- You are here:
- Home »
- Blog »
- Health News »
- How the Kidneys Are Impacted by Hashimoto’s
How the Kidneys Are Impacted by Hashimoto’s
We’ve had a few posts covering the adrenals this week. In this one, I talk about how they can affect your kidneys and what you can do about it.
Well something that is often overlooked with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s is it’s impact on the kidneys (the Water Element in Chinese Medicine)
I’ve had a lot of questions this week about why blood pressure goes up in people who have low blood pressure for years.
Read this post and you’ll learn why.While this is one area that is not often discussed, Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism can have a big impact on kidney function.Hypothyroidism can cause:
- Less blood flow to the kidneys
(This can cause creatinine to build up and not be excreted. Creatinine is a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism. )
- Increased amounts of uric acid. 20-30% of gout patients have hypothyroidism. This is often linked with higher levels of creatinine.
- Cause high blood pressure. According to one study, up to 40% of hypothyroid patients had high blood pressure.
The kidneys fail to filter waste products from your body properly when your pressure is low, and “angiotensin” is produced, which raises your blood pressure.
Also, a rise in cortisol from your adrenals can raise your blood pressure.
Hypothyroidism can also cause edema.
You can see this swelling under the eyes, or as mild swelling of the hands and feet.
This is caused by several things: decreased kidney function, capillaries becoming more permeable-, poor lymphatic drainage and salt and water retention by the kidneys.
Another area that’s important to think about is the amount of protein in your diet.
As many of you know, we advocate the Autoimmune Paleo approach because this diet can be so effective in healing the gut and calming an overactive immune system.
One problem with this diet with regard to the kidneys is that some people have a tendency to focus too much on the meat. It becomes the all-meat-all-day diet.
This is really hard on the kidneys because they are responsible for filtering out the metabolic wastes that are created when protein is broken down.
So, it’s really important to make sure that you have plenty of vegetables and fruit (preferably organic and if you’re ambitious – grown in your garden).
You don’t need to eat meat with every meal. It’s perfectly fine to have some meals that are vegetable and/or vegetable and a good starch only.
Your kidneys will thank you for it!
About the Author Marc Ryan
So now, not only is it my profession, it’s my passion, and it’s personal. I’ve been joking with people lately saying it’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I really get it, and a curse because I really got it! ?
