
Why It’s Important To Understand Diabetes and Kidney Health
For many of us, staying healthy is not a destination, it’s a journey. In addition to being moms we wear many hats: sister-in-law, daughter, wife, daughter-in-law, and maybe even a coach! We often put ourselves last on the list of priorities, especially if we’re looking after our own parents too.
It is so easy to stop caring for yourself or to get overwhelmed trying. But, when you stop caring for yourself, your ability to care for your child is impacted and your ability to enjoy motherhood may be affected.
Many of us have just come off a busy festival season with Diwali, Karva Chauth and even Eid in the fall. As we head into winter, following Diabetes Awareness Month, it’s a good time to take stock of our health and well-being.
You may know that being South Asian puts you at an increased risk of diabetes, but did you know that people with diabetes, high blood pressure or who have a family history of kidney disease are at increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD)? [ia]
Our kidneys are vital organs to our health, regardless of age.
Here are just some of the things our kidneys do every day[ib]:
Remove waste and excess fluids from the body
Regulate the balance of fluids, salt, potassium and other minerals that are necessary for good health
Release hormones, which regulate blood pressure, red blood cell production and many other important tasks in the body
There are many risk factors for chronic kidney disease. Some you can control, such as smoking and lifestyle choices, while others are outside your control such as age or ethnicity.[ii] People of Aboriginal
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