Kidney Failure - Can It Be Healed?

Redeye

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If you search alternative medicine websites seeking treatments for diseases like diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, etc. you can easily find a million testimonials, biochemistry, studies - just lots of in-depth information. For example, for heart disease there's the vegan Esselstyn protocol that showed its reversal. But in regards to kidney failure, it seems all those websites look the other way. You can barely find anything at all on it, and it's always with the caveat "if your kidney function is good enough, this might do something....".

There was a study (apparently I can't post a link, you will have to search for it) showing Coenzyme Q10 can get some people off dialysis, but they were all urinating a lot, so their kidneys were not that damaged, I guess. Some websites claim baking soda can cure kidney disease, or that it took a guy that was 2 years on dialysis, out of it. But again, the amount of his urine was not revealed - his kidneys might have been working pretty well still. What about someone who is barely making any urine? Is there anyone tackling such cases? Is it even possible?
 

sele

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If you search alternative medicine websites seeking treatments for diseases like diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, etc. you can easily find a million testimonials, biochemistry, studies - just lots of in-depth information. For example, for heart disease there's the vegan Esselstyn protocol that showed its reversal. But in regards to kidney failure, it seems all those websites look the other way. You can barely find anything at all on it, and it's always with the caveat "if your kidney function is good enough, this might do something....".

There was a study (apparently I can't post a link, you will have to search for it) showing Coenzyme Q10 can get some people off dialysis, but they were all urinating a lot, so their kidneys were not that damaged, I guess. Some websites claim baking soda can cure kidney disease, or that it took a guy that was 2 years on dialysis, out of it. But again, the amount of his urine was not revealed - his kidneys might have been working pretty well still. What about someone who is barely making any urine? Is there anyone tackling such cases? Is it even possible?
Kidney failure causes that come to mind are high phospahates and low bicarbonates.
Increasing calcium in the diet can counter phosphates. Diamox also helps flush phosphates from body.
 

Tim Lundeen

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The Shutes used 800IU/day of Vit E to heal kidney issues. Highly protective/restorative. Suggest Unique E, split doses with food. They suggest adding some casein to the meal if you get stomach upsets. You could try using TocoVit for part of the Vit E, it has benefits over/above just Vit E; maybe 50-50 Unique E and TocoVit.
 

burtlancast

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Hoffer mentioned in his book "NIACIN THE REAL STORY" that one of his patients who was using high dose niacin and who was on dialysis all of a sudden didn't need it anymore after starting with the treatment.

The niacin flush is apparently what did it.
I can't find the exact quote right now.
 

aguilaroja

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If you search alternative medicine websites ....But in regards to kidney failure, it seems all those websites look the other way. You can barely find anything at all on it,...

https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/451070
Vitamin K Deficiency in Chronic Kidney Disease: Evidence Is Building Up
“A reduced GGCX activity in the kidneys and in the aorta (but not in the liver) of uremic animals was previously found by Kaesler et al…., indicating that uremia per se affects the vitamin K system. In addition, supplementation of phylloquinone or menaquinone (MK-4) at pharmacological doses restored the abnormal vitamin K cycle activity and slowed the progression of vascular calcification.…
“An observational, prospective study of 167 CKD patients (stages 3-5) highlighted that patients with the CG/GG genotype of vitamin K epoxide reductase complex subunit 1 (the enzyme target of warfarin) had a higher risk of coronary artery calcification progression and poorer survival… Taken together, these findings are consistent with the higher prevalence of vascular calcifications in hemodialysis patients, as well as with the observation of warfarin-associated increased calcifications in patients with CKD.…
“A reduced dietary intake may be an important additional cause of vitamin K deficiency in CKD patients, as indicated by previous studies, in part due to the dietary limitations imposed by the uremic status….there was a remarkable prevalence of reduced intake, which was approximately 70-90% less than normal.”

Prevalence and Effects of Functional Vitamin K Insufficiency: The PREVEND Study. - PubMed - NCBI
“This prevalence was significantly higher among elderly and subjects with comorbidities like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease (~50%).”
 

Ella

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@burtlancast, thank you for that amazing info on niacin. It does not cease to amaze the multitude of conditions that can be fixed with this one vitamin. I would think a Peat style diet of fruit and milk would be protective of kidneys. Jason Fung though, targets milk as one of the culprits for kidney disease. Casein though has proven to be useful in dogs with kidney disease.

Wasn't the prime focus of Walter Kempner's diet of white rice, fruit & sugar designed to treat kidney disease.

