Kidney Disease

Also follow your physician's recommendations concerning the addition of daily dietary supplements. Multivitamins, minerals, and other supplements may be prescribed or recommended to help replace essential nutrients lost during dialysis treatments. Consult medical professionals who are experienced in treating kidney disorders and follow their recommendations for treatment carefully. Establish good dietary habits that are appropriate for your situation. The following supplements are supportive of overall kidney health. The recommendations are for healthy individuals. If you have any form of kidney disease, consult your physician before adding or changing any supplements that you may currently be taking.

Supplements

1. Take a multivitamin to replace vitamins and minerals that are lost during dialysis or are deficient in your diet. Vitamin Depot Online.com Mix is an excellent source of specific nutrients to defend the body against degenerative diseases. Vitamin Depot Online.com Mix is available in several forms. Three tablets of Vitamin Depot Online.com Mix Caps taken 3 times daily with meals are suggested.
2. Complete B-Complex contains safe and effective levels of all B-complex vitamins. Three capsules taken daily with meals are suggested.
3. Vitamin C has been shown to improve immune function, accelerate healing, and maintain healthy blood vessels. Vitamin C can come from dietary sources or from supplements: 2.5-6 grams daily from all sources are recommended. Each capsule of Vitamin C Caps provides 1000 mg of vitamin C (1 gram).
4. Vitamin D is necessary for proper utilization of calcium and phosphorus. Take one 1000-IU capsule of Vitamin D3 with fat-containing, low-fiber meals.
5. Vitamin E is known for its healing, cardiovascular, antioxidant, and immune-boosting benefits. Take one 400-IU capsule of Vitamin E succinate daily with fat-containing, low-fiber meals and 1-2 softgels of gamma tocopherol.
6. Calcium is vital for maintaining strong, healthy bones. Postmenopausal women should consume 1500 mg of calcium daily (diet plus supplementation). Menopausal women and men should consume 1200mg daily. Bone Assure is most effective if taken at night with low-fiber meals.
7. Iron supplementation is often required for people who have anemia and need EPO treatment as a result of kidney disease and hemodialysis. If iron levels are too low, EPO alone will not relieve the effects of anemia. xSometimes iron can be taken in a pill form. However, iron may be more effective if given intravenously.
   • Only take iron pills if your physician prescribes them for you.
8. l-carnitine has beneficial qualities for conditions associated with low cellular energy, immune dysfunction, and diabetic complications. One to four 500-mg capsules of l-carnitine capsules taken in divided doses on an empty stomach with juice or water are suggested.
9. Curcumin is a potent antioxidant with antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and cholesterol-lowering benefits. One 900-mg capsule of curcumin taken with meals is recommended.
10. Ginkgo biloba has been used for its protective qualities in vascular disease. Super Gingko Extract provides more of the active ingredients, but eliminates most of the ginkgolic acid part of the gingko leaf. Take one 120-mg capsule of Super Ginkgo Extract daily.
11. Grape seed extract has powerful, natural free radical scavengers. It can act as a relaxant for blood vessels to combat hypertension. One to two 100-mg capsules of grape seed extract daily are suggested.
12. Green tea has demonstrated many protective qualities, including its antioxidant benefits (neutralizing cancer-causing agents and protecting against free-radical damage); reducing cholesterol, blood glucose, and blood pressure levels; and inhibiting viruses and bacteria. Take one 725-mg capsule of Super Green Tea Extract (95%) with meals daily for prevention purposes. For those who are sensitive to caffeine or do not want to consume it, Mega Green Tea (98% decaf) is available in a decaffeinated form. Consult your physician when taking larger quantities for disease treatment purposes.
13. Soy has protective qualities for kidney function in addition to its well-known anticancer, cholesterol lowering, and post-menopausal symptom alleviating benefits. Consider taking one Super Absorbable Soy Isoflavones capsule twice daily for general disease prevention purposes.
14. Taurine has potential benefits for the kidneys. By helping to lower blood pressure, it also regulates the increased nervous system activity that can contribute to high blood pressure. People with Type I diabetes may be deficient in taurine. One to four 1000-mg capsules of Taurine Capsules taken daily either with meals or on an empty stomach are suggested.
15. TMG (betaine) is possibly one of the most important nutrients with preventative benefits for heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and to slow aging. Consider taking one to five 500-mg tablets of TMG tablets daily.
16. The docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fraction of fish oil may be the most effective non-prescription supplement to suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines. EPA and GLA are also effective anti-inflammatory fatty acids.
17. DHEA, a hormone that decreases with age, has been shown to suppress IL-6, an inflammatory cytokine that often increases with age. Typical doses of DHEA are 25-50 mg daily (although some people take 100 mg daily). Refer to the DHEA protocol for suggested blood tests to safely and optimally use DHEA.
18. Consider taking nettle leaf (1000 mg daily) to suppress the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha.
19. Vitamin E and N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) are protective antioxidants with anti-inflammatory properties. Take 1-2 capsules daily of Gamma E Tocopherols/Tocotrienols. NAC is an amino acid with antiviral and liver protectant properties. One 600-mg capsule daily is recommended.
20. Vitamin K helps reduce levels of IL-6, an inflammatory cytokine. One 10-mg capsule daily is recommended for prevention purposes.
21. Magnesium deficiency leads to increase of urine alkalinity, often resulting in the formation of calcium phosphate stones. Magnesium (500 mg daily) reduces calcium absorption.

Overlooked Prescription Drug
Kidneys are especially vulnerable to attack by proinflammatory cytokines. Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a drug that has been shown to protect against this type of kidney damage. The suggested dose is 400 mg twice a day of PTX.

PTX should not be used in patients with bleeding disorders such as those with recent cerebral or retinal hemorrhage. Patients taking Coumadin should have more frequently monitored of prothrombin time. Those suffering from other types of bleeding should receive frequent physician examinations. Furthermore, we would consider evaluating the individual patient's coagulation status to see what effect PTX has on the template bleeding time. This is an inexpensive test that relates the biological effect of PTX or other agents like aspirin (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents) on the function of platelets. All of these agents affect platelet aggregation and this effect can be manifested in a prolonged template bleeding time. According to two studies, PTX should be avoided by Parkinson's patients. It is important to note that the body does use TNF-alpha to acutely fight infections. If patients are showing any sign of infectious disease, drugs like Enbrel that inhibit the effects of TNF-alpha are temporarily discontinued. A new FDA advisory states that patients should be tested and treated for inactive, or latent, tuberculosis prior to therapy with another TNF-alpha inhibiting therapy (e.g., infliximab). Since PTX, fish oil, and nettle directly suppress TNF-alpha, perhaps these agents should be temporarily discontinued during the time when one has an active infection.

For more informatiON

Contact the National Kidney Foundation, (800) 622-9010 or http://www.kidney.org; the American Foundation for Urologic Disease, (800) 242-2383 or www.access.digex.net/~afud; and the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, (301) 654-4415 or e-mail nkudic@info.niddk.nih.gov ; (website) www.niddk.nih.gov , for more information.

Product availability

Vitamin Depot Online.com Mix, Complete B-Complex, vitamin D3, vitamin E succinate, gamma tocopherol, vitamin C, Iron Protein Plus, DHEA, NAC, vitamin K, L-carnitine, curcumin, Super Ginkgo Extract, grape skin extract, Super Green Tea Extract (95%), green tea, soy isoflavones, Optizinc, taurine, TMG, calcium, and magnesium are available by telephoning (800) 544-4440 or by ordering online.