A revolutionary program that can indefinitely postpone the need for dialysis If you've been diagnosed with kidney failure, this book could save your life. If you suffer from diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or any of a host of conditions that put you at risk for kidney disease, you owe it to yourself to read what is in this book. If you are among the 60,000 North Americans who go on dialysis each year, the information in this book could substantially improve your quality of life. In Coping with Kidney Disease, a leading expert tells you, in plain English, what you need to know to: * Understand kidney failure * Recognize early warning signs of kidney failure * Get a proper diagnosis * Talk with your doctors about it * Confidently evaluate treatment options * Take charge of your treatment * Delay dialysis or even avoid the need for it altogether The centerpiece of Coping with Kidney Disease is Dr. Walser's revolutionary 12-step program for avoiding dialysis. Based on treatments he has pioneered with his own patients at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the program calls for a supplemented low-protein diet supported by treatments to control blood pressure and correct high cholesterol. So effective has this breakthrough strategy proven to be that in many patients it actually worked to slow or arrest the progression of kidney failure to the end stage. Knowledge is power. Coping with Kidney Disease empowers you with what you need to take charge of kidney disease.

The book focuses on pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches of psychiatric syndromes that commonly occur in patients with kidney disease. It specifically reviews principles of psychotherapy and psychopharmacology with an emphasis on organ impairment and drug-drug interactions specific to nephrology. This book also covers issues with medication nonadherence in patients with chronic kidney disease and psychiatric comorbidity, as well as the associated issues in dialysis and renal transplantation. Additionally, chapters cover various other topics addressing an active stance towards health promotion in chronically ill patients, including the critical role of the diet and physical activity. Such advice is often complex and changing depending on the stage of chronic kidney disease and the individual needs of the patient. Written by specialists in the field, Psychonephrology: A Guide to Principles and Practice serves as a valuable reference and teaching tool that provides an opportunity for learning across a rapidly evolving medical field.

Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Kidney Disease: Exploring the Impact of CKD, Dialysis, and Transplantation on Patients provides an overview of the emotional and psychological challenges faced by people with renal disease. This book outlines the epidemiology and treatment of the psychosocial factors affecting them. The sections in the book cover psychiatric illness in the earlier and middle stages of chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease treated with dialysis, and renal transplantation. The book concludes with a section on special considerations, delving into topics such as treating children and adolescents, quality of life, caregiver burden, challenges in psychosocial research in kidney disease, and future directions for intervention. - Includes chapters that are written by a leading group of international researchers - Emphasizes practical approaches to patient care and treatment issues - Explores psychosocial issues related to hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis - Discusses available treatment for anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, pain, nonadherence, cognitive dysfunction, palliative care, and other psychosocial concerns

Chronic kidney disease is a non-communicable disease that has experienced a global surge in incidence and prevalence over the past few decades, and it has been increasingly considered a major contributor to the global disease burden and mortality. In prior years, most of the awareness and treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease, particularly in the developed world, had focused on patients with end stage renal disease, one of the potential outcomes of chronic kidney disease. More recent epidemiological data has shown that the majority of the burden of chronic kidney disease occurs in patients who are in the earlier stages of this condition, prior to end stage renal disease. The opportunities to recognise the signs, symptoms, and complications, and to consider extant treatment paradigms are useful in the global environment (both in developed and developing nations). We are very happy to present this work, authored by an international panel of experts, as a useful addition and tool for the global efforts to address the burden of chronic kidney disease.

