Love your Kidneys Newsletter August 2011

Top 5 Tips for Sun Protection

Labor Day is around the corner and if you’re thinking about grabbing those last rays as summer winds down, do it cautiously. To help kidney patients protect themselves from the sun’s damaging UV rays, here are the top 5 Tips from the National Kidney Foundation.

Do-it-Yourself Questionnaire Can Help Derail Major Illnesses

Sometimes what you can’t see can kill you. Excessive protein in the urine, or albuminuria, almost always goes undetected. Yet, this condition affects 10 million Americans and is a signal of kidney disease and a risk factor for kidney failure, heart disease and mortality. Now researchers have developed a simple tool that can help those with albuminuria self-assess their risk at home, get screened by a doctor and begin treatment with medication that can reduce their risks. The study is published in the August issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation.

A Life-Saving Swing

When he received a gift certificate for six golf lessons in May of 1994, Howard Fields scratched his head and wondered what his friend could possibly have been thinking. As an avid racquetball, basketball, volleyball and tennis player, he stuffed the gift in a drawer and promptly forgot about it. Then in January 1995, Fields’ life changed radically when he received a kidney transplant and golf was the sport that took center stage. Click here for the story on his life-saving gift and here to join Fields and other NKF supporters at a local NKF Cadillac Golf Classic event.

Fruit Drink Can Keep You Cool

Having a hard time quenching your thirst in the dog days of summer? Looking for something cool, refreshing and kidney-friendly? Try this delicious watermelon spritzer, straight from the Kidney Kitchen. This recipe is healthy for those with chronic kidney disease as well as those on dialysis and transplant recipients. If you’re on dialysis, we recommend a portion size of no more than 8 ounces.

Legislation Introduced to Help Organ Transplant Patients

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Scott Brown (R-MA) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the quality of life for people with kidney disease, the National Kidney Foundation announced. The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act would assist thousands of Americans under the age of 65 who are being cut off from Medicare after 36 months by extending coverage of essential immunosuppressive drugs for the life of a kidney transplant. Click here for more information on the legislation and how you can help.