2020 January

Jan 20 0

Why Does Chinese Medicine Treat Edema from Kidney Disease with Better Effect

Posted by ruilis

Edema is a typical clinical manifestation of chronic nephritis. Most of patients with chronic nephritis have recurrent edema and different types of nephropathy edema. So different patients need different treatment solutions. Traditional Chinese medicine adopt dialectical treatment and solve nephritis edema from the cause.

How to eliminate edema? The key is to eliminate the cause of edema.

There are two causes of renal edema.

Firstly, too much protein in the urine leads to a decrease in protein in the blood. If there is less protein, water cannot be absorbed, and water leaks from the blood vessels into the tissue, forming edema.

This is edema of the nephrotic syndrome. Only the proteinuria reduced, the edema can be improved from the root.

The second is that the kidneys have a glomerular-tubule imbalance. The glomerular filtration rate reduced, while the renal tubular reabsorption has not decreased and even increased. That results in a large amount of water not being excreted and accumulated in the body.

This is edema of nephritis, and the usual medicine for this kind of swelling is diuretic.

Therefore, there are two main reasons for edema caused by chronic nephritis. The first is that the kidneys cannot drain water from the body, and the second is that the kidneys leak a lot of albumin.

Specifically, chronic nephritis will cause a decline in renal function, and the glomeruli with nephrons will be affected. Water and sodium cannot be excreted through the kidneys by the normal way—urethra, so water and salt accumulate in the body and cause edema.

Another reason is with the decline of kidney function, the protein in the body cannot be stored, causing some albumin in the body to leak out through the kidney. Over time, albumin in the body will come down, which result in swelling.

In Nephrology Dept of HHHTCM, nephropathy edema gets treated in the principle of combining TCM syndrome differentiation and disease differentiation. It aims to improve the body’s ability to remove antigens, reduce and repair damage to the basement membrane, increase renal blood flow and make glomeruli repair gradually, meantime, the progress of immune complexes and renal fibrosis get inhibited. With kidney function being restored, kidney disease edema will be treated from the root and external symptoms.

Jan 20 1

Four Advantages of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Nephrotic Syndrome

Posted by ruilis

Most patients with nephrotic syndrome take western medicines such as prednisone, cyclophosphamide and other medicines for a long period of time during treatment. Gradually patients often have a severe dependence on this during the treatment process, which reduces body’s sensitivity to medicine and reduces the patient’s resistance.

Patients become susceptible to colds, and often relapse attack , not mention to cure. And long-term use of such drugs will also cause certain damage due to the large toxic side effects of such drugs.

Experts from the Nephrology Department of Hebei Hepatopathy Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (HHHTCM) found that traditional Chinese medicine has great advantages in clinical treatment of this disease in long-term clinical practice. The following describes the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine in the clinical treatment of this disease:

1.Elimination of urinary protein

Pharmacological studies have proven that many Chinese medicines such as Cordyceps sinensis, Serissa japonica, Astragalus, Dandelion, Forsythia etc. have the function of improving cellular immunity and humoral immunity. We also found through a large number of clinical observations that such medicines can improve Antigen’s scavenging ability, repair the damage of glomerular basement membrane, increase renal blood flow, promote the absorption of fibrous tissue, make glomerular repair and eliminate urine protein.

2.Improve renal function.

Clinical findings show Qingre Jiedu medicines such as Honeysuckle Flower can inhibit the formation of immune complexes and inhibit the formation of glomerular fibrosis. The repair of diseased epithelial tissues has obvious effects. Medicines to activate blood and soften stiffness such as saffron, salvia, and Red Paeony Root can relax renal vascular smooth muscle, relieve vasospasm, improve renal blood flow, so as to protect the kidney.

3.Reducing the side effects of English medicine

It solves the rebound effect of steroids. In the process of applying steroids and immunosuppressants, patients often have various problems like immune disorder, immunity decline, relapse, gastrointestinal reactions and bone marrow suppression. In clinical treatment, we will give treatment to tonify spleen and kidneys, warm and improve renal Yang so as to relieve the side effecs of steroids and immunosuppresive agents., regulate immune function as well as solve the problem of relapse due to steroids reduce.

