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10 Signs You May Have Kidney Disease

Kidney disease does not sneak up on you without warning signs being present. You need to know what to look for to catch it early and take action to prevent it from becoming a severe health concern.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, one in three Americans is at risk for kidney disease. Over 26 million American adults have chronic kidney disease. The National Kidney Foundation also says that kidney disease often has no symptoms until it is pretty advanced.

Your kidneys are mirror images of each other, and the two organs reside in your lower back beneath the muscles. They are responsible for removing waste and fluid that is not being used by the body’s cells through the urine.

There are different kidney problems, including kidney infection, kidney failure, polycystic kidney disease, cancer, and kidney stones. Kidney failure is also called renal failure. A doctor can determine if you have any kidney diseases by testing either your urine or blood or both.

Risk factors associated with signs of kidney disease include diabetes, smoking, vitamin deficiencies, high cholesterol, and hypertension. Early detection is essential so that steps can be taken to prevent the disease from progressing.

You can reduce your risk of kidney disease by making lifestyle changes. Start by adopting a vegetarian diet that is low in fat, limiting salt and alcohol intake as well as getting regular screenings with a physician.

The consequences of having advanced kidney disease can include dialysis, the need for a kidney transplant, or premature death. It is beneficial to your health to see if you have any of the following ten warning signs of kidney disease and consult with a doctor quickly.

10 Early Warning Signs of Kidney Disease

kidney disease

1. Lower back pain

Backaches and joint pain could be signs of an injury or symptoms of a kidney infection. Read more about helping flush your kidneys in our article here.

2. Dark urine can reveal kidney disease

Blood can be passed into the urine, but this is often only seen under a microscope. However, being dehydrated can result in dark urine. Painful urination is another warning sign of kidney disease.

3. Changes in the quantity of urine

Going to the bathroom either too often or not often enough can be a sign of a problem with the kidneys. You may also feel the need to use the bathroom but cannot do so.

4. Metallic taste in your mouth

A buildup of waste that is not flushed out of your system can make you have a sense of a metallic taste in your mouth. Also, people may notice that you have particularly bad breath, which smells strangely of ammonia.

5. Kidney disease can cause nausea and vomiting

The buildup of waste that the diseased kidneys are not removing can also give you a nauseated feeling. Nausea can become severe enough to make you vomit. This is also another way for your body t try to rid itself of food that cannot be properly processed anyway.

6. Protein aversion

When the body cannot process the nutrients that you are consuming, there will be a buildup of these in your system. A buildup of protein and an inability to process it will cause you to have less desire for protein. It just won’t sound good to you.

Kidney disease can also cause a lack of appetite in general. When your kidneys aren’t functioning well, you can also have cravings for strange things like chewing on ice or eating inedible substances like dirt or chalk.

7. Foamy urine

When you use the bathroom to pass urine, check if it is bubbly or foamy looking. The bubbles can indicate the presence of protein passed in the urine. Typically, the body uses the protein rather than excreted, so this is a warning sign of potential kidney disease.

8. Fatigue

Many reasons can cause weakness, but in combination with the other signs listed here, it is cause for concern. Anemia can be associated with kidney disease, and that is likely what is causing your fatigue.

9. Mental confusion

Anemia is a symptom of kidney disease because the kidneys also help the blood to carry oxygen. When the kidneys are diseased, the number of red blood cells drops. Extreme fatigue can cause mental confusion.

10. Swelling of face, feet, or hands

Swelling means that fluid is retained in the body when it would typically excrete through the urine. When the kidneys are not functioning correctly, they cannot handle the extra fluid properly.

Swelling can happen in multiple places in the body. This swelling is also called edema. The kidneys are not excreting fluid as they should, and the body is retaining water and salt.

8 Habits To Reverse Kidney Disease

1. Eat a whole plant-based diet

Growing evidence suggests that eating a whole plant-based diet slows down the progression of chronic kidney disease. Plant-based proteins have more alkaline and anti-inflammatory properties, which will protect your kidneys. If you choose to go on a plant-based diet, be sure to adjust your nutritional needs to keep the right balance. Eat more fruits, lean meats, veggies, lower-fat dairy products, and whole grains.

