PKD Treatment And Diet Plan

If you or anyone in your family has polycystic kidney disease, then it becomes quite essential for you to foster the help he needs. The quality of life they were living before has to be now maintained to manage the situation well. PKD is a life-threatening disease, the majority of cases of which progress to renal failure because they do not take care of their diet, lifestyle habits, and physical wellness.

By learning more about polycystic kidney disease, you can fight off the cause as well as the complication that appears and also adopt an ayurvedic approach for the same.

Treatment for polycystic kidney disease

According to allopathic science, there is no way you can get rid of PKD completely, but Ayurveda has a cure to it. With the help of ayurvedic medications, the damage to the cells and tissues of the kidneys can get resuscitated. According to Ayurveda, the channels and tissues of the kidneys, when gets impaired, results in the malfunctioning of the kidneys. So, it is important to uncover such flaws and improve their function with the help of Ayurveda.

Besides all this, Ayurveda is a natural way to workupon PKD, unlike dialysis or any other surgical way known to be a permanent solution for hereditary conditions such as PKD.

Ayurveda also suggests that the disease be cured with the help of a diet and better lifestyle habits.

A healthy diet as recommended by Ayurveda

There are many reasons why you should follow a healthy renal diet as during PKD, the foremost being to slow down the progression of kidney cysts into some life-threatening conditions, such as end-stage renal disease.

A specific diet would not help manage polycystic kidney disease, so a healthy diet should be a combination of ideal components that can make the kidney to function well. Taking a healthy diet will also prevent certain complications or causes from growing in the body. Moreover, you can reduce the risk of high blood sugar and blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases with your eating regimen.

Healthy diets for people with ADPKD who are not on dialysis and have moderate kidney function vary from those with very low kidney function and on dialysis.

So for your reference, we will be discussing a diet for those who are not on dialysis. Please ask your healthcare provider about any information before making any changes to your diet.

If you have ADPKD, it can be confusing to know what to eat and drink. There is no recommended special diet that people with ADPKD should follow. But, a healthy diet can help control your weight, which helps to reduce your blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease.

To follow a healthy balanced diet, make sure:

• You eat five portions of fresh fruit or vegetables in a day
• Eat some dairy 
• Have protein sources, such as pulses, eggs, beans, fish, etc.
• Try to include starchy foods, such as potatoes, bread, rice or pasta
• Consumes salt, sugar, and fat in a low amount. Choose unsaturated fats over saturated ones.
• Water is also a part of the renal diet. So, make sure you drink enough water to improve the kidney function. 

If you have Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, then your doctor would suggest taking too little salt in your diet. Too much salt retains more water and increases the blood pressure, which can worsen your situation. Salt is not only present in the veggies you eat, but it is also hidden in some food products such as bread, ready meals, cereals, etc.

Salt in the form of sodium is also harmful to the kidneys. The food item you buy from the market if it has got the label sodium, then salt is present in it. On average, adults should include no more than 2300 mg of sodium in their diet.

The salt content by portion size:

• Red = high salt having more than 1.5g salt
• Amber = medium salt between 0.3g and 1.5g of salt per 100g)
• Green = low salt (0.3g salt or less per 100g)

Consume a moderate amount of protein

Protein is needed for providing strength to the muscles and for the repair of the muscle tissues and bones. Some protein-rich foods are good for the DASH or renal diet; these include pulses, beans, eggs, etc. while some are harmful to the toxins. The kidneys during PKD have a hard time eliminating them from the blood as the large molecules are difficult to pass down through the filters. 

Further, too little protein can abstain the body from getting all the nutrition it needs.

Given your kidney function is fine, the healthcare suggests adults with the autosomal dominant form of kidney cysts consume a healthy or moderate portion of the protein given the body weight. For instance, if your body weight is 60 kg, you should consume nearly 5.5g of protein.

The protein content of some foods we consume in our daily lives will help you keep a check on your protein consumption.

Animal protein	Amount of protein
Milk – ½ pint	9g
Cheese (40g)	10g
Yoghurt – 1 pot	7g
2 eggs	12 g
Vegetable protein
Cooked pulses	7g
Nuts (handful)	6g

Drink enough fluid

Drinking fluid can help you if you have Autosomal Dominant PKD, but drinking extra fluid is not going to do any good to the kidneys. However, with studies, it has been found that water can help slow the growth of the cysts in the kidneys.

Drinking about 6–8 glasses of water (200 ml each) can help you keep hydrated, but if you do exercise or sweat a lot, you need to drink more.

Lifestyle measures

Exercise is important to remain vitalized and to reduce stress from the mind. Regular exercise can help decrease your blood pressure level and control diabetes levels. Moreover, it increases the functionality of the heart and the kidneys.

What kind of exercise is best for the kidney patient?

Patients with PKD can do any kind of exercise they are comfortable doing until it causes complications such as flank or back pain, abdominal pain, or even blood in the urine. Be sure to talk to your doctor about the exercise meant for you. If you are in the late stages of PKD and not taking any ayurvedic treatment, you should avoid any strenuous workout. 

When exercising also make sure you stay hydrating; otherwise, dehydration can also cause kidney damage.