4.Improve body’s sensitivity to steroids

Less than half of patients with nephrotic syndrome are sensitive to steroids, and it is difficult to use immunosuppressive medicines. But after the proper application of traditional Chinese medicine treatment, most patients can get good clinical effect because their body’s insensitivity to medicines turn sensitive. However, the application of combined Chinese medicine and Western medicine must be based on syndrome differentiation and dialectical treatment. Specific treatment solution for individual case, can expect satisfactory results.

Here are many advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in treating nephrotic syndrome.It is dialectical ,individualized and targeted treatment that can achieve very good treatment results. And under the guidance of the overall concept,we can comprehensively grasp the changes and development of the kidney, combine prevention and cure, treat both symptoms and disease from the root.

Jan 20 0

Which treatment is better to treat chronic nephritis? Western medicine or Chinese medicine？

Posted by ruilis

In terms of the treatment of chronic nephritis, Western medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine have their own advantages. It is like walking on two legs, losing either side, the other leg is pinched. Their combination will bring more remarkable effect.

In treating chronic nephritis, the characteristics and advantages of traditional Chinese medicine are its overall concept and thought of dialectical treatment. For example, in the treatment of chronic nephritis, traditional Chinese medicines that reduce urinary protein include astragalus and Cordyceps sinensis, which can give definite effect in reducing urinary protein. In terms of delaying the progress of renal function, traditional Chinese medicine can also give obvious effect.

Western medicine has extremely advanced methods and technologies in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of diseases, which can guide the treatment of traditional Chinese medicine under the control of disease mechanisms in western medicine, but cannot be separated from the idea of dialectical treatment.

Specifically, in diagnosis, biopsy, urine test, blood test, and various instruments and equipment of western medicine are accurate and irreplaceable; in treatment, traditional Chinese medicine restores kidney function, improves blood creatinine, and eliminates hematuria, which is difficult for western medicine to make it;

when high blood pressure and high sugar damage kidney micro blood vessels, western medicine is needed to lower blood pressure and blood sugar; when steroids and immunosuppressive agents brings unbearable side effects, Chinese medicine can reduce the side effects; when a lot of proteinuria and severe edema occur, the effectiveness of western medicine stands out; when the condition relapses often, Chinese medicine can give an effective shot to the relapse.

Regarding the treatment of chronic nephritis, the comprehensive treatment plan combining traditional Chinese and western medicine is emphasized. Depending on the specific condition, different treatment will be provided.

Jan 19 0

Should Patients with Chronic Nephritis Have Renal Biopsy

Posted by ruilis

Regarding renal biopsy, here are different voices. Some patients are advised to do it, after all, the test is accurate. But more patients are reluctant to do it because “I heard that kidney puncture is bad for the body.” Then today we just have a talk in terms of how to determine if you need a kidney puncture.

Renal puncture is also known as renal biopsy. Department of Nephrology, in HHHTCM, Director Yang said that there is no immediate ‘miracle medicine’ for the treatment of chronic kidney disease, and even some medicines bring side effects and harmfulness.

After all, just like a proverb ‘A drowning man will clutch at a straw’, patients would seek doctor or treatment blindly. Here I want to tell patient with kidney disease: Don’t believe in the so-called ‘miracle medicine’, to treat kidney disease, reduce protein and creatinine for kidney disease, or to receive comprehensive treatment of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in regular hospitals.

Examination is a traumatic examination that clarifies the etiology and pathology of kidney disease and further confirms the specific disease of the patient. It has clinical significance for clarifying diagnosis, guiding treatment and estimating prognosis.

