Miles Nephrology

For anyone upset at the prospect of needing to increase their dialysis hours a little, at least we can look back at how much dialysis has progressed over the years!

Flashback Friday: in 1965 the RCH began treating renal failure with the hospital’s first dialysis machine.

This machine is very different from the equipment used today. In the early days of dialysis the insertion of the cannulas took several hours and was performed under anaesthesia. The methods in use for getting adequate flows of blood into the machine also exhausted veins and arteries very quickly, and only a few dialysis treatments could be undertaken.

Today we have much more efficient methodsfor accessing the patients’ bloodstream and the use of highly efficient dialysers. As a consequence, the treatment period has been drastically reduced.

What a selfless, life saving gift Selena Gomez received from her friend.

Register now to become an organ donor, and save lives.

https://register.donatelife.gov.au/decide

Selena Gomez has just revealed she’s had a kidney transplant and her best friend donated the organ SELENA Gomez has revealed she’s had a kidney transplant due to her battle with Lupus.

Further to my previous post on the importance of exercise, take 10 minutes out of your day to watch the following video which enumerates further its benefits. The video is titled "23 and a half hours"

https://youtu.be/aUaInS6HIGo

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health? Check out our new website http://www.evanshealthlab.com/ Follow Dr. Mike for new videos! http://twitter.com/docmikeevans A Doctor-Professor answers the old q...

It's Kidney Health Week with a theme of obesity and the kidney.

Exercise is such an underrated preventative therapy for so many conditions which contribute to chronic kidney disease.

It is just as, if not more, important to maintain activity as compared with many of the medications I prescribe regularly.

In a recent study from the University of Adelaide showed that, "regular exercise is the strongest predictor of quality of life (QOL), both physical and mental.

Exercise beat smoking status, healthy diet and low alcohol intake as a predictor. In contrast, adherence to medication had no impact at all on QOL."

I'm certainly not saying to stop your medication, as it's benefits are well documented, too! But for better quality - get moving!!

http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/blog/we-gps-must-remember-to-give-exercise-the-weight-it-deserves

We GPs must remember to give exercise the weight it deserves | Medical Observer Why our patients should walk to the pharmacy.

In advance of Kidney Health Week this year (5th - 11th March) here's some facts about obesity and the kidney

Pay attention to what goes in your mouth, and find an exercise you enjoy! Your kidneys (and heart, lungs, mood, fitness and strength) will thank you!

A number of patients with CKD struggle with trying to avoid NSAIDs, and therefore reduce risk of worsening their kidney disease.

Now we have a magic number for weight loss that meaningfully reduces pain in those with knee OA! Perhaps if people realised the goal is no so insurmountable, we could achieve less reliance upon nephrotoxic medications.

http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/medical-news/magic-number-for-weight-loss-in-knee-oa-revealed

Magic number for weight loss in knee OA revealed | Medical Observer There's a dose-response relationship, but improvement only happens at a certain point.

Please remember to notify your doctors of ALL your medications, including herbal remedies, supplements and complementary treatments. They are not necessarily safe, despite being marketed like that. Being labeled "natural" doesn't equal "safe", and many complementary therapies have been shown not to contain what is said, and also contain ingredients that shouldn't be there.

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-01/supplements-linked-to-at-least-6-australian-organ-transplants/7207472

Herbal supplements linked to at least six organ transplants Data obtained from national organ donation registries shows at least six Australians needed organ transplants in the past five years after taking herbal supplements.

The TGA is planning to move all codeine containing drugs to prescription only.

http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/News/Latest-News/TGA-recommends-codeine-be-rescheduled-to-prescript

From the article it states:

"The rescheduling was triggered by concerns about increasing misuse and harm with codeine-containing OTC products, and especially combinations with analgesics such as ibuprofen, leading to gastrointestinal and kidney adverse effects.

In its reasons for rescheduling, the advisory committee said that having codeine in an OTC scheduling category created a misperception that it was safe."

Given the major medical problems are those associated with NSAID side effects, perhaps the thing we need to reschedule due to the misperception it's safe is the antiinflammatories rather than low dose codeine?

Codeine to be rescheduled to prescription-only All codeine products, including many popular OTC cough and cold relief products, will be rescheduled from June next year.

Interesting story on Four Corners tonight regarding medical over investigating and over treating.

It's important to remember that prevention and lifestyle modification are often just as effective, if not more, than many medications and procedures.

This truly is an unstoppable myth!

In general, if you're thirsty, then drink. Water is the best thing to drink. Nobody needs the sneaky sugar hidden in juices, soft drinks, energy drinks, or so called sports electrolyte replacement drinks.

The human body is an amazing thing and kidneys play a crucial role in balancing the concentration of the various salts and water within the body. Contrary to popular opinion, when you get into a situation of progressive kidney failure, you need to drink LESS, not more!

The only common exclusion to the "drink just if you're thirsty" rule is of your have a tendency to form kidney stones, or are prescribed lithium (though even for those on lithium, the thirst is a good indicator of needing more water)

http://www.sciencealert.com/there-s-no-evidence-we-need-to-drink-eight-glasses-of-water-a-day-researcher-advises

There’s no evidence that we need to drink 8 glasses of water a day Most of us have spent our lives feeling pressured by the notion that we need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day in order to avoid dehydration and stay healthy. But according to American paediatrician Aaron E. Caroll from Indiana...