked to kidney damage.
“The results indicated that ginger had ameliorative effect against kidney damage induced by metalexyl and this may be mediated by its potent antioxidant activities,” they noted.
The FASEB Journal is the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
A new British study published in the journal Hypertension on April 15 found that a cup of beetroot juice a day, or a generous helping of green vegetables, may help lower blood pressure.
The findings come from a small study of 15 men and women with high blood pressure.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry found that people who drank 250 mL of nitrate-rich beetroot juice a day experienced blood pressure reductions of around 10 mm Hg. The reduction was highest around three to six hours after imbibing the beetroot juice, but the effect lasted 24 hours later.
While beetroots contain heart-healthy compounds like vitamins C and K, fibre and polyphenols, scientists say it is the high nitrate content that’s likely responsible for the ability to reduce blood pressure.
Other nitrate-rich vegetables include lettuce, cabbage, and fennel, which researchers say are likely to have the same effect.
Indeed, natural remedies for renal failure patients are mainly natural self-care measures which aim at controlling symptoms and complications, stabilising illness conditions, slowing down illness progression and protecting remaining kidney functions so as to make patients feel better, improve their life quality and avoid dialysis or at least delay dialysis.
Several studies have shown that natural remedies for renal failure include herbal therapy and diet therapy as well as some beneficial exercises. There are many foods and herbs that can help chronic kidney failure patients. Such as radish, cucumber, beet root, water melon and honey can prevent formation of kidney stone; melon seed, ginger, basil (nchuanwu in Ibo and effirin in Yoruba) leaves are all natural and useful home remedies for lowering high blood pressure, one major cause of kidney failure.
In prior research, scientists from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, found that within hours of drinking beetroot juice, a group of healthy men saw their blood pressure drop by an average of four to five points. The study was published in December in Nutrition Journal.
Meanwhile, dieticians recommend:
Avoid products with added salt. Lower the amount of sodium one eats each day by avoiding products with added salt, including many convenience foods, such as frozen dinners, canned soups and fast foods. Other foods with added salt include salty snack foods, canned vegetables, and processed meats and cheeses.
Choose lower potassium foods. The dietitian may recommend that one chooses lower potassium foods at each meal. High-potassium foods include bananas, oranges, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes. Examples of low-potassium foods include apples, cabbage, green beans, grapes and strawberries.
Limit the amount of protein you eat. The dietitian will estimate the appropriate number of grams of protein one should eat each day and make recommendations based on that amount. High-protein foods include meats, eggs, milk, cheese and beans. Low-protein foods include vegetables, fruits, most breads and most cereals. Some breads and cereals include ingredients that make them high in protein, so check the label.
The medical report from the Nigerian Naval Medical Centre signed by Dr. D. C. Nwaise reads: “Mr. Osuji Ikechukwu is a known hypertensive patient with poor drug compliance who was first seen at our facility seen at our facility on November 13, 2012 on account of a two week history of persistent vomiting. There was history of facial puffiness, abdominal swelling, hiccups and passage of dark coloured stool. Mr. Osuji, had one session of dialysis at referral Centre prior to presentation at our facility.
“On examination was a young man severely pale, afebrile, anicteric, acyanosed with no pitting pedal edema. Chest finding include bibasal crepitation. Cardiovascular system showed tachycardia (PR-120BPM), blood pressure 180/95mmHg; first and second heart sound with hemic murmur. Central nervous system revealed a confusional state with asterixis. Other systems examination were unremarkable….
“A diagnosis of acute or chronic kidney disease (possibly end stage renal disease) precipitated by sepsis was made. Thus he was placed some antibiotics and commenced on twice weekly maintenance dialysis. Mr. Osuji has so far had eight session of dialysis but his dialysis schedule has been irregular due to financial constraint. He had eleven pints of blood transfusion in the course of treatment. More so, he is also placed on Erythopoietin and iron sucrose therapy…
“Cost implication of twice weekly maintenance dialysis is N60,500 including Erythropoietin and iron sucrose treatment. Cost implication of renal transplantation is estimated N8 million depending on the charges of the institution that would perform the surgery.