Because the clinical manifestations of many kidney diseases are very similar, such as hematuria and proteinuria. But the pathology, prognosis, and treatment of the disease are all different. In order to determine the type of disease and to allow the clinician to take targeted treatment measures in time, it is necessary to have a renal puncture test. Therefore, renal puncture has become one of the “gold standards” for the diagnosis of kidney disease.

Although it is the gold standard, still not all cases require a renal puncture diagnosis.

Renal biopsy is only required in cases like unexplained acute renal failure; 24hrs proteinuria still more than 1 gram after treatment, and in patients with proteinuria, hematuria, and decreased renal function after renal transplantation.

Many people worry that kidney puncture can cause damage to the body and leave sequelae. But in fact, this incidence rate is very low. For example, common side effects after renal biopsy, hematuria, proteinuria, and low back pain mostly disappear within one week after surgery.

Other side effects such as infections and damage to other organs, the probability of appearing in standard hospitals is extremely low. Because the aseptic measures of regular hospitals and doctors’ qualifications for surgery are very secure. So don’t worry too much.

Renal puncture is not suitable for the following conditions:

For example: those who have obvious bleeding tendency, severe renal insufficiency or congenital solitary kidney on one side, renal hematoma, tumor, cyst, abscess or infection, hydronephrosis, mental patient or those who cannot cooperate and with hardly-controlled hypertension. These types of people are not suitable for renal biopsy.

Any test is to serve the patient, to detect the disease and lay the foundation for treatments. So there is no need to be hostile to the test. Please listening to the attending doctor, the doctor should be clearer than the patient to the situation.

Jan 19 0

How Does TCM Treat Proteinuria of Chronic Nephritis?

Posted by ruilis

Almost 90% of patients with kidney disease will have protein leakage in the early stage. It must be aware that proteinuria plays a vital role in the development and prognosis of renal disease. How does TCM treat proteinuria of chronic nephritis?

As the saying goes, more preparation may quicken the speed in doing work. It is a must to understand the cause of proteinuria from chronic nephritis.

Everyone knows that the kidney is the organ that produces urine. And the urine that is normally excreted does not contain anything useful. However, when the kidney is damaged for various reasons, the glomerular filtration membrane is also damaged. The glomerular filtration function of the useful substances in the urine is reduced, and the reabsorption capacity of the renal tubules is also reduced. So the protein and the like in the plasma will leak out into the urine and proteinuria is formed. Normal people also have protein in their urine, but the amount is very small, usually not more than 150mg.

On the one hand, urinary protein, as an independent risk factor, will affect the progress of renal function. For patients who can control 24hrs proteinuria below 0.5g, they will be more easily to protect the residual renal function and prevent the deterioration of the condition.

On the other hand, consistent proteinuria not only accelerates the progress of renal function, but also affect the development of a series of complications due to kidney disease, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension and etc. Therefore, controlling proteinuria can also prevent complications so as to reduce patients’ risk. As long as the proteinuria get controlled, chronic nephritis is cured half. How does Chinese medicine treat chronic proteinuria?

Chinese medicine treatment of chronic nephritis proteinuria starts with the cause, blocks the progress of kidney damage, clears immune complexes, actively repairs damaged kidneys, restores kidney function, and prevent protein leakage from the root, so as to achieve the goal of treating both the symptoms and the disease.

This is why many foreign patients visited our hospital for Chinese medicine treatment, after ineffective treatment from west medicine in local. Proteinuria is an early marker of chronic kidney disease. The more protein in the urine, the more severe proteinuria is. And it also means that the renal function is more severe. However, different pathological types can have difference in protein leakage, more proteinuria leakage does not necessarily mean that your condition is also more serious.

Jan 19 0

How To Do When Steroids-induced Full Moon Face Happen to NS Patients?

Posted by ruilis

The full moon face is one of the side effects of taking steroids for nephrotic syndrome friends. Everything is a double-edged sword, and steroids is no exception. Steroids have powerful immunosuppressive effects, so they will cause side effects in the treatment of nephrotic syndrome. For kidney friends, the full moon face will cause a serious psychological burden, nevertheless, full moon face induced by steroids can be thinned down. Then how to do when steroids-taking induce full moon face?

