News & Events
Discover new information and educational offerings that we provide. Explore our newsletters, blogs and upcoming webinars/conference calls.
Contents:
September is Healthy Aging Month
By Kathi Niccum Ed.D, Education Director Healthy aging is important for all age groups. It includes all aspects of your life, including both physical and mental health. Healthy aging is especially important when you live with a chronic illness. It is all too easy to become overwhelmed and neglect other aspects of your health. So celebrate healthy aging month by setting or reaffirming personal goals and engaging in activities promoting a healthy lifestyle. Here are some examples of what you can do to promote a heathy lifestyle: 1. Stay active Exercise is important for maintaining both physical and mental aspects of health. Select activities that you enjoy doing. Establish an exercise routine. Find an exercise buddy [...]
“DASH” Diet Lowers Blood Pressure and Reduces Risk of Kidney Disease
Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet has shown to be effective in preventing other chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. The diet is high in nuts and legumes, low-fat diary, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low in red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and sodium. Researchers examined records from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study which in 1987 began following a group of over 15,000 middle aged adults for more than 20 years. The ARIC Study was started in 1987 by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) as an epidemiological study in four U.S. communities. The goals of the ARIC [...]
The Kidney Citizen Issue 3
The Dialysis P.A.T.I.E.N.T. Act, the gout and kidney connection, and phosphorus and dialysis
Vaccine Changes for the 2016-2017 Flu Season
While it feels like summer just started, the Centers for Disease Control has already begun preparation for the next flu season. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted that live attenuate influenza vaccine (LAIV) also known as the “nasal spray” flu vaccine, should not be used during the 2016-2017 flu season. ACIP is a panel of immunization experts that advise the CDC. Their decision to vote against using LAIV is based on data showing poor or relatively lower effectiveness from 2013 to 2016. In late May, preliminary data on the effectiveness of LAIVE among children ages 2 through 17 in the last flu season (2015-2016) showed that LAIV vaccine effectiveness against any flu [...]
University of Maryland Helps Patient Avoid Dialysis Through 28-Person Kidney Swap
If you are currently on the kidney transplant list, you may have heard of paired kidney donation. When a family member or friend who is willing to be a living donor, but is not compatible to their intended recipient they can choose to be part of a paired kidney exchange. The transplant team will work to match another donor and recipient to create a donation “chain.” Frequently you’ll see “chains” in the news with, 9, 14, or even 32 donors and recipients paired together for kidney donations. Recently, the University of Maryland School of Medicine in conjunction with the National Kidney Registry participated in a 28-person paired kidney exchange. One of these patients with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) was able [...]
New Tool Available to Help Patients Choose their Treatment
We frequently hear from dialysis patients about how they were not adequately informed of their treatment options before having to start treatment. While many patients end up “crashing” into dialysis, those who are diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) early need to begin educating themselves on their treatment options to be prepared for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). There are three avenues of treatment you can choose for renal replacement therapy: hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplant. While it is possible to receive a transplant before needing dialysis, it is still important to know what those dialysis options are in the event a transplant is not available. Hemodialysis is the most common form of treatment [...]
Acid Blockers Could Damage Kidney Function, Study Finds
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI), or medications used to treat gastric issues as heartburn and acid reflux, were prescribed to an estimated 15 million people in the United States in 2013. A recent study from the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the Veteran’s Affairs Saint Louis Health Care System and Washington University in St. Louis suggests that long-term use of these drugs could lead to chronic kidney disease. To determine the effects of PPI’s on kidney function, researchers looked at more than 173,000 new users of PPIs over a period of five years. Overtime, it was found that PPI users had a 28 percent increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease and 96 percent more [...]