His paper SOME EFFECTS OF THE RICE DIET TREATMENT OF KIDNEY DISEASE AND HYPERTENSION* is available in the following pdf. Sorry, I am not able to link it. Worthwhile studying it closely.

bullnyacadmed00508-0021.pdf

I was curious to know the niacin content of white rice as like most people, thought it to be devoid of many nutrients however, its niacin is not too shabby. 1 cup (200g) provides 8.2mg of niacin. Its other minerals are also quite decent. It seems the Chinese got it right during those years of food rationing. How else would you feed an enormous population, keep them healthy and strong; cheaply?

Of 100 patients with primary kidney disease, 65 per cent showed improvement on the rice diet. Of 222 patients where a diagnosis of hypertensive vascular disease was made, 62 per cent improved. Those who question the value of diet in the treatment of hyper-tensive vascular disease say that in those patients who responded to the diet our diagnosis was probably incorrect. I think that in most ,cases the differential diagnosis presents no difficulties. Table IV shows -the summary of a typical history. It would not be right to use such a case as an argument against sympathectomy. I have seen marked blood pressure reduction following sympathectomy, in patients with severe hypertension, and I have seen patients whose blood pressure was not improved. But I do think that the sequence of surgical treatment and dietary treatment should be reversed since the treatment with the rice diet, if it proves to be ineffective, can simply be discontinued.

Jason Fung urgues, the Kempner rice diet works because it was low in calories, protein, sodium and lectins.

Thoughts on the Kempner Rice Diet - Intensive Dietary Management (IDM)

McDougall says he reserves the Kempner rice diet for those who have one leg in the grave.

I don't know about fasting; I would think rice, fruit and sugar not too punishing on the kidneys. Fruit and sugar help to remove phosphate; so what is not to like? I'd be one of those non-compliant patients who would need to be whipped to adhere to a fasting regime. I could be enticed, if it included just lying on the beach soaking up the sun and a couple of slaves to take care of all my chores.

I have just been listening Brian Clement's rant on Sugar. The Kiss of Death. When people start referring to fruit in the same category as sugar, my antenna goes a little crazy. People believe this crap and when we look at Kempner's diet with no evidence that sugar and fruit should be labelled the kiss of death - rather; the kiss of life or the kiss of regeneration.

How are we to reassure our loved ones that fruit is safe? Fruit just seems the perfect delightful food. How miserable having to eat sprouts and drink wheat grass juice? I think once we exclude fruit from the diet, then we have really lost the plot. I think he smoked way too much dope in his past. I never heard of anyone being drug ****88 eating loads of fruit.
 

TreasureVibe

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Hoffer mentioned in his book "NIACIN THE REAL STORY" that one of his patients who was using high dose niacin and who was on dialysis all of a sudden didn't need it anymore after starting with the treatment.

The niacin flush is apparently what did it.
I can't find the exact quote right now.
Niacin causes lipolysis which is bad right?
 

Sheila

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Hello,

Thanks as always to contributors to this thread who have given me some more things to consider. I am grateful for your time. I offer a few observations and some cautions just in case they are of use. Sometimes a 'throw-away line' on this Forum has enabled me to help someone else greatly - here then are perhaps a few puzzle pieces from me.

In my experiences with kidney diseases, from acute presentations to chronic, I suggest that one does everything one can to prevent acute/semi-acute disease becoming chronic as end stage renal disease and keeping one alive with dialysis makes a problem that is difficult to solve already, much worse. I think this is why it used to be said 'treat the kidneys with kid gloves' and that goes for strategies to revive them. Overdo anything here at your peril - be especially careful with supplements (easy to overdo) if you only have one kidney and perhaps try and get a solid handle on your 'early warning symptoms' (of lowered metabolism/inflammation in general) that you are heading in the wrong direction for you at that time. Kidney issues per se may be the last to show....but sometimes those with one kidney from birth have a spectacularly resilient and usually larger (but not in an inappropriate hypertrophic way) organ to cope. Got to love adaptation.

There is no doubt that the kidneys are very sensitive to bacterial toxins; often emanating from an over-burdened gut. Dr Peat has suggested same, to paraphrase, he said something like 'some clinicians are coming around to the idea that kidney disease is more to do with gut health .' So working on gut function and bowel health appears critical. (easy peasy huh!) Might be why the white rice diet was so useful. I also have suspected latent infections, especially dental, as constant inflammatory bacterial load but also include here chronic appendicitis, diverticuli etc., any pockets of pus that pathogenic bacteria can use to poison the host continuously. Low or lowered metabolic states encourage such issues (and vice versa) which is why, I think, 'thyroid disease' is often seen with decreased kidney function (seen usually on blood tests).