This book written for the average reader, offers useful information for patients with very mild CKD to those patients who need to plan for dialysis or kidney transplant. It offers scientifically proven ways to slow progression of CKD, including a chapter on a Smart Diet for all CKD patients. This diet not only can slow CKD progression but can also help patients to live longer and better. It offers the best treatments for the medical problems that can come with a diagnosis of CKD. For most patients this book will alleviate concerns about having CKD and for some patients with advanced CKD it offers an approach that can delay the start of dialysis for many months or even years in some cases. It explains why low and very low protein diets, promoted by many kidney books for patients, is usually not beneficial and may even be harmful. It provides the latest recommendations for treatment of CKD that comes from international kidney doctor organizations. The book is organized in a way that provides information for all patients with CKD in the first part of the book and has information in later chapters for patients whose CKD has progressed. For those patients who want to get the "meat" of the book, the final chapter provides a summary of all the book's material. Some patients may want to start here and read the full chapters at their leisure. The book is referenced with current kidney disease publications. It explains situations where kidney disease is reversible and ways to prevent reversible declines in kidney function. It dispels many myths about CKD treatment that have no benefit and, in some cases, may be dangerous. For patients who are wondering about whether dialysis is in their future, the book offers several ways to predict if dialysis is very likely or very unlikely in a CKD patient's future. It lays out pros and cons of the various options for patients who are considering a kidney transplant or dialysis and explains why getting a kidney transplant before dialysis is ever started or choosing home peritoneal dialysis are the two best options for most CKD patients who require a kidney replacement therapy.

By understanding kidney failure—what causes it, how it may affect their lives, and what treatment options they have—people with the disease can improve their quality of life and achieve the best possible outcome.

If you have kidney failure, you need to adapt and change what you eat. But, as this practical and exciting book shows, you don’t need to go on a crash diet, or to deny yourself the foods you love – you just need to adapt your favourite recipes with kidney-friendly foods. You can eat well, enjoy your food, and give your body the nutrition it needs. This brilliant book provides a clear guide to eating well with kidney failure, as well as a collection of more than fifty delicious recipes to show you how it all works in practice. The recipes have been analysed for their nutritional content and are coded to help you choose most appropriate dishes for your individual requirements. The authors, all dietitians specialising in kidney failure, have more than 20 years experience and are passionate about helping you to enjoy your mealtimes, giving you: - Plenty of hints and tips to help you eat in a healthy and enjoyable way. - Advice on choosing meals, showing you step-by-step what to look for in takeaways and pre-packaged foods - Over 50 delicious and attractive recipes, from quick snacks to special occasion meals - Practical advice to help you to adapt your favourite dishes in a kidney-friendly way

This book provides a comprehensive and systematic review of the latest findings in a wide spectrum of clinically important aspects of chronic kidney disease (CKD), focusing on clinical diagnosis and therapeutics. CKD is a global health problem with a rising morbidity and mortality. The last decade has seen significant improvements in determining the incidence, prevalence, and complications of CKD, mainly thanks to the definitions of CKD developed by the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI). However, increased recognition of CKD has led to awareness of the limitations of its clinical diagnosis and treatment, which are essential to patients’ wellbeing. This book is of particular value not only to nephrologists, but also to general practitioners and residents with an interest in CKD. It offers a well-organized exposition of the current knowledge base. Compared with previously published books on kidney disease and CKD, it has a smaller number of more concise chapters. As a result, readers can easily obtain an overview of the most important topics in CKD. We hope that practitioners will gain as much from reading this practical guide to clinical management of CKD as we have from editing it.

It is well-known that the daily diet plays an important role in the preservation and integrity of renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, there currently exists some confusion as to the right diet because of the MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) study, which has shown that a low-protein diet does not have a major effect on the course of renal dysfunction. To resolve this dilemma, researchers are developing a framework for an appropriate dietary program which will significantly alter the understanding of the role of diet and, eventually, have important implications for the practice of nephrology. This publication provides an update on both laboratory and clinical research, including nutritional status and its assessment in patients with kidney disease, nutritional therapy in hemodialysis, in patients with diabetic nephropathy and after kidney transplantation, as well as considering the roles of sodium, protein intake and phosphate restriction in kidney disease. Part of a long-standing and continuing effort to improve patient outcome, this book provides both a fundamental understanding of diet as well as a practical and up-to-date summary of current knowledge and technology. It will therefore be a helpful tool for the clinician working in the field of chronic kidney disease.