2. Reduce your high blood pressure

There is no cure for kidney disease, but if it’s diagnosed soon enough, you can slow down or even prevent the disease’s progression. High blood pressure can cause kidney disease. When you have high blood pressure, your blood vessels get constricted, so they get damaged all over your body, especially in your kidneys. The narrowing of your blood vessels slows down blood flow into your kidneys, so it can’t remove waste and fluids from your body correctly. The extra fluid in your body causes high blood pressure. This threatening cycle leads to more damage to your kidneys.

3. Stay physically active to avoid kidney disease

Exercise helps fight kidney disease by improving your muscles function lowering your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. It also helps your stay at a healthy weight. Choose activities that use your large muscle groups, including:

  • Walking
  • Swimming
  • Biking
  • Dancing
  • Skiing

4. Eat less sodium

The National Kidney Foundation suggests you lower your sodium in these practical ways.

Foods to eliminate Instead, eat these
●Table salt

●Seasoning salt

●Garlic salt

●Onion salt

●Celery salt

● Lemon pepper

●Lite salt

● Meat tenderizer

 

Fresh garlic, fresh onion, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, lemon juice, low-sodium/salt-free seasoning blends, vinegar
High Sodium Sauces such as

●Barbecue sauce

●Steak Sauce

●Soy sauce

●Teryaki sauce

●Hoisin sauce

 

Avoid salted snacks such as

Crackers

Potato chips

Corn chips

Pretzels

Tortilla chips

Nuts

Popcorn

Sunflower seeds

Avoid cured meats.

 

Homemade or low-sodium sauces and salad dressings; vinegar; dry mustard; unsalted crackers, popcorn, pretzels, tortilla, or corn chips
Avoid cured meats Eat fresh meats and proteins
●Ham

●Salt pork

●Bacon

●Sauerkraut

●Pickles, pickle relish

●Lox & Herring

●Olives

●Hot Dogs

●Cold cuts, deli meats

●Pastrami

●Sausage

●Corned beef

●Spam

Fresh beef, veal, pork, poultry, fish, eggs
Avoid processed foods like

●Buttermilk

●Cheese

Canned:

●Soups

●Tomato products

●Vegetable juices

●Canned vegetables

Convenience Foods such as

●TV Dinners

●Canned ravioli

●Canned Chili

●Packaged Macaroni & Cheese

●Canned Spaghetti

●Commercial mixes

●Frozen prepared foods

● Fast foods

 

Eat natural foods:

Natural cheese (1-2 oz per week)

Homemade or reduced-sodium soups, canned food without added salt

 

Homemade casseroles without added salt, made with fresh or raw vegetables, fresh meat, rice, pasta, or no added salt canned vegetables

5. Keep a healthy weight to help avoid kidney disease

Maintain a healthy weight to help reduce or slow down kidney disease symptoms. Avoid fad diets that can be hard on your organs, especially your kidneys. Eat a healthy diet with more plants and veggies, lower your calories and increase your exercise.

6. Reduce elevated urine albumin

Having too high of urine albumin puts you at risk for kidney problems. Albumin is a protein found in your blood. Healthy kidneys don’t allow albumin to pass from your blood into your urine, but they let albumin get into your blood if your kidneys are damaged. You can take medications to lower the loss of albumin in your blood, but eating less sodium, weight loss, and protein can reduce the elevated albumin in your urine. Your doctor can check your urine for high albumin.

kidney disease

8. Avoid low-carb diets

Low-calorie diets help you lose weight, but they can put you at risk for kidney problems. These diets have high protein, which causes hyperfiltration in your kidneys. This puts you at risk of damaging your kidney’s function.