Tinnitus can also be an indicator of bacteria in the blood stream/generalised inflammation so if they're annoying the auditory nerve to cause this kind of 'head noise', they're likely annoying the kidneys too - you just don't always get such an obvious signal from them. Frequent cystitis or urination would be another sign - note that cystitis can be non-microbial in nature too: 'pure' irritation from a myriad of factors. With frequent urination, vitamin and mineral losses are also increased. An irritated bowel can certainly have a knock on effect on urination frequency.

It has seemed to me that many people on dialysis also run in high states of cortisol which would be consistent with an over-burdened and endotoxic bowel. Cortisol also promotes of course FFA liberation which destroys kidney function further which is where potentially Niacinamide may have merit. Niacinamide is also a phosphate binder, but robust, digestible fuel levels to help it do its job are still required. I could see how it could help in kidney failure that is more acute than chronic/severe. Maybe B2 would also be useful where there is sepsis..suggesting then that all B's might be helpful with some in greater doses/frequencies than others (and see later re losses through dialysis). All somewhat difficult to achieve for an acute patient in a hospitalised setting - where high doses of steroids will be the first line of 'defence'.

Dr Peat has also mentioned Vitamin D and Calcium for kidney issues. Vitamin D is not tolerated by some kidney patients, possibly the form of D, but possibly also the body rejecting extra calcium uptake in an already, inappropriately-calcified tissue state. Dr Peat has also suggested progesterone to help reduce generalised inflammation - inflammation in the kidneys leads to calcification and loss of function. Thus Vitamin K2 would seem reasonable. Warfarin and kidney disease is a disasterous combination (warfarin is great at causing inappropriate calcification, including implications in the druze of macular degeneration).

Once a person is undergoing regular dialysis (indicating severe loss of kidney function), using lots of fruit whilst of great merit in other disease states becomes difficult and potentially very dangerous due to consequent elevation in potassium levels, as well as problematic from the increased fluid retention which has to wait to be 'batch excreted' via dialysis. If fluid retention increases from excess fluid, there are downstream problems from this alone affecting blood pressure, circulation and promoting truncal weigh gain. The latter is not trivial for a host of reasons but also because dialysis calculations are based on weight so fluctuations in weight can lead to over- or under- dialysis, with severe consequences for the patient. Fruit juice or milk, in more than single or 1/2 cup quantities or soups likely won't be tolerated, which tends to limit the use of the very digestible options that some of us rely upon. Using 'manufactured' fructose isn't always tolerated either and has the potential for allergens to make an already inflamed state, worse. Those with severe kidney disease have problems with potassium retention and sodium excretion and the balance of the two, and those on dialysis have their blood filtered which removes many water soluble nutrients, minerals, vitamins and useful metabolites but not in an easily calculable or defined way making remediation outside of foods a lot harder too. Patients undergoing dialysis are fed glucose IV because filtering blood is essentially a traumatic and red blood cell (amongst other things) damaging (if life saving) process and medicos know that low blood sugar makes for worse outcomes.....No surprise to us. Fasters, starvers, marathon runners, or just poor eaters/modern day hypoglycaemics are therefore more likely to annoy their kidneys over time too.

I think that many of the suggestions of ways to improve kidney function are for earlier than what is termed 'end stage' kidney disease - that one, unless anyone knows better - remains tricky (or at least I have found it so...very happy to be enlightened by someone who's done it! PLEASE!). In the case of niacin mentioned above, it might be that the histamine response (niacin flush) caused sufficient vaso-dilation that the kidneys started working again. That's the only mechanism I can think of. What a lucky person to get that result. Must read that book again, a well balanced histamine response could open up a lot of possibilities....

I hope this has been useful to someone.
Best regards
Sheila
 

lampofred

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Dr. Peat recommends calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin K and low phosphate consumption for kidney issues. Fructose, niacinamide, and carbon dioxide also help (by lowering phosphate).

Also, I think he says ketoacids from potato juice are useful for protein if the kidneys aren't strong enough to handle 80-100g of regular protein.
 

Motif

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Hoffer mentioned in his book "NIACIN THE REAL STORY" that one of his patients who was using high dose niacin and who was on dialysis all of a sudden didn't need it anymore after starting with the treatment.

The niacin flush is apparently what did it.
I can't find the exact quote right now.



Sounds awesome. And I love the niacin flush.
It helps with my intolerances. Without flush it does nothing for me

I only have one big kidney and only know about that for three years. Scary.

Also had constipation issues all my life and salicylate and histamine intolerance, so my gut probably needs to be fixed to not burden the kidneys.

Maybe I should take a kill supplement for a few months, but most are high in salicylates, like Oregano oil
 

burtlancast

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Here's the passage:

"
Only one in ten patients who need kidney transplants gets one. There are too few kidneys available, and the operation is expensive: over $100,000 in the United States. Some 30,000 transplants are done in the United States each year; about 100,000 persons are on waiting lists. In 2005, 341,000 Americans were on dialysis. Dialysis costs approximately $50,000 per year.

