Dialysis can make everyday routines feel organised around appointments, machines, and blood tests. It is reasonable to ask what you can do for yourself between treatments. Food choices, suitable movement, symptom support, and help with stress can all have a place. The safest approach begins with your dialysis plan and builds daily habits around it.
If you are looking for ideas about daily kidney care, you can explore the Kidney Coach program here. Review its suggestions with your dialysis team before changing your food, fluid intake, medicines, or supplements.
Dialysis helps remove waste products and extra fluid when the kidneys cannot do enough of that work. A herb, juice, or “kidney cleanse” cannot perform the same job. Complementary approaches are most useful when they help you live as well as possible while continuing the treatment you need.
This guide focuses on practical support for people receiving hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. The details of a food or fluid plan differ between the two, so your own renal dietitian and treatment team should guide individual changes.
What does “natural support” mean during dialysis?
The phrase can refer to very different things. A short walk, a familiar meal planned with a renal dietitian, and a concentrated herbal supplement should not be treated as if they carry the same risks.
Here, support means actions that may help with day-to-day wellbeing, such as:
- Eating enough of the foods appropriate to your treatment
- Following an individual fluid and sodium plan
- Moving safely within your ability
- Reporting symptoms so they can be treated
- Getting help with the emotional and practical demands of dialysis
These steps cannot replace a dialysis session. They can, however, make it easier to manage your health and take part in activities that matter to you.
Keep your dialysis treatment at the centre of the plan
Dialysis schedules and prescriptions are based on medical needs. Missing or shortening treatments can allow waste products and fluid to build up. If treatments leave you exhausted, interfere with work, or create problems at home, tell your dialysis team. There may be ways to address the difficulty.
If you are thinking about stopping dialysis, have a direct conversation with your nephrologist about what that decision would mean and which care options are available. A supplement seller or online testimonial cannot assess your individual situation.
Dialysis is not a cure for kidney failure, but it is an effective treatment that helps do some of the work the kidneys can no longer do. Other choices in this article are meant to fit alongside it.
Start with a food plan designed for your type of dialysis
A food described as “kidney-friendly” for someone who is not on dialysis may not meet the needs of someone who is. In particular, people receiving dialysis often need careful attention to getting enough protein, while also managing other parts of the diet according to their blood results.
Your renal dietitian may discuss sodium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and fluids. Not every restriction applies in the same way to everyone. Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis can also lead to different advice.
Bring a list of what you normally eat rather than trying to guess what a “perfect kidney diet” should look like. Your dietitian can help you adjust familiar foods to meet your needs. Our general kidney food guide can help you prepare questions, but your dialysis-specific plan takes priority.
Why eating enough matters
A person who is worried about potassium or phosphorus may begin cutting out food after food. That can leave too few choices and make it harder to eat enough. Poor appetite can create the same problem.
Tell your team if you are losing weight without trying, struggling to finish meals, or avoiding protein because of something you read about CKD. Your dietitian can explain how your needs differ now that you receive dialysis.
Work with your fluid plan
Some people on dialysis need to limit fluid between treatments. What counts as fluid can be broader than you expect: water, tea, coffee, juice, soup, ice, and foods that turn liquid at room temperature may all contribute.
Do not set your own limit from a website. Ask your team:
- What is my current fluid allowance?
- Which foods and drinks should I count?
- Does the advice differ on treatment days?
- What should I do if thirst becomes difficult to manage?
- Which changes in weight or swelling should I report?
Sodium can affect thirst. If salty packaged foods make it harder to stay within your fluid plan, mention them to your dietitian. They can help you find realistic alternatives.
Drinking extra water to “flush the kidneys” is particularly unsuitable advice for someone who has been given a fluid restriction. Our article on drinks and kidney health explains why more is not always better.
Know your potassium and phosphorus results
Potassium and phosphorus are important minerals. Dialysis and food choices help manage their levels, but you cannot tell what your blood level is by how you feel or by reading a general list of healthy foods.
If your potassium is high, ask which foods, drinks, salt substitutes, or supplements are relevant to your diet. If phosphorus is high, ask about packaged-food additives and whether you need a prescribed phosphate binder. If you have been prescribed one, ask when to take it with meals and snacks.
Our guide to lowering phosphorus with CKD explains the role of ingredient labels. Do not stop a prescribed binder or make major diet changes without discussing the plan with your care team.
Can exercise help while you are on dialysis?
Many people on dialysis can take part in physical activity. What you can comfortably do depends on your strength, symptoms, heart health, and treatment schedule.
Walking, seated movements, and light strength work may be options. Some people need help from a physical therapist or a supervised program to begin. Ask your dialysis team which activities suit you and how to protect your dialysis access.
Start small. A few minutes of movement may be more manageable than a goal of exercising every day. If you feel very tired after a treatment, ask whether another time would be better. Avoid pushing through dizziness, chest symptoms, or severe shortness of breath.
Our safe exercise guide for kidney patients gives examples to discuss with your team.
Protect your dialysis access
If you receive hemodialysis through a fistula, graft, or catheter, ask your team about activities that might put pressure on it. Do not assume a general workout video accounts for your access or any recent procedure.
Likewise, if you receive peritoneal dialysis, ask about movements and lifting that suit your catheter and treatment routine. Your team knows your access, healing history, and other health issues.
Take fatigue seriously
Fatigue is common enough among people on dialysis that you should feel able to raise it at appointments. It is also broad enough that you should not automatically accept it as something you must live with unchanged.
Tell your team when fatigue is worst, whether it has recently changed, and how it affects eating, walking, and daily tasks. Ask whether anemia, sleep problems, treatment effects, another health condition, or medication could be relevant.