“Kindly give him all necessary assistance to enable him enjoy good quality of life and continuing survival…”
A Fund to Save Ikechukwu Franklyn Osuji has been instituted at Sterling Bank, account number 18942937, by the Emekuku Town Union to help Osuji raise the money for Osuji’s treatment.
President-elect, Nigeria Association of Nephrology and Chief Medical Director at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye, said that 36.8 million Nigerians (23 per cent) are suffering from various stages of kidney disease in Nigeria.
With this figure, it means that one in seven Nigerians is suffering from some form of kidney disorder.
Bamgboye who disclosed this at an awareness programme organised by the Hospital to mark this year’s World Kidney Day, regretted that despite the severity of the disease, Nigerian patients are faced with many challenges in terms of treatment.
Bamgboye lamented the burden of the disease, noting that an estimated 15,000 new patients are diagnosed every year in the country.
He said: “Chronic kidney disease prevalence is a problem in our environment. Estimates suggest that one out of every seven Nigerians has one stage of chronic kidney disease. Unfortunately, out of 50,000 patients who should ideally be on dialysis, less than 1,000 are currently on dialysis as at today.
“Unfortunately, if you have kidney failure and you don’t do dialysis or transplant within two weeks you will die. You can imagine the number of people that are dying every day because of kidney disease.”
Symptoms of kidney failure include: high levels of urea in the blood, which can result in: vomiting and/or diarrhea, which may lead to dehydration; nausea; weight loss; nocturnal urination; more frequent urination, or in greater amounts than usual, with pale urine; less frequent urination, or in smaller amounts than usual, with dark coloured urine; blood in the urine; pressure, or difficulty urinating; unusual amounts of urination, usually in large quantities.
A build up of phosphates in the blood that diseased kidneys cannot filter out may cause: itching; bone damage; nonunion in broken bones; muscle cramps (caused by low levels of calcium which can be associated with hyperphosphatemia).
A build up of potassium in the blood that diseased kidneys cannot filter out (called hyperkalemia) may cause: abnormal heart rhythms; muscle paralysis.
Failure of kidneys to remove excess fluid may cause: swelling of the legs, ankles, feet, face and/or hands; shortness of breath due to extra fluid on the lungs (may also be caused by anemia).
Polycystic kidney disease, which causes large, fluid-filled cysts on the kidneys and sometimes the liver, can cause: Pain in the back or side.
Healthy kidneys produce the hormone erythropoietin that stimulates the bone marrow to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they produce less erythropoietin, resulting in decreased production of red blood cells to replace the natural breakdown of old red blood cells. As a result, the blood carries less hemoglobin, a condition known as anemia. This can result in: feeling tired and/or weak; memory problems; difficulty concentrating; dizziness; low blood pressure.
Normally, proteins are too large to pass through the kidneys, however, they are able to pass through when the glomeruli are damaged. This does not cause symptoms until extensive kidney damage has occurred, after which symptoms include: foamy or bubbly urine; swelling in the hands, feet, abdomen, or face
Other symptoms include: appetite loss, a bad taste in the mouth; difficulty sleeping; darkening of the skin; excess protein in the blood. With high dose penicillin, renal failure patients may experience seizures.
Previous studies had found:
1. Cucumber. Raw cucumber is natural kidney cleanser, which helps flush acids and toxins from the kidneys.
2. Radish. Radish can dissolve stones in the kidneys and pass them in urine. It can also cleanse the kidneys and improve renal filtering functions.
3. Beet. Drinking beet juice can promote blood circulation and alleviate anemia. It can also help treat hypertension and heart disease.
4. Astralagus. It is one traditional Chinese herb. It has the functions of anti-inflammation, diuretics. It can help improve kidney functions and enhance immunity.
5. Uva Ursi. It can help clear kidney stones, cleanse the urinary tract and improve kidney functions.
6. Juniper berry. It can eliminate blood stasis in the kidneys and urinary tract so as to relive urinary tract obstruction and increase urine output.
7. Basil. Basil is helpful for chronic renal failure patients. It can help remove kidney stone, control high blood pressure and improve kidney functions.
