News & Views

Learning from history could save our lives; how to decrease your chances of having chronic kidney disease

W. Gifford-Jones MD & Diana Gifford-Jones

September 7, 2020

BY W. GIFFORD- JONES MD & DIANA GIFFORD-JONES

Why don’t we learn from history?

Years ago, Australians began to use mixtures of powders containing Aspirin, codeine, phenacetin and caffeine to ease pain. By the 1970s, 25% of those dying of kidney disease had consumed too much of this powder. They also suffered hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and heart attack. Now, Dr. Richard Glassock, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, says that more than half of North Americans over seventy-five have chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidneys, he says, need tender loving care (TLC) to avoid this avoidable common problem.

One must never forget the wise counsel of Sir William Osler who remarked, “The one thing that separates man from animals is man’s desire to take pills.” North Americans are too quick to devour pills for every ache and pain. Think twice if you feel you need a painkiller for a headache or other minor pains. Time and nature cure many ills.

Careless use of over-the-counter (OTC) non-steroidal drugs such as ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve) increase the risk of damaged kidneys.

There’s another problem. Recent research found that those who regularly use proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as: esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec) are more than twenty-eight times more likely to develop CKD than those who use histamine-2 receptor antagonists (Pepcid and Zantac). PPIs are designed for short-term, not extended use.

Never forget another wise remark from Sir William Osler, that “Alcohol is for the elderly what milk is for the young.” The key here is moderation. In other words, sip smart. According to the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, too much alcohol harms kidneys. In general, two drinks a day for men and one for women is OK.

Should our diets be lighter on roast beef and mashed potatoes? The California report says no, but it’s a prudent move to limit the intake of meat. Dr. Glassock claims that those who eat 1.7 ounces daily have a higher risk of severe kidney disease. He suggests that plant sources of protein, such as soybeans, can decrease the risk.

Remember that kidneys are the master glands of our bodies. They control water balance, keep our blood neither too acid nor alkaline, and help to control blood pressure.

They also have a filtering system that contains one million nephrons. If placed end to end, this system would stretch seventy miles. Kidneys filter every drop of blood in our body every three minutes. They need lots of TLC.

Protect kidneys by maintaining a healthy weight. Remember, extra weight puts added stress on kidneys and is a major cause of: Type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and hypertension.

CKD is the price we pay for progress. Today more diagnostic invasive procedures require the use of catheters and injections of dyes. These procedures are done with great care but hovering over them is always the risk of infection. If infection occurs following by-pass coronary surgery or a hip operation, it may require long-term use of antibiotics. They too can injure kidneys.

Don’t wait to get smart. CKD is a silent killer. Symptoms, which appear only after significant damage, may be feet and ankle swelling, nausea, weight loss, and shortness of breath.

Learning from history could save many lives.

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Written By W. Gifford-Jones MD & Diana Gifford-Jones

Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, MD is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Harvard Medical School. He trained in general surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University and in Gynecology at Harvard. His storied medical career began as a general practitioner, ship’s surgeon, and hotel doctor. For more than 40 years, he specialized in gynecology, devoting his practice to the formative issues of women’s health. In 1975, he launched his weekly medical column that has been published by national and local Canadian and U.S. newspapers. Today, the readership remains over seven million. His advice contains a solid dose of common sense and he never sits on the fence with controversial issues. He is the author of nine books including, “The Healthy Barmaid”, his autobiography “You’re Going To Do What?”, “What I Learned as a Medical Journalist”, and “90+ How I Got There!” Many years ago, he was successful in a fight to legalize heroin to help ease the pain of terminal cancer patients. His foundation at that time donated $500,000 to establish the Gifford-Jones Professorship in Pain Control and Palliative Care at the University of Toronto Medical School. At 93 years of age he rappelled from the top of Toronto’s City Hall (30 stories) to raise funds for children with a life-threatening disease through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Diana Gifford-Jones, the daughter of W. Gifford-Jones, MD, Diana has extensive global experience in health and healthcare policy. Diana is Special Advisor with The Aga Khan University, which operates 2 quaternary care hospitals and numerous secondary hospitals, medical centres, pharmacies, and laboratories in South Asia and Africa. She worked for ten years in the Human Development sectors at the World Bank, including health policy and economics, nutrition, and population health. For over a decade at The Conference Board of Canada, she managed four health-related executive networks, including the Roundtable on Socio-Economic Determinants of Health, the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, the Canadian Centre for Environmental Health, and the Centre for Health System Design and Management. Her master’s degree in public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government included coursework at Harvard Medical School. She is also a graduate of Wellesley College. She has extensive experience with Canadian universities, including at Carleton University, where she was the Executive Director of the Global Academy. She lived and worked in Japan for four years and speaks Japanese fluently. Diana has the designation as a certified Chartered Director from The Directors College, a joint venture of The Conference Board of Canada and McMaster University. She has recently published a book on the natural health philosophy of W. Gifford-Jones, called No Nonsense Health – Naturally!

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