My name is Tracy R. Jacox. People know me as Ms. Tracy. I am the founder of Original Origins Health and Wellness, LLC. I am the proud daughter and descendant of Vie. She was the third child of my grandparents, MaDear and Dad. Vie was the sister of Francie Mae, Tippy, Lil Bro and Rom. This blog is a way to pay homage to my mother, leaving a legacy of love, laughter and courage. So, you see, VIEbrations was intentionally spelled that way to honor her memory.
I have been in the healthcare field for over thirty years. I have practiced as a certified physician assistant for over fifteen years; however, I discovered a sad truth over the past four years or so. We in the medical field have not been practicing healthcare. We have been trained and conditioned to practice sick care. You see, there is no money in the prevention or the cure of any dis-ease. It saddens me to see so many people dying younger than they have to from preventable and or treatable causes. This especially impacts those who live in poverty.
In my previous article, I wrote about how people who live at or below the poverty level are at the most risk. This is mostly because they live in food deserts and food swamps. People who are middle class and wealthy don’t get a pass. The fact is regardless of our socioeconomic status, we are all at risk for preventable health conditions. We have been conditioned to believe the myth and outright lies that we have been told about nutrition. For the sake of this article, I will be discussing chronic kidney disease.
I refer to chronic kidney disease as a silent killer because there are often no symptoms until stage three. There are five stages of chronic kidney disease. I will be walking you through the progressive nature of this disease and equip you with information about how to prevent it. I would also like to encourage you to know that chronic kidney disease is reversible if you have already been diagnosed with kidney disease.
How many times have you gone to your doctor’s office for a physical to include lab work (blood and/or urine collected) and was told that everything was “fine”, or everything was in “normal” range? What exactly does that mean? How many of your primary care providers take the time to go over your lab report in detail and explain what they checked for and what those values mean? Unfortunately, there is so much pressure to hustle patients in and out, like cattle. Most of us are only afforded fifteen minutes or less to spend any quality time with our patients. In most cases, patients are only seen once or twice a year.
People who live in poverty either don’t have insurance or even with insurance, tend not to go to the doctor until the symptoms are so out of control, they can no longer ignore it. Those in poverty with insurance often receive marginal healthcare compared to people of a higher socioeconomic status and or those who are considered the majority, Caucasian population. This may be related to disparities in healthcare.
So, what exactly is chronic kidney disease? Chronic kidney disease is a type of kidney disease in which there is gradual loss of kidney function over a period of months to years. As I stated earlier, you may not experience signs or symptoms in the earlier stages of chronic kidney disease. This is why getting your blood work analyzed at least annual will help catch this dis-ease before it gets to the point of dialysis! Let’s talk about the symptoms and stages of chronic kidney disease, shall we?
Common Symptoms of Kidney Disease
- Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.
- Weakness, fatigue and weight loss.
- Swelling (edema) of lower legs.
- Swelling of face or around the eyes especially in the morning.
- High blood pressure, especially if severe, uncontrolled or in young individuals.
- Pallor (unusually or extremely pale).
- Sleep problems, lack of concentration and dizziness.
- Itching, muscle cramps or restlessness.
- Flank pains (discomfort in your upper abdomen, back or sides).
- Frequent urination especially at night (nocturia).
- Bone pains and fractures in adults and retarded growth in children.
- Decreased sexual drive and erectile dysfunction in males and menstrual disturbances in females.
Stages of chronic kidney disease is determined by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). This number is based on your blood test for creatinine, a waste product in your blood. An eGFR tells how well your kidneys are working. Healthy kidneys remove creatinine out of your blood.
Stages of Chronic Kidney Disease
Stage 1 chronic kidney disease means you have mild kidney damage and corresponds with an eGFR of 90 or greater. It is possible to have mild kidney damage with an eGFR in normal range. One may have protein in the urine or physical damage to the kidneys. There are usually no noticeable symptoms.
Stage 2 chronic kidney disease means the eGFR is 60-89. One may have protein in the urine or physical damage to the kidneys. There are usually no noticeable symptoms.
Stage 3 chronic kidney disease means the eGFR is 30-59. This is considered moderate kidney damage, and this is the stage someone usually starts to exhibit symptoms.
Stage 4 chronic kidney disease means the eGFR is 15-29. This is considered severe kidney damage.
Stage 5 chronic kidney disease means the eGFR is less than 15. This is considered end stage renal disease (ESRD) and is when someone stops producing urine and have to start dialysis or apply for a kidney transplant. This means that the kidneys are close to failure or have already failed.
There are also other ways to see if you have early signs of chronic kidney disease. There is a blood test called creatinine that measures kidney function. The lab reference ranges may vary; however, as a rule, your blood creatinine level should fall between 0.5-1.0.
Your urinalysis test can also show early signs of kidney disease. Your urinalysis test should be negative for protein. It is not uncommon for a urinalysis test to show trace protein; however, it needs to be repeated. If protein is persistent in your urine, further evaluation is needed.
Another way to check for early kidney disease is to check a protein in the urine called microalbumin. A urine microalbumin test detects a very small level of blood protein in the urine. Healthy kidneys filter waste from your blood. Kidney damage can cause proteins to leak through the kidneys and exit the body in urine. Albumin is one of the first proteins to leak when the kidneys become damaged. A normal microalbumin level should be 20 mg or less.
