When kidney patients begin to look at treatment options they have a lot of choices. While not all treatment options are right for everyone, choices include transplantation, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. If patients choose dialysis as their form of treatment, they next need to consider if they want to receive these treatments in a dialysis facility or at home. Although home dialysis regimens are considered “self-care” procedures that can be preformed fairly independently, patients often need the help and support of family members or friends...

Sometimes it seems as if kidney patients need to be detectives when it comes to reading labels. A quick glance at a Nutrition Facts table gives you an idea of sodium content but won’t give you enough information when it comes to phosphorus (or phosphate). Food manufacturers are not required to list the amount of phosphorus in foods on food labels...

Diabetes is a serious chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or the insulin that is produced cannot be used properly (Type 2 diabetes).Type 2 diabetes is much more common, accounting for 90% of all cases of diabetes.The World Health Organization considers diabetes to be a global epidemic that stems from less physical activity and a rise in obesity....

François-René Dussaultmay look like a regular middle-aged male, but there’s a lot that’s extraordinary about him. It’s not just that he’s a thriving lawyer who succeeded in having Ottawa City Hall agree on a tax credit when his home hemodialysis treatment made his water and sewer bills skyrocket. And it’s not just that he’s living well with an hereditary form of kidney disease, Alport Syndrome, that caused both his kidneys to fail a decade ago. It’s that his kidneys may have failed – but his stamina and vision haven’t...

Kidneys are the master chemists of the body. They produce vital hormones that help regulate blood pressure and control mineral levels that keep bones healthy.They also clear your system of toxins such as the excess of medications or the waste product of muscle activity known as creatinine. Proactive management of kidney disease can make all the difference to one's health and quality of life. Making the right food choices is part of that critical difference....

“Spice it up! truly takes the boredom out of kidney disease recipes.   I have been trying every dialysis diet cookbook on the English speaking planet and have not found anything as fun, inspiring and tasty!”
Marie-Jo, Ottawa, Ontario