5 Warning Signs Your Energy Level Is Sending You About Your Health

Ideally, we’d all like to have endless amounts of energy all the time in our daily lives. However, many times, our image of how we would like to feel comes crashing down just after our lunch breaks at work. While being tired occasionally shouldn’t raise any red flags, consistently feeling exhausted after sleeping for 7-8 hours a night might signal something more serious. Low energy levels can make us feel lethargic, uninterested in our environment, and downright crabby if we don’t have the stamina to make it through our day without a nap, caffeine, or some sort of stimulant to stay awake.

If you continually have low energy levels, read on to find out what it might mean regarding your health.

Here are warning signs your energy level is sending you about your health:

1. You could have an under or overactive thyroid gland.

Your thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that secretes hormones determining how your body will use energy. If you have an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), your body will produce too many vital hormones. The opposite will occur if you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

According to WebMD, both of these conditions can cause serious problems if not treated, so schedule a doctor’s visit if you believe you might have a thyroid disorder. Both an under and overactive thyroid can disrupt sleep, making you feel groggy the next day and contributing to low energy levels.

2. You might be overly stressed.

Stress can easily make you feel exhausted. Your mind races, your heart pounds, you have all this adrenaline that you can’t seem to get rid of. Stress requires copious amounts of energy, so it drains you after just a short period. Every emotion we feel is energy, but negative ones deplete our energy stores, while positive ones add to them. If you feel stressed the majority of the time, try deep breathing exercises, moving your body, meditating, and eating well. Usually, we can heal our stress naturally by making a few small changes in our daily routines.

3. You might have a sleep disorder.

If you feel exhausted after getting a full night’s rest, this could point to a sleep disorder. According to Stanford Medicine, there are over 100 different sleep disorders, ranging from trouble falling asleep at night to difficulty staying awake during the day. The most common sleep disorder is insomnia, with 1 in 10 U.S. adults suffering from it each year.

If you believe you have a sleep disorder, talk with your doctor to discuss possible remedies.

4. You could suffer from anxiety or depression.

Just like stress, anxiety and depression can zap your energy levels, making you feel lifeless and exhausted. While anxiety makes you feel intense amounts of energy, it doesn’t serve a purpose unless you find yourself in a survival situation. Our bodies naturally produce a “fight or flight” response when in danger, but feeling this way most of the time can wreak havoc on the immune system and cause low energy levels after the cortisol and adrenaline have died down. On the other hand, depression makes you unable to feel much of anything at all, decreasing energy levels.

If you’d like to read about natural remedies for anxiety and depression so that you can keep your energy levels high, please consult our article here. 

5. Low energy levels can indicate a nutrient deficiency.

Feeling low energy levels regularly might mean you have a nutrient deficiency. Our bodies require many different vitamins and minerals to function optimally. Thus, deficiencies mean you won’t have the necessary energy to live your life to the fullest. Generally, eating whole foods, plant-based diet will give you the vitamins and minerals you need to thrive. But if you’d like, you can also take supplements to ensure you get the proper nutrients. If you are vegetarian or vegan, especially, make sure you get your B12 from some source, either from a supplement, a shot, or fortified foods.

Low energy levels can take away from living a happy, healthy life, so if you feel low on energy, try going to the source first. Examine your diet, exercise regimen, self-care routine, and other habits to see if you can adjust your lifestyle to provide you with more energy. Your body, mind, and soul deserve only the best, so give them what they need to thrive!

Here’s How Salt Lamps Are Helping People With Anxiety

In our world overrun with technology, it seems that anxiety and stress continue to rise despite technological advances. We often talk about many natural remedies for anxiety. But we’d like to mention the Himalayan salt lamp as a viable solution for anxiety today.

Wireless technology emits positive ions into the environment, which causes our systems to become imbalanced and increase stress and anxiety. Negative ions found in nature help to keep anxiety and stress at bay, which explains why many of us feel more energized and alert while outside.

According to WebMD, “negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.”

Also, negative ions can help protect us from bacteria and germs in the air, effectively cleaning the air and removing harmful irritants. Himalayan salt lamps can work wonders for a variety of ailments, but we’ll talk about how they help with anxiety more below.

