Kidney Health

Few people worry about their kidney health until a problem arises, and by then, they already have kidney disease. Whether you need a risk assessment for kidney disease or want an individualized plan to protect the health of your kidneys, you can turn to kidney care specialist Deon Middlebrook, MD, in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Middlebrook creates customized kidney health care plans based on your unique needs. Call the practice, Deon D. Middlebrook MDPC, today or connect online to request an appointment and start protecting your kidneys.

Why should I worry about my kidney health?

Taking proactive steps to support your kidney health is the best way to prevent kidney disease, and later, kidney failure. You can’t wait for signs alerting you to a problem because symptoms seldom appear until kidney disease has taken hold. By then, there’s a good chance you already have permanent kidney damage.

Does a risk assessment protect my kidney health?

Assessing your risk is important because it targets changes you can make to protect your kidneys. You may have risk factors associated with kidney disease or the disease’s top two causes, diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure), such as:

• Family history of kidney disease, heart disease, diabetes, or hypertension
• Personal history of prediabetes or gestational diabetes
• Having hypertension or high cholesterol
• Having an autoimmune disease
• Being overweight or obese
• Being African-American
• Lack of exercise
• Being under stress
• Consuming too much sodium (salt)
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Smoking

If you have a high risk, Dr. Middlebrook may recommend routine assessments to watch for early signs of kidney disease.

What steps should I take to improve my kidney health?

The steps you take to support a healthy kidney are also an essential part of your treatment after kidney disease develops. Dr. Middlebrook recommends the following:

Stick with your treatment for kidney disease

If you already have kidney disease (or diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, or any other chronic health condition), following your treatment plan is the best step for keeping your kidneys healthy and stopping the disease from progressing to kidney failure.

Follow a healthy diet

A well-balanced diet goes a long way toward supporting healthy kidneys. That means getting plenty of fruits and vegetables, complex carbs, beans, and lean meat, poultry and fish, while limiting sugar and sodium and being mindful to use healthy fats and avoid processed and fried foods.

After kidney disease begins, you need additional dietary changes to slow or stop kidney damage. For example, you may need to watch the amount of protein and potassium you consume and limit high-phosphorus foods.

Lose weight

Being overweight or obese forces your kidneys to work harder and also leads to Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Stop smoking

Smoking damages your blood vessels, including the blood vessels in your kidneys, which causes kidney disease. Smoking also contributes to hypertension and heart disease.

Call Deon D. Middlebrook MDPC today or use online booking to schedule a kidney disease risk assessment and get an individualized plan for supporting your kidney health.