Role of Ayurveda in treatment of Proteinuria

 Do you notice puffy eyes, spots or flashing lights in front of your eyes when you wake up? Do you also have blurred vision? Is your first urine in the morning frothy? Is your headache lasting longer than usual? If you are having sudden weight gain issues, and are observing changes in eating habits leading to nausea and vomiting? Are you suddenly having swelling in body parts, sudden muscle contractions?

Hope, you are not among the people who are ignoring the early signs of the condition called Proteinuria.

This condition should be confirmed with the help of urine and a blood test. In Proteinuria, important proteins like albumin are flushed out of the body through urine. Thus it is also known as Albuminuria. This condition occurs when kidneys lose their capacity to hold the proteins needed by the body. Proteinuria is a type of kidney disease that is reversible with the help of lifestyle changes and we also are available with ayurvedic treatment for Proteinuria.

Causes of excess protein loss in urine from your blood

Proteinuria is caused by a number of health conditions that cause damage to the filtering units of kidneys. These filtering units, namely, glomeruli and nephrons, are responsible for sieving out waste. There are more than one million nephrons present in one kidney that filters blood and throws out waste. Now, when these filters get damaged, kidneys are not able to function as they are supposed to.

There can be various factors creating damage to kidneys:

• Consuming antibiotics or Over the Counter (OTC) medications for more than the prescribed time
• Exposure to toxins and heavy metals
• Inflammatory diseases like Pyelonephritis and Glomerulonephritis 
• Polycystic kidney disease 
• Other conditions that may damage your kidneys include urinary tract infections (UTIs), insufficient flow of blood to the kidneys, dehydration, etc.

Types of Proteinuria

• Persistent Proteinuria: Positive proteinuria tests positive more than three times over weeks; it is termed persistent Proteinuria.
• Transient Proteinuria: Transient means the temporary occurrence of Proteinuria caused by an intense workout, hypertension, cold, and pregnancy.
• Orthostatic Proteinuria: It is another type of Proteinuria in which the patients lose proteins only when standing.

Ayurvedic treatment for Proteinuria 

Why should we be looking towards Ayurvedic treatment for fixing Proteinuria? Because, as per Ayurveda, understanding the root cause and treating the causative condition of Proteinuria is required to manage the disease effectively. The word “Proteinuria” is made up of two words: protein and uria (urine). Proteinuria means the presence of ‘proteins’ in the urine. It does not mean that protein is generally not present in urine. While some amount of protein is usually found in urine but in case of kidney damage or Proteinuria, the quantity of protein loss in urine increases. This is severely indicating the poor functioning of the kidneys so the proteins are leaked into the urine and are thrown out of the body.

Also Read : How does Ayurveda reduce creatinine levels and help Kidney treatment?

In ayurvedic treatment of Proteinuria, the concept of Prameha (literally means ‘passing through’), in which a group of disorders relating to abnormal constituents passing through urine are used. These shall be considered the nearest description of Proteinuria in Ayurveda. The symptoms explained in Prameha in Ayurveda are similar to that of Proteinuria. In modern medicine and Ayurveda, Proteinuria shares the common symptoms of diabetes. It suggests that ayurvedic treatment for fixing Proteinuria follows the principles of Diabetes management.

The diabetes treatment begins with cleansing procedures such as panchakarma, which are aimed at fat reduction to ensure there is no further complications caused. The ayurvedic treatment for fixing Proteinuria follows multi-treatment therapy with a combination of herbal medicines (aushadhi), change in diet (ahaar), and lifestyle changes (vihaar).4

Ayurvedic medicine for Proteinuria (Aushadhi) are prepared from natural herbs and minerals and free from extrusion. Herbs like Dandelion root, Gokshuradi Guggulu, Kaasni, Punarnava, and Shirish are used in combination with other herbs to promote kidney function. These herbs possess the restorative ability to be used in different forms in treatment for Proteinuria. In this way, you can assure alleviation of the problems from your life.

Diet Recommendations (Aahaar)

• Abstain from preserved foods.
• Addition of ginger, garlic, and onion to your meals to facilitate toxin elimination.
• Addition of fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains to your diet
• Avoid sugar products, rice, potato, ghee, fatty foods, fermented foods, alcohol, urad (blackgram), rajma (kidney beans) and other heavy items.
• Eat food rich in magnesium like millets, wheat, and barley.
• Herbs like gokshura, gudmar, triphala, musta, cardamom, fenugreek, or coriander with honey.
• Cereals such as wheat, kodo millet and rice, add fibre to diet.
• Adequate fluids
• Karela juice or white pumpkin may be beneficial.
• Protein-rich foods should be substituted for low-protein foods.
• Pulses such as arahar, horse gram (kulattha), and green gram (mudga) are considered beneficial.
• Reduce sugar in your diet.
• Have soaked methi seeds.
• Restrict table salt in your diet as sodium can further deteriorate the renal diseases.
• Soak vegetables for atleast 15-20 minutes beforehand to remove potassium.
• Soyabean oil, groundnut oil, and mustard oil may be beneficial.
• Aim for normal blood pressure.
• Aim for adequate body weight.
• Turmeric and cinnamon, in combination is beneficial in early stages of diabetes.
• Vegetables such as green banana, chaulee, dwarf copperleaf (matsyakhshi), methi (fenugreek leaves), bitter gourd, Parawal, Kunduru, Lauki may be taken.

Life-style Changes (Vihaar)

• Exercising regularly. Walking, swimming, running and yoga asanas all are highly beneficial.
• Udvartana or Regular dry massage may be beneficial.
• Steam bath may help reduce fat in obese diabetics.
• Sitz or waist bath also helps.
• Include pranayama in your routine.