Chronic Kidney Disease disproportionately impacts the African-American community and those of lower socio-economic status. African-Americans only comprise 12-13% of the United States; however, we are the majority of dialysis recipients. This is pretty staggering. Neighborhoods considered food swamps/deserts are hit especially hard due to poverty. There are no quality grocery stores; however, dialysis centers are prevalent.
This information may seem insurmountable; however, there is a silver lining. In most cases, chronic kidney disease is reversible, especially if it is caught early. Most chronic kidney disease is a result of self-inflicted wounds. We are doing it to ourselves with our unhealthy lifestyles.
I don’t care what you have been told, chronic kidney disease is reversible, especially before stage 5. There is no magic pill or quick fix that will resolve this. This has been building up in your body for months to years, so it may take some time for it to reverse. The most important thing is to prevent progression to kidney failure, resulting in dialysis. I am going to equip you with some life-saving, life-changing information. It only works if you apply it.
Tips to Improve Your Kidney Function
Drink at least half your body weight of water in ounces daily. If someone weighs 200 pounds, they need to drink 100 ounces of water a day. If you have chronic kidney disease, you need to drink six to eight ounces every hour. This does not include beverages made with water (coffee, tea, Kool-Aid, lemonade, etc.…). Do not add anything artificial to your water. Only add fresh ingredients to your water: lemon slices, orange slices, cucumbers, berries, mint leaves, etc.…
Quit using tobacco products.
Control your blood pressure. The goal I have for my clients is 120/70 or less. Your blood pressure should never be more than 130/80. The top number should not go above 130 AND the bottom number should not go above 80. If you are experiencing side effects from your medications, let your provider know.
Control your diabetes. Your A1c needs to be 7% or less. The lower the better. Once again, if you are experiencing side effects from your medications, let your provider know.
Stop taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). This includes: Ibuprofen, Motrin, Advil, Aleve, Meloxicam, Mobic, Naproxen, Celebrex, etc.…. Only take acetaminophen or Tylenol products; although, this is not completely safe. Manage your pain as holistically as possible. Use a heating pad and ice packs, try tai chi, yoga, chair yoga, sit and be fit exercises, meditate, use aromatherapy, essential oils, topical creams, go to physical therapy, try acupuncture, take a swim or join a water class, go to a chiropractor, get a massage. There are so many ways to control pain without taking medications. If you do feel the need to take pain medication, take it sparingly. The key is to develop a routine and to be consistent. Medications are a serious reason why many experience kidney diseases.
Cook at home, stop eating out. Fast food equals a fast death. More than half of our plates should include non-starchy vegetables, preferably lightly steamed or uncooked.
Stop adding table salt to your food, limit salty seasonings in food. Use fresh herbs and spices, fresh lemon and lime juice to season foods.
Stop drinking sodas, especially dark sodas. This includes diet sodas.
Limit portions sizes. The serving size for meat is three to four ounces.
Exercise. You do not have to join a gym. You can go for a walk, at least 30 minutes a day, twice a day if possible. Turn on some music and dance. Go to YouTube and pull up some exercises.
Eat your veggies, non-starchy, vegetables. Corn and potatoes are considered starches, not vegetables. I recommend that all of my patients and clients invest in a juicer (maybe you can return that air fryer).
Join a food co-op or shop at a local farmer’s market. This is a great way to save money and to eat healthy.
IF you are a SNAP/EBT recipient, shop healthy. Purchase more fresh fruits and vegetables and limit the processed foods and animal products. Join a Food share program, if available.
Stop eating processed and fried foods (including air fried).
Lose weight, obesity is a risk factor for chronic kidney disease.
Avoid animal products (No Keto Diet). This includes dairy products, yes to include cheese and eggs. Avoid anything that has a mother. My conversation with my patients and clients is that pork needs to be the first meat to remove from your diet. “If you eat of the pig, a grave you will dig”!
Change your health, change your life! The beautiful thing about a whole food, plant-based lifestyle is that it reverses, eliminates, prevents and or improves just about every condition. I am a living testimony to that, as well as many of my patients and clients (the ones who actually apply what I ask them to do). I implore you to start making one or two lifestyle changes that will improve the health and wellness for you and your family. You are more valuable than your car or your pet. Give yourself permission to treat yourself better and know that you and your family deserve better heath.
A very special thank you to my Auntie FrancieMae for allowing me this amazing platform to speak a truth that has been hidden in plain sight. I also want to thank my beautiful auntie for standing in the gap and being there for my brother and myself in the absence of my mother, Vie.
Tiana, my beautiful, fearless and wise daughter and Vie’s eldest granddaughter, thank you for your wisdom. I am finally taking myself seriously and I QUIT! You bring me joy. I love you more than you know, and I am so very proud of you!
Larry, J. Gunter, a very special thank you for giving me the strength, love, support and courage I needed to bring this to fruition. Let’s keep staying the course!
My dear sweet mother, Vie, to whom I am forever bonded, thank you for your love and protection from the heavenly realm. I know you are smiling upon your family with pride, giving us the strength to continue this journey. Your spirit lives in me forever.
Please visit my website at www.originaloriginshw.com. I can be contacted at (833) 678-7229 and my e-mail is originaloriginshw@gmail.com.
In order to have something you have never had, you have to be willing to do something you have never done. Your health is your wealth, love you guys!