Measures and Recommendations

Choose the right steroids

Choose the right steroids. Each steroids has its own characteristics. Patients can choose steroids that are suitable for their condition and bring minor side effects for treatment according to the strength of steroids immunosuppressive effect, the strength of water and sodium retention, and the accuracy of the site of action. By this, full moon face can be effectively reduced.

Reduce the dose of steroids

If steroids reduce, it can not give the expected effect, what to do? In this case, some immunosuppressants can be used.

Combine with the Traditional Chinese Medicine

Symptoms caused by steroids belong to the syndrome of yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity in TCM syndrome differentiation. In clinical cases, patients can be given, Zhibai Dihuang Pill, Yu Nv Jian, Yi Guan Jian, etc., can eliminate the side effects of steroids medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine can not only eliminate the steroids dependence caused by atrophy of the adrenal cortex, but also prevent the occurrence of edema, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. There is another function of nourishing yin and clearing heat-eliminating obesity and full moon face. It is also because our Chinese medicine therapy is very good that it has attracted a large number of international friends to come to our hospital for treatment.

Proper Eating and Exercise

Everyone knows about low-fat, low-sugar, and high-vitamin diets, and you need to eat more which can reduce swelling and dampness, such as wax gourd, corn, and mung bean sprouts etc.

In regard of exercise, whole body exercise is very necessary, mainly face exercise, such as chewing gum, chewing air also works. Washing your face with cold water can speed up the breakdown of fats and help restore facial shape.

Jan 19 1

Is renal insufficiency elevated creatinine waiting for dialysis or active treatment?

Posted by ruilis

Many patients with renal insufficiency said that local doctors told them that there was no way to treat it, waiting for dialysis，after the blood creatinine was over than 300-400.No one wants to dialysis, but doctors already to say like this. Is it really just watching the blood creatinine keep rising?

Why does the doctor let you wait for dialysis? In fact, this statement is not a problem in itself, but it is more objective.

Because in the current treatment of nephropathy, the conventional treatment plan is mainly symptom suppression, that is, the so-called treatment only solves the continuous damage of kidney cells by “curve” by eliminating urinary protein, edema, inhibiting infection, and reducing creatinine.Problem does not directly affect kidney cells

In fact, it is not only the treatment of kidney disease, but also the treatment of other chronic diseases.For example, diabetes only regulates blood sugar and blood pressure. There is no good way for the body’s own insulin secretion, tolerance, lipoprotein synthesis, storage, etc.

Therefore, when the serum creatinine of patients with renal insufficiency rises to 300 to 400, it means that the kidney damage has exceeded 70%, and drugs such as Kaitong and Niaoduqing have no effect.Treatment method, and the blood creatinine has not reached the level that requires dialysis, so “waiting for dialysis” can be considered a relatively objective statement

Don’t want to wait? How to do?

At present, for chronic renal failure patients with serum creatinine below 500 μmoI / L, how do doctors do it? Uduqing granules, Haikun Shenxi capsules.

These two proprietary Chinese medicines, I believe everyone is not unfamiliar.Why do these drugs reduce blood creatinine? These two drugs have the effect of reducing turbidity in Tongfu. This is a Chinese medical theory, translated into Western medical theory: These two drugs can improve kidney blood circulation by improving kidneyDetoxification ability, which reduces blood creatinine.Therefore, improving blood circulation is the top priority in the treatment of renal failure and uremia.

In fact, hemodialysis is also for this purpose, but it is done more thoroughly and the blood is introduced outside the body for circulation.In the Department of Nephrology, Hebei Traditional Chinese Medicine Liver Hospital, we use “integrated Chinese and western medicine” to treat renal insufficiency. We use western medicine to eliminate clinical symptoms such as urinary protein and edema, and use Chinese medicine to improve renal microcirculation.