8. Cranberry juice. Cranberry juice can prevent kidney stone formation, treat urinary tract infections, increase urination and alleviate swelling. Cranberry juice has been proved to be very helpful to polycystic kidney disease.
9. Dandelion. Dandelion is another natural diuretics. It helps remove excessive fluid in the body so as to much alleviate edema in the feet, ankles, face, hands, etc.
10. Practicing yoga, tai chi and qi gong can help strength the patient’s physical fitness and enhance their immunity so as to improve their disease-resistance ability.
FORTY-THREE year-old Mr. Ikechukwu Osuji is married with three children: two girls, Nnenna and Chioma; and a boy, Ikechukwu, ages seven, five and two. The wife, Florence, is a house wife.
Osuji was diagnosed of end stage renal disease (kidney failure) on January 25, 2013, at the Nigerian Naval Medical Centre Naval Dockyard Wilmot Point Victoria Island, Lagos, after a two-week history of vomiting and urgently needs to travel to India for a kidney transplant to live.
Other early symptoms of kidney failure experienced by Osuji included among others: persistent vomiting, facial puffiness, abdominal swelling, hiccup, passage of dark coloured stool.
Osuji who hails from Uboegbelu Emekuku in Owerri North Local Council of Imo State was full of life few months ago before he suddenly took ill. A graduate of Insurance from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu, Enugu State, Osuji was a vibrant Assistant Manager with Sterling Bank Plc about a year ago with the prospect of making it to the top of the banking carrier but suddenly lost his job due to rationalisation in the banking industry.
With the challenges of fatherhood and a legion of family problems and cost of dialysis and treatment for his current condition, Osuji who resides at 43b Kano Street Ebute Metta East in Lagos Mainland is completely cleaned out of his small savings and now needs at least N10 million being estimated cost of transplantation operation (N8 million) in Nigeria and that of gratuitous reward to a kidney donor and if abroad plus cost travel logistics for himself and that of another who will accompany him for the oversea treatment.
However, to prevent kidney failure, for dietitians, nutritionists and naturopaths have identified some fruits and vegetables that boost kidney function and lower blood pressure and glucose, which are two of the major causes of kidney damage.
The kidney health boosting vegetables include: lettuce, cabbage, beetroot, scent leaf/basil (nchuanwu in Ibo and effirin in Yoruba), bitter leaf, cucumber, watermelon, ginger (Zingiber officinale), radish, fennel, as well as honey.
Nigerian researchers from the Niger Delta University Bayelsa State and the University of Port Harcourt have found that that aqueous leaf extracts of scent leaf/basil (botanically called Ocimum gratissimum) affect the course of tubular repair after the onset of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity (kidney poisoning) in rats with accelerated recovery.
Cisplatin is a strong and widely used chemotherapy drug but can cause serious side effects including kidney damage.
The researchers in the study published recently in Indian Journal of Drugs and Diseases concluded: “Hence the extracts have the potential to be used for the management of nephropathies and as a therapeutic adjuvant in cisplatin toxicity.”
Previous studies found that a combination of bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) and scent leaf extracts could not only reduce the blood glucose level, but protects the heart and testes against impairment and complete destruction due to diabetes.
Scent leaf/basil is known as effirin ajasin inYoruba, ebavbokho in Bini, aaid dya ta gida in Hausa, nchuanwu in Ibo, froukena in Ijaw and oran in Urhobo.
A study published in The FASEB Journal found that ginger (Zingiber officinale) ameliorates metalexyl fungicide induced kidney damage in albino mice. The Saudi and Egyptian researchers found that treating animals with metalexyl and ginger led to an improvement in the histological structure of the kidney together with significant decrease in urea and creatinine.
Metalaxyl is a fungicide linked to kidney damage.
“The results indicated that ginger had ameliorative effect against kidney damage induced by metalexyl and this may be mediated by its potent antioxidant activities,” they noted.
The FASEB Journal is the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
A new British study published in the journal Hypertension on April 15 found that a cup of beetroot juice a day, or a generous helping of green vegetables, may help lower blood pressure.
