The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. marked World Kidney Day last Thursday with a mini-health fair outside the hemodialysis center building, next to the parking lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal here it raise awareness,\u201d said Miles Guerrero, CHCC nurse manager for the dialysis unit. \u201cWe want to make sure that the community\u2026knows about kidney disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Guerrero, a person can make lifestyle modifications to ultimately prevent or delay end-stage renal disease\u2014the last stage of chronic kidney disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two main causes of kidney disease are diabetes and hypertension,\u201d she said. \u201cThe health fair sheds light on what people can do to either prevent the disease or slow it down if they have it already.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guerrero noted that most patients only realize that they have problems with their kidneys when they are already near the end stage of chronic kidney disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey tell us they didn\u2019t even know that their kidneys were failing,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
CHCC renal dietician Jessie Delos Reyes-Willsey said that soba and processed meat might be a reality of life on Saipan but they may be avoided completely by slowly reducing portions gradually or by altering the way it is prepared\u2014\u201cmaking small changes and trying to add fresh vegetables into meals everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry not to use salt,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
If soba or processed meat are simply unavoidable, she recommends to at least use less of the soup mix that comes in soba packs or rinsing spam in water to remove the excess sodium.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026Fifty percent of the adult population here has hypertension and hypertension is one of the leading causes of kidney disease. Reducing salt intake\u2026and watching portion sizes are some of the things that we can do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For those with diabetes, Willsey recommends watching how much rice is consumed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is Lent season and I know some people are giving up on rice\u2026 It\u2019s already a start, so develop it into habits everyday,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n