Of course, the traditional Chinese medicine here is not a proprietary Chinese medicine, but a systematic treatment plan of a traditional Chinese medicine formula based on the situation of each patient.This group of parties pays attention to “one person, one formula, one formula at a time”, which is also a combination of Chinese and Western characteristics. The excellent curative effect has attracted a large number of international patients.

Jan 19 0

Why Could Combined Chinese Medicine and West Medicine Control Renal Insufficiency and Creatinine Increase?

Posted by ruilis

In the Nephrology Department of HHHTCM, when we treat the disease. Creatinine reduction is not the ultimate goal from our treatment. The most important factor for renal insufficiency is to protect renal function, retain residual nephrons, regulate human immunity, and repair damaged kidney tissue, improve kidney microcirculation and restore kidney function.

The value of creatinine reflects renal function. The increased creatinine is caused by kidney damage, toxins accumulated in the body and exceed the normal value seriously..

Instead of spending a lot of time and money staring at a number, it is better to save money to protect kidney function, preserve residual nephrons and repair damaged kidney tissue. As long as kidney function recovered well, creatinine will come down naturally.

So how to do it specifically?

Renal insufficiency is caused by a variety of reasons (the most common is nephritis), with severe damage to the glomeruli, which makes the body a clinical syndrome of disorders in excretion of metabolic waste and regulation of water electrolyte and acid-base balance. At this time, a systemic treatment plan combining Chinese and western medicine should be adopted. According to the different conditions of each kidney friend, syndrome differentiation and treatment should be performed to remove the factors that damage kidney function and prevent it from continuing to damage kidney function.

Such as proteinuria and hypertension

We usually take combined antihypertensive drugs to lower blood pressure, and use immunosuppressive drugs to control proteins. Two types of antihypertensive drugs: ACEI and ARB have both antihypertensive and protein-lowering effects, which is more conducive to protect renal function.

Prevent complications and prevent kidney disease from worsening further.

Such as anemia, calcium and phosphorus disorders, hyperkalemia, metabolic acidosis and so on. Controlling these complications will be of great help in delaying the progression of kidney disease. In addition to reasonable medication, a reasonable diet must be also noticed.

Pay attention to the inducing factors of kidney disease in daily life and avoid kidney disease relapse.

Patients with kidney disease must be careful not to catch a cold or infection. Kidney disease is a disease of the immune system. When a cold infection occurs, bacteria or viruses invade our body. In order to protect our body, the body ’s immune system will combine with them and form a single immune complex. These immune complexes are deposited in the kidney with blood circulation, causing kidney disease relapse.

It also makes it possible to further reduce kidney function and even speed up end-stage renal disease. That is uremia. As long as the standard treatment of patients with renal insufficiency, the same can be controlled to avoid the development of uremia.

Jan 19 0

Does Kidney Failure Require Dialysis If Creatinine Higher Than 600?

Posted by ruilis

We just received an international patient from Albania. Due to the kidney failure, his creatinine increased to 600umol/L, doctors from the local hospital requested him to do dialysis. This patient worried that the disease would progress to uremia once dialysis started. This patient was not willing to dialysis, so he travel to our hospital in China for the Chinese medicine Treatment. Creatinine increased to 600 in renal failure, is it a must to take dialysis?

Director Yang of the Department of Nephrology in HBHHTCM said that dialysis or not could not just refer to creatinine. The key indicator for dialysis is glomerular filtration rate and complications.

Glomerular filtration rate is less than 5

The glomerular filtration rate is between 5-10, and has heart failure, hyperkalemia, and acidosis.

If the condition conforms to any of the above, the dialysis will be a must.

If creatinine higher than 600umol/L, dialysis just gets started without considering the reversible elements.

There are two types of factors in the progression of renal function, one is reversible and the other is irreversible. Uremia caused by renal fibrosis, sclerosis, and cell necrosis is irreversible. When kidney cells die, it is impossible to revive.

