Learn the Facts about Kidney Disease: A Self-Help Guide to Better Kidney Health with Proven Therapies

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.