Coping with Kidney Disease: A 12-Step Treatment Program to Help You Avoid Dialysis [Paperback]

Mackenzie Walser (Author), Betsy Thorpe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2004

A revolutionary program that can indefinitely postpone the need for dialysis

If you've been diagnosed with kidney failure, this book could save your life. If you suffer from diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or any of a host of conditions that put you at risk for kidney disease, you owe it to yourself to read what is in this book. If you are among the 60,000 North Americans who go on dialysis each year, the information in this book could substantially improve your quality of life.

In Coping with Kidney Disease, a leading expert tells you, in plain English, what you need to know to:
* Understand kidney failure
* Recognize early warning signs of kidney failure
* Get a proper diagnosis
* Talk with your doctors about it
* Confidently evaluate treatment options
* Take charge of your treatment
* Delay dialysis or even avoid the need for it altogether


The centerpiece of Coping with Kidney Disease is Dr. Walser's revolutionary 12-step program for avoiding dialysis. Based on treatments he has pioneered with his own patients at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the program calls for a supplemented low-protein diet supported by treatments to control blood pressure and correct high cholesterol. So effective has this breakthrough strategy proven to be that in many patients it actually worked to slow or arrest the progression of kidney failure to the end stage.

Knowledge is power. Coping with Kidney Disease empowers you with what you need to take charge of kidney disease.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Drawing on his work treating hundreds of adult kidney disease patients at his institution's Clinical Research Center, Walser (pharmacology & medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine) aims to assist readers in understanding kidney failure, a condition that can be caused by diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Many of his points--e.g., how to recognize the early warning signs, get a correct diagnosis, and evaluate treatment options-are illustrated by the stories of real patients. Walser also presents a low protein diet as the center of his J 2-step treatment to help kidney disease patients avoid dialysis. Despite the use of patient stories and sample menus for the low protein diet, this book will not suit consumers owing to the prevalent medical jargon. The National Kidney Foundation offers more accessible and useful information on its web site, www.kidney.org. Not recommended.  —Marge Kars Bronson. Methodist Hospital, Kalamazoo, MI (Library Journal , May 1, 2004)

From the Back Cover

A revolutionary program that can indefinitely postpone the need for dialysis

If you’ve been diagnosed with kidney failure, this book could save your life. If you suffer from diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or any of a host of conditions that put you at risk for kidney disease, you owe it to yourself to read what is in this book. If you are among the 60,000 North Americans who go on dialysis each year, the information in this book could substantially improve your quality of life.

In Coping with Kidney Disease, a leading expert tells you, in plain English, what you need to know to:

• Understand kidney failure
• Recognize early warning signs of kidney failure
• Get a proper diagnosis
• Talk with your doctors about it
• Confidently evaluate treatment options
• Take charge of your treatment
• Delay dialysis or even avoid the need for it altogether

The centerpiece of Coping with Kidney Disease is Dr. Walser’s revolutionary 12-step program for avoiding dialysis. Based on treatments he has pioneered with his own patients at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the program calls for a supplemented low-protein diet supported by treatments to control blood pressure and correct high cholesterol. So effective has this breakthrough strategy proven to be that in many patients it actually worked to slow or arrest the progression of kidney failure to the end stage.

Knowledge is power. Coping with Kidney Disease empowers you with what you need to take charge of kidney disease.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471274232
• ISBN-13: 978-0471274230
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Genitourinary & STDs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halting polycystic kidney disease or delaying dialysis, August 30, 2004

By 

Diane Smith "Danevas" (Hilo Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coping with Kidney Disease: A 12-Step Treatment Program to Help You Avoid Dialysis (Paperback)

Coping with Kidney Disease is a really useful, well-written and organized helpful book when you are approaching dialysis or transplant. It is written for the layperson, however it is still very technical. Precise directions are given as to how one can go about arresting the downward progression of kidney disease once protein appears in the urine. Limiting protein to 22 grams each day and supplementing with essential amino acids accomplishes this. I have seen this working with one extremely well motivated individual. If it will also work before nephrotic syndrome develops, remains to be seen. The book corrects any acidosis instantly, by using sodium bicarbonate pills. With PKD, sodium bicarbonate oftentimes causes kidney stones to develop. If your doc will go along with using sodium citrate, this might be a better alternative alkalizer. There are several unique observations made by Dr. Walser - nausea and vomiting associations with anemia - leg cramps and itching when the body is too acid. He corrects anemia early so it does not lead to LVH left ventricular hypertrophy. I would add when taking iron tablets also take rose hips vitamin C for increased absorption. He clearly explains certain practices that make individuals worse with PKD as opposed to diabetic kidney disease. He goes over which medications including many OTC's which precipitate a decline in kidney functioning. Very interesting reading and it so far it seems to be working.

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible hope, August 25, 2004

By 

S. Calton (Glen Burnie, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coping with Kidney Disease: A 12-Step Treatment Program to Help You Avoid Dialysis (Paperback)

I have met many of the people who are featured as case histories in this book and their story is fantastic. Many have delayed dialysis from 5-12 years. They all had to struggle with their personal physician and with their local nephrologists, many of whom do not believe that people will change their diet to avoid dialysis. Dr. Walser maintained a lonely struggle in this country to get others nephrologists to push a strategy that had a 2.5% death rate (unrelated to the diet) vs. a 24% per year death rate for patients on dialysis.

This book presents a cheaper and far superior lifestyle as opposed to the costs of dialysis and ultimately transplantation (for those who are not too old). The real question, which Dr. Walser does not address in this book, is why aren't other physicians, especially primary care physicians, recommending this approach as a first line response for the ever increasing number of Americans with kidney disease? The strategy really does work.

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank God for Dr Walser, October 9, 2007

By 

M. K. Foley (Prospect Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coping with Kidney Disease: A 12-Step Treatment Program to Help You Avoid Dialysis (Paperback)

This book, in my opinion, is a must for kidney patients. Well written and easy to understand, it gave me a much better understanding of CKD and what I need to do to live a longer and healthier life. Dialysis is not something I want to experience.

After being diagnosed with CKD 18 months ago (stage 3)I did a lot of research on diet, etc. and happened upon Dr. Walser's book. With the approval of my nephrologist, I started using the amino acid suppliments in place of most of my dietary protein. My GFR went from 45 to 75 in three months. Very heartening!

Most of the recipe books for CKD patients, in my opinion, offer a nutritionally deficient regimen and many seemed more like recipe books for developing diabetes. Being a person who likes whole foods, I decided to create my own diet regimen. I bought a copy of DietPro (a diet program that tracks food nutrition by weight) for my computer, a digital food scale, some Calwood Nutritionals amino acid powders and some of the other nutritional suppliments Dr Walser recommended. Since I'm still in the earlier stages of CKD, some days I still eat a small amount of animal protein with my evening meal, but limit it to under 4 ounces raw. I keep my potassium at 2000-3000 mg, phosphorus at 1500-1000 and sodium to under 1500 daily.

It wasn't easy at first, but I'm used to it now. It takes a bit of time to set up the menu plan initially, but after that I spend about 15 minutes a day on DietPro working out my daily menu. My nephrologist says I'm doing very well and says he wishes more of his patients took a more active interest in managing their CKD. My bun creatine levels have improved and my blood potassium levels have dropped to the normal range. The swelling in my ankles and hands is pretty much gone too.

Thank you Dr. Walser!!!!