March Is National Kidney Month

Thirty-one million Americans are afflicted with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To combat this sobering statistic and improve the health of the population and reduce affiliated medical costs, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) designates March as National Kidney Month. The purpose of this campaign is to increase awareness of kidney illness and mobilize fundraising and awareness in the medical community at large. The AKF’s awareness endeavors will include a media blitz – expect a lot of new and important information to be posted on the AKF’s website and social media channels in March, for instance – along with hosted events around the country.

National Kidney Month Activities

The month’s activities aim at educating the public as well as petitioning congressional lawmakers. Educational strategies will involve conducting radio interviews, posting articles on the blog Kidney Today, and implementing a 31-day social media campaign on Facebook and Twitter. In addition, patient advocates will join members of the AKF in Washington D. C. to ask Congress to sponsor legislation for increased funding of CKD research and treatment. Another event on the agenda, the sixth annual Kidney Action Day on the Hill, will feature speeches and free kidney health screenings.

Lifestyle Practices to Reduce the Risk of Kidney Disease

Measures that lower the likelihood of kidney disease also reduce the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes. Talk to your doctor, but these potentially include the following:

• Exercise five days a week for at least 30 minutes.
• Stop smoking, and drink alcohol only in moderation.
• Eat a healthful diet plentiful in fruits, vegetables, good fats and protein. Avoid overeating sugar, refined carbohydrates and grains, and rancid vegetable oils and margarine.
• Maintain a healthy weight. If you are overweight, the loss of even a few pounds can have a positive effect. Obesity not only worsens the disease but also, according to a study, increases the wait for a kidney transplant. To that end, at risk patients who are overweight and diabetic may need to address their fundamental metabolic disease by restricting the total amount of carbohydrate in the diet to treat insulin resistance and improve markers like a1c, CRP and HDL cholesterol, according to the latest thinking published in the Nutrition Journal. For more information, see Obese Patients Wait Longer Than Most for Kidney Transplants: New Study.

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