| Check Out the New Features of AAKP My Health™ |  |
AAKP My Health™ now offers new features to help users take charge of their health care. Users can now receive appointment reminders by email and print emergency contact cards.
AAKP My Health™ is a free, unique section of the AAKP website, www.aakp.org, that provides you with online tools to be the leader in your healthcare. With AAKP My Health™, you can:
· Track your lab results
· Log your medications
· List your healthcare team members
· Prepare information for doctor visits
· Test your kidney knowledge
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Recipe of the Month: Cranberry Nut Bread |
 Serving size: 1/10th loaf Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups cranberries
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons melted margarine
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons hot water
Preparation:
- Cut each cranberry in half with a paring knife and reserve.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease loaf pan and line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix apple juice, orange zest, melted margarine and beaten egg. Add to the flour mixture and stir until flour is combined.
- Mix in cranberries and walnuts. Stir in the hot water.
- Place in prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Test by poking a toothpick into bread; if it comes out clean the bread is done. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 214; Fat: 5g; Protein: 4g; Phosphorus 58mg; Potassium 85mg; Sodium 143mg
Renal Food Choices: One starch, one-half fruit low potassium, one fat, one high-calorie
Renal Diabetic Food Choices: Reduce portion to half a slice or 1/20th loaf; one starch, one-half fat, one-half high-calorie
Recipe reprinted with permission from Culinary Kidney Cooks. Source, Cooking for David: A Culinary Dialysis Cookbook. |
| Pomegranate Juice Shows Potential Benefits for Dialysis Patients |  Studies in recent years have claimed multiple health benefits of pomegranate juice, including that it is a good source of antioxidants and lowers both cholesterol and blood pressure, especially in diabetic and hypertensive patients. A preliminary study now suggests that it can ward off a number of complications in kidney disease patients on dialysis, including the high morbidity rate due to infections and cardiovascular events.
Laboratory tests showed that patients who drank pomegranate juice experienced reduced inflammation. Pomegranate juice drinkers were less likely to be hospitalized due to infections. Other studies have revealed that those who drank pomegranate juice also showed an improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, such as reduced blood pressure, improvement in lipid profile and fewer cardiovascular events, suggesting that they had better heart health. The researchers noted it is important to consider the risk involved in potassium overload, especially in CKD patients with dietary potassium restriction. |
| Produce-Rich Diet Improves Long-Term Kidney Health |  In patients with kidney disease, the Western diet produces an acidic environment in the body that has numerous negative effects and worsens with age as kidney function declines. Researchers have conducted a study to see if consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables that counteract this acidity might improve the kidney health of patients who have moderately reduced kidney function due to high blood pressure. They found thirty days of this diet reduced the presence of albumin in the urine, a key indicator of kidney disease. These preliminary studies support the need for larger long-term studies to determine if this simple and relatively inexpensive intervention helps reduce the risk of subsequent worsening of kidney function in patients with hypertension-associated kidney disease. |
| Melatonin Improves Sleep in the Short-Term | |
 Sleep disorders are common in kidney disease patients on dialysis due to a disturbance in their biological clocks. Studies have previously found that giving dialysis patients melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep and wake cycles, can improve sleep over a short period of time. Now, these researchers have investigated whether the benefits of melatonin on sleep persist over the long term, and if long-term use of melatonin could improve patients' quality of life. At 3 months, the previously shown beneficial effect of the short-term use of melatonin on sleep onset was confirmed. In contrast, at 12 months none of the measured sleep parameters differed significantly from placebo. Regarding quality of life, melatonin had a positive effect on social functioning and a trend in improvement of mentality.
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| Tip of the Month: Holiday Beverage Guidelines | |
 One change required by hemodialysis is reduced intake of liquids. Normally, the kidney works to remove extra liquids from the body. With kidney failure, liquids accumulate in the body between dialysis sessions. During dialysis, fluid is removed from the body. What can happen if too much liquid is consumed between dialysis treatments? You may experience swelling, high blood pressure, difficulty breathing, cramping, and a drop in blood pressure during the dialysis treatment.
Don't let excessive fluids spoil your holiday fun! Use the following guidelines to help prevent these problems when choosing beverages throughout the holidays:
- Know how many ounces or cups of liquid you can safely consume each day. Ask your renal dietitian if you are unsure.
- Spread liquids throughout the day. Include medication, meal, and snack times.
- Avoid continuous refills--place a napkin over your cup or get rid of the beverage container when you have consumed the planned amount.
Click here for more helpful hints.
Information courtesy of Culinary Kidney Cooks.
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