Relieving Pain Through Laughter

2024-03-28T20:59:16-04:00April 8th, 2019|Categories: Humor and Laughter, Lifestyle, Physical Health, Webinar|Tags: |

Joyology is the lifestyle that skillfully blends laughter, humor, and attitudes to help recover from difficulties and re-awaken the joy of being alive. During this webinar you will: 1) learn about joyology as a lifestyle, 2) discover ways to manage pain and 3) understand how laughter can help ease pain. Presented by: Mary Laskin, MN, RN, ACNS-BC and Steve Wilson, Psychologist, The Joyologist

My Personal Experience with a Rare Condition

2024-03-28T20:59:17-04:00March 29th, 2019|Categories: Diagnosis of Kidney Disease, In-Center Hemodialysis, Lifestyle, Physical Health, The Kidney Citizen|Tags: |

By Mark Scirocco, Patient Ambassador I have been on in-center hemodialysis for three years. It was a rough start, as I went through 11 chest catheters in a little over a year. Two of them just fell out while I was sitting at home; the others got clogged. The last one almost killed me, stopping fluid in my upper body and head. My fistula was barely ready when they took that one out and placed a stent in my chest to allow fluid past my upper body. Three months after starting my fistula, I needed a fistulogram to open it up. [...]

Free Monthly Webinars/Conference Calls

2024-03-28T20:59:20-04:00March 21st, 2019|Categories: About DPC Ed Center, Costs for Treatment, Diagnosis of Kidney Disease, Early Intervention, Employment, Home Hemodialysis, Humor and Laughter, Immunizations, In-Center Hemodialysis, Kidney Transplant, Lifestyle, Medication, Mental Health, Music, Nutrition, Pediatric Kidney Disease, Peritoneal Dialysis, Physical Health, Sex and Intimacy, Stages of Kidney Disease, Stress Management, Support, Symptoms, The Kidney Citizen, Webinar, What Causes Kidney Disease|

The DPC Education Center invites people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage renal disease (ESRD), their families and professional staff to join us for our monthly webinars. You can also join by phone or view the recordings online at a later time. The webinars are planned for the fourth Thursday of the month at 2 p.m. Eastern time zone, except for November and December when they will be held during the third week of the month. You can download monthly webinar fliers to share with others and/or register for webinars at www.dpcedcenter.org/news-events/education-webinars. Join by phone by calling 1-877- 399-5186 and [...]

Get Your Sweat On! Exercising for Healthier Kidneys

2024-03-28T20:59:26-04:00March 1st, 2019|Categories: eNews, Physical Health, Webinar|

During the webinar, the following points will be covered: Background on the benefits of regular physical activity and exercise relating to kidney function. The impact current research is showing on exercising in helping to slow down kidney disease progression. Strategies for getting started with a new exercise routine, along with tips to keep you motivated! Presented by Collette Powers, MA, RDN, LDN, ACSM EP-C, Renal Dietitian

Work Those Kidneys Out!

2024-03-28T20:59:29-04:00February 23rd, 2019|Categories: Early Intervention, Fact Sheet, Lifestyle, Physical Health, The Kidney Citizen|

By Collette Powers, MA, RDN, LDN, ACSM EP-C We have all heard it, and we all know it. We have been told from our doctor, a friend or a loved one. Whether it is for controlling high cholesterol, managing weight, reducing blood sugar or keeping our bodies healthy overall, we have all been told at some point we should exercise. But did you know exercise may help protect your kidneys too? Fatigue is a common struggle that many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) face. When we are tired, our instinct is to rest. However, over time, that “rest” can [...]

Bad News for Individuals with Kidney Disease That Use Marijuana

2024-03-28T20:59:55-04:00October 27th, 2018|Categories: eNews, News & Events, Physical Health, Quality of Life, Stress Management, Treatment|

Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) that use marijuana may lose function of their kidneys more rapidly than non-users, as found in one study. Researchers compared the mean annual rate of decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) among the two groups of participants. The eGFR was 3.22 mL/min/1.73 m2 among marijuana users and 1.42 mL/min/1.73 m2 among non-users. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measures kidney function effectiveness by documenting how well the kidneys are filtering the blood. Scientists did not observe a decline in kidney function among individuals that use marijuana and do not have CKD. Read the full article.

Mindfulness May Help Dialysis Patients Decrease Pain

2024-03-28T21:00:06-04:00September 17th, 2018|Categories: eNews, Mental Health, News & Events, Physical Health, Quality of Life, Treatment|Tags: |

An article published by Medical News Today reports that mindfulness may be an effective way for some people to decrease chronic pain, and mindfulness meditation may decrease pain more effectively than some standard treatments. The findings may provide alternatives for dialysis patients who are looking for ways to manage their pain. Mindfulness is the state of an individual being present and aware of their actions and surroundings in a way that is not exceedingly reactive or anxious. Some people have a predisposition to being more mindful, and thus report lower levels of pain on average. However, mindfulness can be increased with [...]

Understanding and Managing Chronic Pain Recording and Slides

2024-03-28T21:00:19-04:00July 19th, 2018|Categories: Physical Health, Symptoms, Webinar, What Is Kidney Disease|Tags: |

If you were unable to attend last month's education seminar, the recording is now available! Please see the video below for details. In addition, download the slides. We want to keep getting better. Please help us by sharing your comments and suggestions here: Webinar Review In some studies, over 70% of people with CKD report chronic pain. If you are one of the 70%, or if you take care of them, this program will give you medical and non-medical ways to understand, reduce, and manage chronic pain. You may not eliminate it completely, but you can make pain a much smaller [...]

Next Education Call: Tuesday March 29

2024-03-28T21:04:45-04:00March 25th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Mental Health, News & Events, Physical Health, Quality of Life, Webinar|

Learning you need to go on dialysis can be overwhelming. A diagnosis of ESRD means significant life changes including dietary restrictions, fluid restrictions in addition to receiving treatment three times a week. With all these drastic changes, it’s important to not only take care of your physical health but your mental health as well. Join us on Tuesday, March 29 at 3 pm Eastern to hear from Dr. Teri Boudreau on ways you can continue to Live Well on Dialysis. The call can be viewed online by visiting www.dpcedcenter.org/education-call or by phone at 1-877-399-5186, conference code: 433-459-5474.

Diabetes Awareness Month

2024-03-28T21:04:56-04:00March 17th, 2016|Categories: eNews, Physical Health, Webinar, What Causes Kidney Disease|Tags: |

Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease, accounting for nearly 44% of new cases each year. Coinciding with Diabetes Awareness Month, we were pleased to host an education call on November 3 to discuss the physiology of diabetes in Chronic Kidney Disease patients as well as beneficial lifestyle interventions. Danielle Kirkman, PhD was our guest speaker. She is currently a University of Delaware research fellow, focusing on the benefits of physical activity on vascular health.  Dr. Kirkman discussed the importance of monitoring your blood glucose levels early on to avoid kidney failure. The extreme fluctuations in blood glucose levels [...]

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