Gentle activity may help some people maintain stamina, but it is not a reason to ignore a new or marked decline in energy. A short description of what you can no longer do can help your team assess the problem.
Ask for help with cramps, itching, and other symptoms
Dialysis can be associated with symptoms that affect quality of life. If you have cramps, itching, poor sleep, nausea, pain, or dizziness, tell your team exactly when they occur. For example, does a cramp happen during treatment or later that night? Does itching interrupt sleep?
Specific information makes it easier for the team to review your treatment, blood results, medicines, and other possible causes. Avoid trying an unlabelled “natural remedy” first, particularly if it is taken by mouth.
A comfortable routine—such as arranging rest after treatment or finding gentle activities on days when you feel better—may help you manage daily life. It should complement a proper review of persistent symptoms.
Support your mental health as well as your physical health
Dialysis changes time, travel, family routines, and sometimes the way you see yourself. Frustration, worry, and low mood are understandable responses. You do not need to handle them alone.
Tell someone on your care team if anxiety, sadness, or loss of interest is affecting your life. Ask what counseling, social work, peer support, or other help is available. Family and friends may want to help but may not know how; a specific request, such as help with transport or a shared walk, can make support easier to give.
Quiet practices that help you relax can fit into your routine if they are comfortable and do not interfere with treatment. Their purpose is to help you cope, not to replace medical care.
Can herbs or supplements help?
A product advertised as “natural kidney support” may contain active ingredients, minerals, or multiple herbs. People on dialysis can be particularly vulnerable to problems involving potassium, other substances, or medicine interactions.
Do not begin an herbal product because its label claims that it can clean the blood or reduce the need for dialysis. Bring the full label to your nephrologist, pharmacist, or renal dietitian and explain why you want to use it.
Some people on dialysis may need particular vitamins or supplements, but those decisions should be made with their care team. A general multivitamin or herbal powder is not automatically suitable. Our article on kidney supplements and creatinine claims covers useful safety questions.
If you are collecting ideas for food, movement, or daily routines, you can review the Kidney Coach program here. Show any proposed supplement or dietary change to your dialysis team before using it.
Does “detoxing” make sense on dialysis?
Dialysis already has a defined medical purpose: it helps remove waste products and extra fluid when your kidneys cannot do enough. A detox tea, cleanse, or unusually large amount of water does not provide an equivalent treatment.
A “cleanse” may also conflict with your fluid, potassium, or nutrition plan. If you are worried that dialysis is not making you feel as well as expected, explain your symptoms to your team. They can review your treatment and investigate other causes.
Be cautious of any advertisement that promises you can skip dialysis after using a product for a fixed number of days. A claim that serious deserves strong evidence and review by the clinicians treating you.
Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis: why advice differs
Both treatments help people with kidney failure, but they work differently. Your eating and fluid plan may therefore differ from someone using the other treatment.
| Question | Why your team’s answer matters |
|---|---|
| How much fluid can I have? | The answer depends on treatment and your individual circumstances. |
| How much protein do I need? | Dialysis affects nutrition needs, and they can differ by treatment type. |
| Do I need to limit potassium or phosphorus? | Your blood results and treatment plan guide the advice. |
| When can I exercise? | Symptoms, schedule, and access type affect what works. |
| Do I need supplements? | Your diet, medicines, and blood tests determine whether one is suitable. |
If you switch treatment types, ask for a fresh diet review. A plan written for an earlier stage of CKD or a different form of dialysis may no longer fit.
How to prepare for a more useful dialysis appointment
It can be hard to remember every question during a treatment day. Write down what has changed since your last review:
- New or worsening symptoms
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Trouble following a fluid plan
- Difficulty taking medicines or binders
- Supplements or herbal products you are considering
- Activities you want to restart
- Concerns about work, sleep, travel, or mood
Choose the one or two issues affecting your life most and bring them up first. If an explanation is unclear, ask your team to put the next steps in plain language.
When should you seek medical help promptly?
Contact your dialysis team about new or worsening symptoms, especially if you are unsure whether they relate to treatment. Follow the urgent-contact instructions your centre has given you for access problems or other complications.
Seek urgent medical attention for severe difficulty breathing, chest pain, fainting, or symptoms that make you feel seriously unwell. Do not wait to see whether a home remedy works.
Frequently asked questions
Can natural treatments replace dialysis?
No herb, food, juice, or supplement has been established as a replacement for medically needed dialysis. If you are questioning your treatment, discuss your concerns and options with your nephrologist.
What is the best natural way to feel better on dialysis?
There is no single answer. Eating enough according to your dialysis diet, moving at a suitable level, reporting symptoms, and getting practical and emotional support can all matter. Your team can help identify which problem to address first.
Can I follow a regular CKD diet while on dialysis?
Not necessarily. Dialysis can change protein and other nutritional needs. Ask a renal dietitian for a plan designed for your treatment and test results.
Is walking safe during dialysis treatment?
People on dialysis can often be physically active, but the timing and type of exercise need individual advice. Ask your team about symptoms, access protection, and when activity suits your treatment schedule.
Should I take a kidney vitamin?
Only take a supplement your care team has recommended or checked. Some vitamins may be useful in particular circumstances, while other products or doses may be unsuitable.
The takeaway
Supportive daily habits can make life on dialysis more manageable. Focus on a suitable food and fluid plan, manageable movement, symptom care, and help with the emotional demands of treatment. Bring herbs, powders, and vitamins to your dialysis team for a safety review before taking them.
Keep attending dialysis as prescribed. The most useful complementary approach is one that fits your treatment and helps you live your daily life.
For further ideas to discuss with your team, explore the Kidney Coach program. Your dialysis prescription, renal dietitian’s advice, and personal blood results should guide any changes.