Ayurvedic Treatment for Kidney Failure in Bangalore

This is a condition characterised by the gradual loss of function of one or both kidneys. Unfortunately, in most cases it goes undetected until it has reached the advanced level. In Chronic Kidney Disease kidneys loose their ability to eliminate unwanted materials and help balance fluids, electrolytes, and control production of RBC’s in the body.

There are multiple reasons for Chronic Kidney Disease that result in the destruction of nephrons (basic structural & functional unit of the kidney). It leads to the destruction of kidney mass resulting in hypertrophy (enlargement) of nephrons which in turn results in sclerosis (hardening of the kidney) and ends up in kidney failure.

Other Causes of Chronic Kidney Failure

• Polycystic Kidney Disease
• Glomerulonephritis
• Viral infections like HIV, Hepatitis B and C
• Pyelonephritis

Symptoms

• Shortness of Breath, Lethargy, Mental confusion
• Bad taste in the mouth, Feeling of coldness, Pain in flanks.
• Abnormal Heart Rhythm, Abnormal Urine output with or without blood
• Itching, Chest pain, High blood pressure, Swelling around ankles

Effect of diabetes on kidneys:
Studies have shown that 30% of the type 1 diabetes and 40% of type 2 diabetes patients will eventually suffer from kidney failure. So if your diabetes has still not taught you the discipline of taking regular medications, checkups, and dietary control, then the fate of your kidneys would end up in a dialysis or transplant.

Most often people are unaware of the relationship between kidneys and diabetes. To describe it in a simple manner, this is what happens to your kidneys when there is a prolonged exposure to glucose; the blood vessels in the kidneys would get damaged and the drainage mechanism is hampered, and the nerves too get affected and there will be difficulty in emptying the bladder. This increases the chances of urine backflow and can severely injure kidneys with infections.

Common symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease in a diabetes patient:

• Albumin in the urine.
• High Blood Pressure.
• Ankle and leg swellings with cramps.
• Increased urine frequency at night.
• Itching.
• Morning sickness.
• Anaemia and weakness.

Effect of Blood pressure on kidneys:
When there is a greater intake of salt, kidney demands more blood from the heart to expel this ingested salt out from your system and if this process is continued for a longer period the blood vessels get weakened and gradually stops functioning.

Finally, it reaches a stage where the kidney cannot expel wastes and toxins from your system. When fluid in your system rises, blood pressure will go even higher creating a very dangerous cycle.

The visible symptoms are

• Loss of appetite.
• Headache.
• Oedema in legs, feet, ankles.
• Drowsiness.
• Sleep problems.
• Weight loss.
• Itching.
• Chest pain.
• Dry skin.
• Increased or decreased micturition.

Effect of Analgesic Nephropathy:
Another form of kidney damage is through Analgesic Nephropathy which is the constant use of painkillers. An analgesic is a medication which is intended to relieve pain.

It is readily available across the counter at medical shops such as ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, aspirin, and the lists go on. It is a common phenomenon that nowadays people are habituated to taking painkillers even for minor aches and pains.

If you regularly consume painkillers, your kidney can be damaged as all the analgesics are broken in kidneys and not in the liver.

According to Ayurveda the entire range of kidney diseases are categorised under the heading of mutravahasrotas. Mutravahasrotas is one among the 13 srotas as present in the human body. Srotas are network of functional pathway in the body. When these srotas as are unimpeded there is health. Heart, Brain, and Vrikka i.e kidney are the three sadyo pranahara marma and are agneya in nature. Death can occur if there is any physical trauma/pathological diseases to any of these Marmas. The diseases caused to these marmas are Kashta sadhya in nature.

The food we ingested are divided into Sara bhaga (essential nutrients) and kitta bhaga (non-essential nutrients). Sara bhaga forms the rasa, which meets up the body’s nutritive requirements. Kitta forms the waste which is eliminated from the body as urine, stool or sweat.

All the tridoshas (vata, pitta and kapha) are involved in the pathology of this disease. Pitta is responsible for impaired jadharagni, Kapha is responsible for the blockage of the srotas and Vata is responsible for the degeneration of the kidney structure.

The Ama (toxins) which is formed in the body as a result of unwholesome diet and regimen gets accumulated among the srotas leads to srotorodha that is obstruction of the srotas and becomes the key factor in the pathology of Chronic Kidney Disease.

“Aharasya rasah sarah sarahino maladravaha Sirabhisthajalam neetham basthau mootratwapnayat “( Sharangdhara Samhita Poorvakhanda 6/6)
It is the mootravahasrotas that engage in the formation of Urine which is technically the dravaroopa Kitta bhaga (liquid form of waste), with the help of Vyana vayu and Apana vayu in the formation and elimination of urine respectively.

When there is a disruption in the conveyance of this Vayu, the entire range of mechanism are disturbed and destabilised.

There are effective treatments in Ayurveda for Chronic Kidney Disease and can avoid to some extent the stressful and expensive process of kidney transplant and dialysis. In patients with Chronic Kidney Disease have disturbed agni due to which the food is not digested properly and thus the formation of the vital components is disturbed leading to dosha and dhatu dushti.

The change in lifestyle of people, intake of incompatible foods, constant intake of alcohol, tobacco, and stress contributes substantively to agni mandya , which is the root cause of many diseases. As per Ayurvedic point of veiw annavaha, rasavaha, udakavaha, medovaha, mutravaha and swedavaha srotodusti contribute to kidney failure.

Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease is not organ based. It takes into account the tridosha, saptadhatu and agni vichara. During the first phase of the treatment utmost care has to be given in controlling the blood sugar level as well as the blood pressure level if associated. The line of treatment for the management of Chronic Kidney Disease as per Ayurveda is virechana, swedana, mutrapravartaka, raktaprasadaka, agni deepana and sarva dhathu poshaka, also with strict pathya- apathyas. Ayurveda also preaches of Regenerative medicine under the topic of Rasayana Chikitsa which gives a scope for regenerate nephrons in Chronic Kidney D.

The line of treatment for the management of Chronic Kidney Disease as per Ayurveda is virechana, swedana, mutrapravartaka, raktaprasadaka, agni deepana and sarva dhathu poshaka, also with strict pathya- apathyas. Ayurveda also preaches of Regenerative medicine under the topic of Rasayana Chikitsa which gives a scope for regenerate nephrons in Chronic Kidney Disease.