Renal failure caused by active lesions, infection, dehydration, malignant hypertension, and nephrotoxic substances is reversible. At this time, acute swelling and inflammation occurred to kidney cells, which affected renal function. After reversible factors were eliminated, the state of renal failure was relieved and renal function could be partially restored.

For patients with reversible factors, renal function can recover quickly. If treated in time, renal function can be restored within one week. Patients need pay attention to B ultrasound result to see if renal function can be restored.

Some patients have not checked their kidney function for a long time, or just found the disease, and their creatinine is over six or seven hundred. At this time, they are stunned. How do I know if my kidney function can recover or not?

Patients can look at the size of the kidneys on B ultrasound, which is more intuitive.

When renal fibrosis damaged kidney to no function, the kidneys will shrink completely. If the B ultrasound shows that kidney atrophy is not too severe, then kidney function can be restored more or less. If serum creatinine showed in renal failure or even uremia but not other key indicators: blood pressure, hemoglobin, and carbon dioxide binding capacity, there should be still rescue for kidneys.

Is dialysis required when creatinine is higher than 600umol/L? This is up to the actual illness condition!

Jan 19 0

Can Anemic Patient with Renal Failure Take Blood Transfusion?

Posted by ruilis

According to statistics, at least more than half of patients with kidney disease will develop anemia, and anemia will cause hypoxia in the kidneys, and more injured renal cells will further aggravate renal disease. How to treat anemia? People would usually consider to supplement iron and blood transfusion. Iron supplementation is not a big problem, but can patients with kidney disease often transfuse blood?

Before discussing this issue, we should firstly understand why patients with kidney disease are easy to be anemic?

In addition to filtering function, the kidney also has an important function, that is the secretion of erythropoietin. This is usually shorted as EPO. The biggest role of erythropoietin is to “command” the bone marrow to perform the hematopoietic function. Therefore, if the secretion of erythropoietin is insufficient, the hematopoietic activity of the bone marrow will decrease and anemia will occur. This is called “renal anemia”

In addition, patients with kidney disease, especially who has increased creatinine, have higher blood endotoxins which can reduce the life span of red blood cells. This is a major cause of anemia.

What does this have to do with the inability of blood transfusions in patients with kidney disease?

Certainly, Blood transfusion do not have any help to the production of erythropoietin, and there are toxic substances such as erythropoiesis inhibitors in the blood transfused, which inhibits further the already small amount of erythropoietin and it is difficult to play a role.

And as mentioned above, toxins in patients with kidney disease not only inhibit the production of new red blood cells, but also have a lethal effect on existing red blood cells, which can accelerate the withering of red blood cell. The breakdown of dead red blood cells can aggravate the accumulation of nitrogen metabolites, placing an additional burden on the kidneys that have been unable to work.

Moreover, excessive blood transfusion can cause increased blood urea nitrogen and increased potassium, which aggravates the condition. At the same time, the risk of hepatitis virus transmission has also increased.

Therefore, it is not very good to rely on frequent blood transfusion to treat anemia. Normally, as long as erythropoietin, iron, folic acid and other medicines are given, and the patient’s appetite is adjusted from the diet, and the lack of nutrients get supplemented, that will be no problem.

Although it is not advised to give blood transfusion to anemic patients with renal failure, it is not clinically possible to apply mechanically.

Patients with chronic renal failure do not need blood transfusion when hemoglobin is more than or equal to 6g. If hemoglobin <6g has caused severe hypoxia in various organs, the patient can be given a small amount of concentrated red blood cells or a small amount of blood transfusion to improve the cell hypoxia. If the patient is found to have a significant bleeding tendency, a platelet suspension or fresh blood is needed.

In Nephrology Dept. Of HBHHTCM, we aim at the problem of anemia from renal failure. Combined traditional Chinese and western medicine will be given to treat symptomatic treatment while focusing on syndrome differentiation and overall treatment to prevent further development of kidney injury, restore part of renal function, and protect residual renal function. By this, patient’s anemia due to renal failure will be fundamentally solved and Uremia can be avoided.

Archive for January 2020