But there is potential solution. If diseased kidneys were cured, there would be no need for dialysis and transplants.
Kidney tissue is protected by niacinamide.66It protected rats against the diabetogenic effect of the antibiotic streptozotocin. Clinically, niacin has been used to successfully treat patients with severe glomerulonephritis, a condition that impairs normal kidney function and results in tissue swelling, high blood pressure, and blood in the urine.

One of my (AH) patients was being readied for dialysis. Her nephrologist had advised her she would die if she refused to undergo this procedure. She started on niacin 3,000 mg per day and is still well, twenty-five years later.

Condorelli67 listed a large number of cardiovascular problems he treated with niacin, including nephritis. About forty years ago a woman told me she had just been diagnosed with kidney failure. She would have to start dialysis immediately in preparation for a kidney transplant when one became available. Kidney dialysis had just been introduced to Saskatoon, and she was very worried. While she was telling me this I remembered the Italian studies, and suggested she discuss them with her doctor. I advised that it could do no harm and might help. She discussed the studies with her doctor, who thought the idea was hilarious. But it was no laughing matter for her. She rejected his advice and started on niacin on her own. Thirty years later, when we were having dinner in Victoria, her husband reminded me of this. She had recovered and remained well on niacin, three grams daily. Her recovery broke the rule that there was no treatment for nephritis.

Later Dr. Max Vogel, an orthomolecular physician in Calgary, told me about a similar case. A twelve-year-old girl with glomerulonephritis was given niacin by her father, a teacher. When no treatment was offered to her he researched as much as he could and discovered this vitamin. She recovered. He then had Dr. Vogel examine her. He confirmed that she had been sick and was now well.

So now we have two cases out of two self-treated with niacin. As far as I know, no one else has tried this.

Two recoveries may not be very convincing to physicians raised on double-blind studies, but it is convincing to me and suggests that there must be other patients with nephritis who would also get well on this program. It is surely beyond all reason to conclude that these two recoveries, directly and indirectly known to me, would be the only cases on Earth. If one crow is white, it surely raises the odds that there are other crows that are white. In the same way, if one or two patients recover from a disease for which there is no treatment, it surely means there are other patients who will have the same results. But if no one looks into this, we will not know what proportion of the one-half million North Americans headed for kidney transplants can be helped.
Think of the enormous savings to patients, families, and society if only one in a hundred were healed! But there is no incentive for Big Pharma to research this, as vitamin-based cures do not bring in billions of dollars in profit. The kidney transplant industry would be devastated if each patient has an average expenditure of only about $200 per year. Treating only ten patients successfully would save over a million dollars in treatment and maintenance costs—and given the 100 percent recovery experienced by our two patients, it is highly likely that the number of people who do get well would be much greater."
 

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Birdie

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@Sheila,
Thank you. Really appreciate your taking the time to put forth all that.
I always learn from your writing.
 

Birdie

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One thing that comes to mind is that Dr Peat, as far as I know, always recommends niacinamide rather than niacin.
 

Sheila

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Thank you dear Birdie, that was kind of you.

I think it's important to point out that 'on dialysis' encompasses a wide range of kidney function. Usually it's where eGFR (Estimated Glomular Filtration Rate) rates are 30 to 5 and below, at which point there is very little urine produced so fluid input has to be quite restricted. Infra red saunas, another route to remove 'excess' fluid, have helped some but oxidative stressors from the higher temperatures involved are more probable in this cohort. So essentially there is 'kidney failure' and there is KIDNEY FAILURE. My post was to point out if you've had a brush with the former do everything you can to treat your kidneys with kid gloves from then on. Starting with bowel health....

If you think about lowered kidney function as essentially a lowered metabolic state, those with this are not known for their ability to deal well with either temperature extremes or sudden temperature changes. That issue also reminds me of the flushes of menopause, where temperature regulation is also impaired....I am always fascinated by the cross-overs between 'disease states' suggesting the fundamental mechanisms running underneath, one of the reasons that Dr Peat's work is so resonant for me. So, gently does it as another poster mentioned if using red light also, you really don't want to cook your kidneys... Conventional cancer treatments are very effective at reducing kidney function via a variety of mechanisms but even at eGFR 20-30, after such a sustained assault, kidneys can recover. How well depends on what happens next of course. I think it's at these levels where injury is more acute/early than chronic (with extensive scarring and sclerosis) where the majority of 'cures' are seen and indeed we would see more of these successful outcomes if people but knew of the options. Luckily for us, there is this magnificent Forum.

Best regards
Sheila
 

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