Mary James If you have diabetes, a clinician may ask for a urine test even when you feel well and your urine looks normal. The test checks for albumin, a protein that usually remains in your blood. When more albumin than expected appears in urine, it can be an early sign that diabetes is affecting your kidneys. … Read more
Your latest blood test shows higher creatinine than your last one. Then you remember that you had a hard workout, a long run, or an unusually active day before the test. Could exercise explain the change? It might contribute to a creatinine result in some circumstances, but it should not be assumed to explain every … Read more
A high creatinine result can make you want to act immediately. Search results may suggest a special fruit, more water, a detox tea, or a strict diet that promises to bring the number down. Before trying any of them, ask a more useful question: why is your creatinine high? Creatinine is a measurement used to … Read more
A blood test says your eGFR is low. Perhaps last year it was higher, or perhaps this is the first time you have seen the number at all. It is easy to search for a food, supplement, or exercise that will raise it immediately. First, though, you need to know why the result is low … Read more
You have been told that your kidney function is lower than it should be, and you want to know what you can do yourself. Walking more seems like a sensible place to start. But will exercise actually raise your eGFR—and if it does, would that mean your kidneys have healed? The answer takes some care: … Read more
You notice that your shoes feel tighter by evening, or that your face looks puffy when you wake up. If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD), it is natural to wonder whether your kidneys are retaining fluid—and whether you should immediately drink less water. Swelling can be related to kidney disease, but it has several … Read more
You open a blood test and see that your creatinine is higher than expected. Perhaps a friend recommends apples, someone online says to drink cranberry juice, and another article promises that one fruit will “flush” the number down within days. You want to act quickly. That makes sense—but no fruit has been shown to rapidly … Read more
A urine test has shown protein, and now you want to know how to bring it down. You may have heard that homeopathy offers a gentle option, especially if you would prefer to avoid more medicines. Before choosing a remedy, it helps to know what the test is measuring. Protein in urine is a finding … Read more
You wake up with an ache in your back or side. It feels close to where you imagine your kidneys are, and you wonder whether something happened overnight. It is a reasonable concern, especially if you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) or have had a kidney stone before. But the time of day and the … Read more
If you have chronic kidney disease (CKD), it is easy to see why turmeric and ginger sound promising. Both appear in everyday cooking, and both are often described as “anti-inflammatory.” From there, a much bigger claim sometimes follows: that taking enough of them could repair damaged kidneys. That leap is where caution matters. Using a … Read more