Supplement danger awareness regarding kidney disease

[cardinal69]

II first found the Kidney Disease Foundation website when I was wondering if CKD is reversible. My primary care doctor ,an internal medicine doctor, says it is not reversible. I wanted to double check that just in case there have been new discoveries in kidney disease reseearch.

Then I saw an article at this site on the dangers of herbal supplements for people with kidney disease. I was concerned because I had just bought some herbal mushroom supplements and bee product supplement, to help control my sinus allergy symptoms. The herbs this site listed were not the herbs I have, but it got me thinking.

I looked up my mushroom supplements, and sure enough, chaga mushroom can damage the kidneys, including causing kidney failure. It has a high oxalate content, which forms crystals in the kidneys tubes that the kidneys can't dissolve or expel, thus damaging the cells of the tubes which causes scarring, and eventually the tubes are too scarred to work at all.

I am still looking for info on turkey tail mushrooms and their effect on kidneys. I haven't found any sites that weren't sponsored by supplement companies.

WebMD only had a small amount of info on their use in Japanese and Chinese medicine to help alleviate the symptoms of chemotherapy for cancer patients. No mention of toxicity for it in supplements. Next I will see if the National Institute of Health website has any information. I will also check to see if horehound tea, and regular black and green tea are toxic to kidneys, especially diseased kidneys.

[Uckle]

my egfr went from 42 to 57 in 3 monthsI have been ill for a while .Lost a lot weight and muscle where creatinine is stored. My creatinine is now 1.2 down from 1,6 Hence the good reading for my egfr. I have been eating a lot of protein to

build my weight up.

[OldTownhammock in reply to Uckle]

I learned that proteins are very hard for your kidneys to process

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Cardinal,

There is no cure for CKD. You can sometime bring your GFR up and your creatinine down with diet and lifestyle changes. But reversing , nope. And often the increase in the numbers over the long haul is temporary. Supplements are something you should run by your doctor. And as you discovered, there are so many that are harmful to CKD. It is very hard to find serious medical evidence-based info on herbs and supplements. You can find documentation from the manufacturer but why would you trust that? Be careful.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to Bassetmommer]

I agree should check with your Doctor on supplements . My Doctor told me to take chondroitin but not with glucosamine ( some studies show it can adversely effect your potassium level). Best to be on safe side so I check with my Primary Doctor.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to orangecity41]

Why chondroitin? Just curious

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to Bassetmommer]

It is for osteoarthritis.

[userotc in reply to orangecity41]

I agree that care is needed with supplements (as well as medications) with ckd. Please explain why an allopathic doctor can advise on supplements since their training and qualifications in that area are minimal, at least compared to Nutritional Therapists.

[orangecity41 NKF Ambassador in reply to userotc]

I rely on my Doctor as know my system.

[userotc in reply to orangecity41]

Thanks for the reply. Personally I rely on guidance from those suitably trained and qualified including doctors for drugs but not nutrition. But I respect your choice.

[userotc in reply to Bassetmommer]

I agree that care is needed with supplements (as well as medications) with ckd. Please explain why an allopathic doctor can advise on supplements since their training and qualifications in that area are minimal, at least compared to Nutritional Therapists.

[ICE187]

Depends on the cause. If you are hypothyroid, then yes, ckd is reversible or at least that is what I was told. My eGFR went from 72 to 98 about 6 months after I began treatment for hypothyroidism. My creatinine dropped as well. My eGFR has stayed 98-99 ever since. If I slip up and eat trigger foods for my AIP type 1, my kidney function will temporarily drop.

frontiersin.org/articles/10....

[Tolmezzo]

Good advice. It's human for most of us to search miracoulus solution when official medicine is not giving the anwer we would like to listen. This can be extremely dangerous expecially for erbal or mushroom because we wrongly feel everything coming from nature it's good. Just an example: curcuma and red grapefruit can interfere with immunosuppression drug and can cause rejection in transplated patients. So stay away for what not scientifically proven and prescribed but your care team.

[1937em]

Wow! I am taking a mushroom supplement that has chaga mushrooms in it. I guess I need to stop taking it. I will search it out. Thanks for the heads up!

[Jamok]

What is the cause of your kidney disease? Most times, addressing the cause like controlling high blood pressure or diabetes etc. can help improve ckd. My ckd was from a rare mutation in a gene that causes a build up of a type of mucus that gunks up the tubules ADTKD MUCIN 1. so I had no control. Thanks for sharing this information.

[userotc]

As with most things, it is advisable that expert advice, ie from trained/qualified Nutritional Therapists, is obtained for supplements. See link below from key body, BANT. bant.org.uk/bant-confirms-t...

[chicablue]

Hi Cardinal, Nephrologists say CKD cannot be reversed, but there are patients who have improved their GFR. One woman I went to school with said she reversed hers, which had been caused by taking Aleve. She quit using the Aleve and slightly modified her diet to see the positive results. So I believe it depends on what caused the kidney damage in the first place Mine was caused by an illness resulting in sepsis. The only time I successfully lowered my gfr was after I lost 10 lbs. But like Bassetmommer says, it was temporary I have been dealing with the kidney damage for 28 years now I also looked into mushrooms. The only one I found to be beneficial for kidneys is the Lions Mane mushroom. I tried it for memory, it didn't seem to affect my kidneys any.

[Blackknight1989]

In general most supplements are had on the kidneys as folks take way too high dosage amounts and the kidneys filter all toxins which supplements are at least as they cause the kidneys to work harder…there is scant little evidence that any of these supplements have any effects much less beneficial effects on overall health and most especially if taking a handful will make the kidney work harder.