Here’s how salt lamps might help reduce anxiety:

Himalayan salt lamps release negative ions into the air, which reduce anxiety and promote a relaxing, peaceful environment for sleep. Because Himalayan salt occurs naturally in the Earth, it automatically emits negative ions, just as you can find in waterfalls, oceans, and other natural features on our planet.

Himalayan salt lamps are simply a large chunk of pure Himalayan salt carved out into a lamp with a small bulb on the inside. They come in a variety of sizes, and you can place them all around your house in whatever rooms you desire. However, make sure to at least put them in the bedrooms, as they will help create a relaxing environment for sleep.

Himalayan rock salt itself can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and contains 84 trace minerals essential to your health. Also, Himalayan salt regulates the water content in your body, promotes a healthy pH, regulates sleep, helps to keep your bones strong, and much more. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Himalayan salt lamps also have numerous health benefits.

In our world today, we have become inundated with “electronic smog” from all of the radioactive waves from technology. Our smartphones, laptops, routers, TVs, and other electronics that sit in our rooms emit these harmful waves anytime we have them on, and can disrupt sleep, cause mental health problems, and even cancer in some cases.

Therefore, it’s vital that we do all we can to neutralize these damaging positive ions by bringing as much nature as possible into our homes. In addition to Himalayan salt lamps, you can buy small plants to place around your room to increase oxygen levels and negative ions.

The bigger lamp you buy, the more negative ions it will release into the room, so keep this in mind when shopping for your salt lamp!

 

5 Things That Are Making You Lose Sleep

In our world inundated with technology, packed to the brim with responsibility, and overflowing with stress, it’s no wonder that so many millions of us can’t get to sleep. Even if we do get to sleep, staying asleep presents a whole new set of problems altogether. Some of us toss and turn, wake up in the middle of the night, and no matter how many sheep we count, just can’t seem to drift off into Neverland.

According to WebMD, 1 in 4 U.S. workers suffers from insomnia, and this is just one type of sleep disorder. According to an article from Stanford Medicine, there are over 100 different types of sleep disorders. This means that you likely know someone that suffers from a sleep problem, or you might have one and not even know about it.

We live in times where having a sound sleep is as rare as seeing someone talking on a flip phone, to put it into perspective. With so many distractions around us that prevent us from dozing off to sleep peacefully, how in the world can we actually get a good night’s rest? Well, it all starts by eliminating things that can steal our sleep before we even hit the sheets.

Here are 5 things that are making you lose sleep:

1. You play on your phone or computer before bed.

Countless studies have shown that the bright lights emitted from phones and computers can delay sleep for hours past your bedtime. The bright blue lights from tablets, phones and computers basically tell our brains that we need to stay awake, not go to sleep. Think about it: out in nature, the sun would tell our bodies to wake up and get our day started. So, with all these artificial lights today, we stay awake longer and longer because our brains don’t know the difference between natural and unnatural light. However, you can make things easier on yourself by turning off electronics a few hours before bed, and keeping them off during the night so they don’t awaken you with notifications.

2. You drink caffeine late in the day.

Caffeine sends a jolt of energy through our bodies that helps us to stay awake and feel refreshed. Drinking a few cups in the morning to help us get our day started won’t really do much harm; however, downing a cup or two close to bedtime will keep you awake well into the night. If you do drink caffeine, make sure to avoid drinking it five or six hours before bed, as it will stay in the bloodstream for hours after consumption, forcing sleep to evade you once again.

3. You think about all the chores you didn’t get done while laying in bed.

Another thing that causes insomnia is lying in bed contemplating all the things you didn’t get done, the meaning of life, and all sorts of other things that keep your mind active and awake. We have a sleep deprived world, largely because many of us don’t know how to shut off our brains. Before bed, try doing something relaxing that will tell your brain to slow down for the day, such as meditating, yoga, taking a hot bath, or doing deep breathing exercises. Watch how quickly you fall asleep after getting your mind in the zone; then, watch how effortlessly a bedtime relaxation routine develops.