The findings come from a small study of 15 men and women with high blood pressure.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry found that people who drank 250 mL of nitrate-rich beetroot juice a day experienced blood pressure reductions of around 10 mm Hg. The reduction was highest around three to six hours after imbibing the beetroot juice, but the effect lasted 24 hours later.
While beetroots contain heart-healthy compounds like vitamins C and K, fibre and polyphenols, scientists say it is the high nitrate content that’s likely responsible for the ability to reduce blood pressure.
Other nitrate-rich vegetables include lettuce, cabbage, and fennel, which researchers say are likely to have the same effect.
Indeed, natural remedies for renal failure patients are mainly natural self-care measures which aim at controlling symptoms and complications, stabilising illness conditions, slowing down illness progression and protecting remaining kidney functions so as to make patients feel better, improve their life quality and avoid dialysis or at least delay dialysis.
Several studies have shown that natural remedies for renal failure include herbal therapy and diet therapy as well as some beneficial exercises. There are many foods and herbs that can help chronic kidney failure patients. Such as radish, cucumber, beet root, water melon and honey can prevent formation of kidney stone; melon seed, ginger, basil (nchuanwu in Ibo and effirin in Yoruba) leaves are all natural and useful home remedies for lowering high blood pressure, one major cause of kidney failure.
In prior research, scientists from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, found that within hours of drinking beetroot juice, a group of healthy men saw their blood pressure drop by an average of four to five points. The study was published in December in Nutrition Journal.
Meanwhile, dieticians recommend:
Avoid products with added salt. Lower the amount of sodium one eats each day by avoiding products with added salt, including many convenience foods, such as frozen dinners, canned soups and fast foods. Other foods with added salt include salty snack foods, canned vegetables, and processed meats and cheeses.
Choose lower potassium foods. The dietitian may recommend that one chooses lower potassium foods at each meal. High-potassium foods include bananas, oranges, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes. Examples of low-potassium foods include apples, cabbage, green beans, grapes and strawberries.
Limit the amount of protein you eat. The dietitian will estimate the appropriate number of grams of protein one should eat each day and make recommendations based on that amount. High-protein foods include meats, eggs, milk, cheese and beans. Low-protein foods include vegetables, fruits, most breads and most cereals. Some breads and cereals include ingredients that make them high in protein, so check the label.
The medical report from the Nigerian Naval Medical Centre signed by Dr. D. C. Nwaise reads: “Mr. Osuji Ikechukwu is a known hypertensive patient with poor drug compliance who was first seen at our facility seen at our facility on November 13, 2012 on account of a two week history of persistent vomiting. There was history of facial puffiness, abdominal swelling, hiccups and passage of dark coloured stool. Mr. Osuji, had one session of dialysis at referral Centre prior to presentation at our facility.
“On examination was a young man severely pale, afebrile, anicteric, acyanosed with no pitting pedal edema. Chest finding include bibasal crepitation. Cardiovascular system showed tachycardia (PR-120BPM), blood pressure 180/95mmHg; first and second heart sound with hemic murmur. Central nervous system revealed a confusional state with asterixis. Other systems examination were unremarkable….
“A diagnosis of acute or chronic kidney disease (possibly end stage renal disease) precipitated by sepsis was made. Thus he was placed some antibiotics and commenced on twice weekly maintenance dialysis. Mr. Osuji has so far had eight session of dialysis but his dialysis schedule has been irregular due to financial constraint. He had eleven pints of blood transfusion in the course of treatment. More so, he is also placed on Erythopoietin and iron sucrose therapy…
“Cost implication of twice weekly maintenance dialysis is N60,500 including Erythropoietin and iron sucrose treatment. Cost implication of renal transplantation is estimated N8 million depending on the charges of the institution that would perform the surgery.
“Kindly give him all necessary assistance to enable him enjoy good quality of life and continuing survival…”
A Fund to Save Ikechukwu Franklyn Osuji has been instituted at Sterling Bank, account number 18942937, by the Emekuku Town Union to help Osuji raise the money for Osuji’s treatment.
President-elect, Nigeria Association of Nephrology and Chief Medical Director at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye, said that 36.8 million Nigerians (23 per cent) are suffering from various stages of kidney disease in Nigeria.
