‘Hypertension, diabetes and ageing are main reasons for kidney failure’

Elaborating on the importance of looking after your physical health, Dr Kohli said, “I just want to say that there is no reverse gear in our body, what is done cannot be undone, and the repairs are not as good as the original. Prevention is better than cure.”

The doctor warned against uncontrolled blood pressure and the desi dawaiyaan people take to treat a cause for chronic kidney disease. “People must go for a dialysis as soon as they find something problematic. We Indians have this thing of consulting too many people or even googling rather than asking the doctor for advice,” said Kohli.

He also cautioned against indiscriminate consumption of protein supplements. “Recently I have been observing this gym craze in the younger generation. There is a proliferation of gyms that have their so-called personal trainers who are not even qualified. They tell people to take various supplements and steroids which come in the way of a healthy kidney. Most of these supplements are imported in India in bulk and then repacked here. So we don’t know what happens then. I mean I can’t trust these. As far as whey protein is concerned, it is fine for consumption.’’

Kidney stones are another problem largely endemic to the North India. “Punjab is a stone belt. We have too much calcium in our diet as compared to South India and this helps in forming a stone. Also the hot weather conditions in India gets us dehydrated very easily.” Dr Kohli said stones are also genetic in nature.

The main reasons for kidney failure, he said, are hypertension, diabetes and ageing. “People often ask this question to me and I always suggest that don’t keep monitoring your blood pressure at home because there are several devices available in the market which are not properly calliberated and give false reading which is not good at all. People should use standard devices.’’

Dr Kohli said fat diets are also risky for the kidneys. “There are a lot of fat diets in the market right now like the keto diet which is very popular these days. Don’t get irrational only to lose your weight. Keep yourself hydrated and take balanced diet and you are good to go.’’

Kidneys are important

Kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from your body. They kidneys also remove acid that is produced by the cells of your body and maintain a healthy balance of water, salts, and minerals-such as sodium , calcium, phosphorus and potassium in your blood.

Without this balance, nerves, muscles, and other tissues in your body may not work normally.

Healthy kidneys filter about a half cup of blood every minute, removing wastes and extra water to make urine. The urine flows from the kidneys to the bladder through two thin tubes of muscle called ureters, one on each side of your bladder. Your bladder stores urine. Your kidneys, ureters, and bladder are part of your urinary tract.