4. You think so much about losing sleep, that it actually happens.

This can truly become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because when we lose sleep, we tend to fear it happening again and again. So, guess what happens? Since we begin to obsess over our lack of sleep, our minds create this scenario over and over again without us even doing much to make it happen. Remember, your thoughts have immense power, so instead of focusing your attention on what you don’t want to happen, try to turn your awareness toward what you do want to occur. However, don’t obsess too much about getting to sleep, either, because then it will seem like a chore to fall asleep at night.

Simply ease your way into it, and do whatever feels most relaxing to you before bed.

5. You don’t exercise.

Exercise releases endorphins that promote relaxation and overall well-being, and many studies have found a link between a good night’s sleep and physical activity. Our bodies were made to move, so if you live a sedentary lifestyle, all that energy is just sitting in your body, unable to be released. Could it be that so many people have sleep problems because they have pent up energy in their bodies? Possibly so. If you find that you have trouble getting to sleep, it might be as simple as going for a 30-minute brisk walk a few times a week in order to get your beauty rest.

3 Things That Will Make Your Next Relationship Last

Once you’ve had the experience of a failed relationship, you want the next one to last, especially if you’ve found the right person. In this day of casual throwaway relationships, finding one with staying power can be a challenge.

There is a common expression that in order to have a successful relationship, each person only needs one thing; the man always needs to know that he is respected, and the woman needs to know that she is loved. Although this certainly sounds true, there is much more to sustaining a lasting relationship than just love and respect.

When we talk about whether your next relationship will last or not, there will need to be some self-reflection on what caused the previous relationships to fail. What responsibility did you have in the breakup of your previous relationships? What have you learned and how will you use it in your next relationship to make it last?

Infidelity does happen in relationships, but if you are the one who is likely to stray, you won’t be likely to maintain a lasting relationship. Being committed, loyal and devoted to your partner is something that you can do to help make your next relationship last. You can read more about commitment and other important traits in our article here.

Other than remaining committed to your partner, let’s look at 3 things that you can do to help make your next relationship last.

3 Things That Will Make Your Next Relationship Last

Being together forever is the ideal, romantic view of relationships that we see so often portrayed in movies. You can read more about that in our article here.

What those romantic movies don’t show us is that the couples who do stay together go through ups and downs and really have to work on being excellent at communication if they hope to have a lasting partnership.

1. Honest and open communication

It’s unlikely that you are going to date someone who can read your mind. The skill of expressing your feelings in a respectful way is important to making a relationship last. If you are angry at your partner, say ‘What you just said/did made me angry.’ If you are sad, say that too. You can’t expect your partner to know what you aren’t able to communicate.

Being able to express your feelings to your partner means that your partner will be able to help meet your needs and you will be happier in return. Being able to do the same for your partner means learning effective listening skills so that you can learn and meet all of your partner’s needs and keep them in a happy, long-term relationship.

2. Be equal partners

No relationship is one-sided. Having it your way all the time is a dictatorship, not a partnership. There will be times that you can’t have things your way and there will be times that you partner can’t either. Making sure that your basic emotional and physical needs are met while being able to compromise on other areas is a skill that is very important to help your next relationship last.

Communication is so important that some couples choose to go to Marital Relationship Education courses so that they can learn how to handle disagreements effectively. Couples who can handle conflict effectively are more likely to have happy long-term relationships.

You can read more about how to fight fairly in our article here.

You are not the same people and you will have disagreements over your differences. A successful couple will be able to balance togetherness while also respecting each person’s own separate identity. The relationship should be a safe place partners to work through conflict with a respectful discussion.

3. Keep it interesting

When you are just getting to know each other, things are exciting and new.

Boredom in long-term relationships can happen. When you both feel like there is nothing new to discover about each other, introducing newness will help keep things feeling fresh.