With this figure, it means that one in seven Nigerians is suffering from some form of kidney disorder.
Bamgboye who disclosed this at an awareness programme organised by the Hospital to mark this year’s World Kidney Day, regretted that despite the severity of the disease, Nigerian patients are faced with many challenges in terms of treatment.
Bamgboye lamented the burden of the disease, noting that an estimated 15,000 new patients are diagnosed every year in the country.
He said: “Chronic kidney disease prevalence is a problem in our environment. Estimates suggest that one out of every seven Nigerians has one stage of chronic kidney disease. Unfortunately, out of 50,000 patients who should ideally be on dialysis, less than 1,000 are currently on dialysis as at today.
“Unfortunately, if you have kidney failure and you don’t do dialysis or transplant within two weeks you will die. You can imagine the number of people that are dying every day because of kidney disease.”
Symptoms of kidney failure include: high levels of urea in the blood, which can result in: vomiting and/or diarrhea, which may lead to dehydration; nausea; weight loss; nocturnal urination; more frequent urination, or in greater amounts than usual, with pale urine; less frequent urination, or in smaller amounts than usual, with dark coloured urine; blood in the urine; pressure, or difficulty urinating; unusual amounts of urination, usually in large quantities.
A build up of phosphates in the blood that diseased kidneys cannot filter out may cause: itching; bone damage; nonunion in broken bones; muscle cramps (caused by low levels of calcium which can be associated with hyperphosphatemia).
A build up of potassium in the blood that diseased kidneys cannot filter out (called hyperkalemia) may cause: abnormal heart rhythms; muscle paralysis.
Failure of kidneys to remove excess fluid may cause: swelling of the legs, ankles, feet, face and/or hands; shortness of breath due to extra fluid on the lungs (may also be caused by anemia).
Polycystic kidney disease, which causes large, fluid-filled cysts on the kidneys and sometimes the liver, can cause: Pain in the back or side.
Healthy kidneys produce the hormone erythropoietin that stimulates the bone marrow to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells. As the kidneys fail, they produce less erythropoietin, resulting in decreased production of red blood cells to replace the natural breakdown of old red blood cells. As a result, the blood carries less hemoglobin, a condition known as anemia. This can result in: feeling tired and/or weak; memory problems; difficulty concentrating; dizziness; low blood pressure.
Normally, proteins are too large to pass through the kidneys, however, they are able to pass through when the glomeruli are damaged. This does not cause symptoms until extensive kidney damage has occurred, after which symptoms include: foamy or bubbly urine; swelling in the hands, feet, abdomen, or face
Other symptoms include: appetite loss, a bad taste in the mouth; difficulty sleeping; darkening of the skin; excess protein in the blood. With high dose penicillin, renal failure patients may experience seizures.
Previous studies had found:
1. Cucumber. Raw cucumber is natural kidney cleanser, which helps flush acids and toxins from the kidneys.
2. Radish. Radish can dissolve stones in the kidneys and pass them in urine. It can also cleanse the kidneys and improve renal filtering functions.
3. Beet. Drinking beet juice can promote blood circulation and alleviate anemia. It can also help treat hypertension and heart disease.
4. Astralagus. It is one traditional Chinese herb. It has the functions of anti-inflammation, diuretics. It can help improve kidney functions and enhance immunity.
5. Uva Ursi. It can help clear kidney stones, cleanse the urinary tract and improve kidney functions.
6. Juniper berry. It can eliminate blood stasis in the kidneys and urinary tract so as to relive urinary tract obstruction and increase urine output.
7. Basil. Basil is helpful for chronic renal failure patients. It can help remove kidney stone, control high blood pressure and improve kidney functions.
8. Cranberry juice. Cranberry juice can prevent kidney stone formation, treat urinary tract infections, increase urination and alleviate swelling. Cranberry juice has been proved to be very helpful to polycystic kidney disease.
9. Dandelion. Dandelion is another natural diuretics. It helps remove excessive fluid in the body so as to much alleviate edema in the feet, ankles, face, hands, etc.
10. Practicing yoga, tai chi and qi gong can help strength the patient’s physical fitness and enhance their immunity so as to improve their disease-resistance ability.
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