Kidney Health: Nutritionist, Yemisi Solanke-Lawal Cautions Against Prolonged Use Of PainKillers
The Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Health and Social Care International, Mrs Yemisi Solanke-Lawal, has lamented the rising cases of kidney diseases in the country. Solanke-Lawal, in a statement titled, ‘Kidney Health and Chronic Kidney Diseases,’ cautioned against the abuse or prolonged use of painkillers, which she said could lead to kidney diseases.
The nutritionist while advising on the need to stick to prescriptions by medical experts said eating healthy and balanced meals was crucial in preventing kidney diseases.
She said,
Healthy eating includes a balanced diet, eating a wide variety of food in the right proportion and consuming the right amount of food and drinks to achieve and maintain healthy body weight.
The kidneys remove waste and extra water from the blood to form urine.
The waste in the blood comes from the normal breakdown of active muscle and from the food we eat.
If your kidneys did not remove these wastes, the waste would build up in the blood and damage your body.
Pain killers should be taken as prescribed, at the lowest effective dosage, for the shortest period.
If you have decreased kidney function, pain killers which are also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not recommended because they reduce blood flow to the kidneys.
The nutritionist listed other ways to prevent chronic kidney diseases to include managing underlying health conditions like high blood pressure; avoiding smoking; reducing alcohol intake; regular exercise as well as regular blood and urine test.
According to her, factors that could increase the risk of developing chronic health kidney diseases include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, family history of kidney disease, old age and kidney infection.
Chronic kidney disease means ones kidneys are damaged and can’t filter blood the way they should.
This damage happens over a long period.
This damage can cause waste to build up in the body.