There is a phenomenon in long-term relationships known as ‘The 7 Year Itch.’ At this point in a marriage or close, committed relationship, people start to wonder if there isn’t something more interesting elsewhere. Cheating can happen as a result of a longing for newness.

This tendency toward boredom doesn’t have to be the case. You can use challenging new experiences to reignite passion in the relationship. In a study of marriages at the 7 year and 16 year mark, those who had experienced changes in the closeness of their relationship had less boredom and greater marital satisfaction over time.

To avoid boredom, use humor and laughter to keep things fun. The more you can laugh with your partner, the better. Make time for intimacy and don’t allow work stress or family life to interfere with your close, quiet, alone time with your partner. A happy sex life is definitely important to a lasting relationship.

5 Things Positive People Do Differently

“A negative mind will never give you a positive life.” – Unknown

Having a positive mindset in a seemingly negative world can be challenging, but you can learn techniques and tricks so that keeping positive becomes second-nature. We stress positivity so much because a healthy mindset is the building block of everything else that happens in your life. Remember, you attract what you are, so by filling your mind and body with as much positivity as you can muster, you will start coming across more uplifting, fulfilling people and experiences.

Some people seem to just ooze positivity no matter what, and maybe we could learn a thing or two from these people.

Here are 5 things positive people do differently:

1. They avoid a victim mentality.

Positive people don’t blame anything outside themselves for the events that happen to them; they realize that they have full control over their own lives and emotions. Anytime you place blame on someone or something else, you relinquish your own power. Positive people take full responsibility for their thoughts and actions, and don’t allow negative thinking to slow them down. While mastering the mind can take a lot of time and dedication, breaking past old barriers and leaving behind toxic ways of thinking can totally transform your life.

If you’d like to read more about positive thinking tips, read our article here.

2. They treat themselves well.

Simply put, positive people love themselves. Because they truly have become their own best friend, they treat themselves like a million bucks. They eat things that will nourish them and give them energy, move their bodies daily, make some time for self-care, and hold a job that truly makes them happy. Positive people live a life that feels like home to them, that makes them feel whole. They know happiness begins within, so they have worked tirelessly to transform any blockages within into openings for more light and positivity to shine through.

They don’t put their health on the back burner; they make time each day for eating well, exercising, meditating, and whatever else makes them feel energized and alive.

3. They don’t look for happiness, they create it.

More than anything else, perhaps, positive people don’t search for happiness. They actively create it each day based on their thoughts, actions, and relationships with others. They have filled themselves with so much positivity, that it naturally spills over and spreads to others. Thus, they don’t need anything outside themselves for happiness, because they have created it from within their own hearts. While other people and events can bring them happiness, of course, they don’t depend on these things to feel good. They’ve cultivated this feeling so that they don’t have to rely on anyone or anything else to provide it for them.

This type of freedom seems elusive, but can be achieved through deep meditation, time for self-care, and truly developing a relationship with yourself.

4. They try new things often.

Positive people don’t stay stuck in a bubbly of safety and security; while the comfort zone might feel cozy and familiar, they realize that nothing much happens there. Growth can’t occur in a stagnant environment, so they make sure to put themselves out there often and have new experiences. Positive people feel fear just like everyone else, but the difference is, they push past that insecurity and doubt despite these feelings. They don’t allow their minds to dictate their lives, instead choosing to defy their thoughts and tell themselves that they have every ounce of strength and ability necessary to achieve new things.

5. They don’t sweat the small stuff.

Positive people don’t let trivial matters get in the way of living a happy life. While life might throw them difficult situations from time to time, they take them in stride and work through them as they come. They don’t let those situations throw them off kilter and destroy their inner peace. They ask themselves, “Is this really worth losing my peace over?”

This allows them to keep things in perspective and remember what really matters in life. One late car payment or a blown tire won’t put a huge dent in their happiness levels, because they understand that life requires negatives to appreciate the positives. They see the silver lining in each situation, and allow the difficult times to teach them important lessons about their journey.

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