High blood pressure, high uric acid, high calcium level and so on…
These are some of the most common problems we are aware of. The human body runs on a balance no matter what. If it’s a mineral component, the imbalance can be quite troubling to deal with.
Naturally, our body has natural machinery to maintain this balance that is run by our kidneys. When we talk about minerals such as sodium, phosphorus etc. our kidneys play an active role in the removal of these.
Any disturbance with the kidney function can cause you to suffer. This is because the accumulation of these compounds can ruin your body’s functions in many ways. Phosphorus is one such element. My father suffered from the accumulation of phosphorus in the body. We took him to the top nephrologist in Islamabad who then diagnosed him and started treating him.
This is basically a complication that comes with chronic kidney diseases.
What is Hyperphosphatemia?
High phosphate or hyperphosphatemia is a common problem but following the right tips can help you deal with it. Before we talk about the remedies or solutions, let’s see what having high phosphorus levels in the body looks like. Here are some of the common signs and symptoms to know about:
- You experience muscle cramps
- Joint and bone pain
- You feel weak
- Your skin becomes itchy and rashes become visible
- Tingling sensation in the mouth.
This is generally caused but the consumption of foods that are high in phosphate. Your kidneys are generally responsible for the removal of the excess phosphorus from the kidney. In case your kidneys are not doing well, you may experience these signs of hyperphosphatemia.
A phosphorus test is generally used to monitor the level of serum phosphate in your blood. Phosphorus test price is not very high which makes it a quite affordable test to evaluate proper kidney function.
Tips to Reduce Phosphate Level
Now you must be looking for ways that can help you to reduce your phosphate level naturally. If yes then this article is the perfect read for you. Here are some of the best ways that can help you manage phosphate levels naturally.
1- Limit your intake
One of the major reasons behind the increased level of phosphorus in your blood comes from the increased intake of high phosphorus foods. The average intake should be 1189 and 1596 mg for women and men respectively when they are above 20 years of age.
If you are already diagnosed with a high level of phosphorus make sure to avoid foods rich in this. These foods include seafood, organ meats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.
2- Add phosphorus binders to your diet
Alongside reducing the intake of phosphorus in your body make sure to reduce the absorption of this dietary phosphorus in the bloodstream. Here phosphorus binders can help you. Try to consume phosphorus-binding medicine that binds with the free phosphorus in your blood thus reducing the level naturally. This way, the phosphorus will directly pass through the gastrointestinal system. However, make sure to limit your consumption if you want binders to work well.
3- Go for Dialysis
Dialysis is meant to remove the waste, electrolytes and excess water from your body when you lose kidney function completely. So, when phosphorus levels are very high in your body make sure to not skip your dialysis in order to keep your body functions going well.
4-Go for exercise
Sometimes, going for different types of physical activity can help you to control continuously increasing levels of phosphorus in your body. However, while you are suffering from chronic kidney disease, make sure to discuss it with your physician and see what kind of work they recommend for you.
5-Be wise with vitamin D intake
Another thing that can help you to control the level of phosphorus in your body is by controlling your consumption of vitamin D. Presence of vitamin D in your body increases the reabsorption of phosphorus in your blood thus making its removal difficult. Further, it can result in the deposition of phosphorus in your body.
So, if you are on supplementation of vitamin D make sure to talk to your doctor and reduce its consumption as much as you can.
Bottom Line!
Phosphorus, just like other salts, is an important element of our diet. However, our bodies have an effective inbuilt mechanism for the removal of these salts from the body. Our kidneys basically help with this. But if our kidney function is affected, such as in the case of chronic kidney diseases, then it becomes really difficult to deal with high phosphorus levels in your body. You can follow all these tips to get better control over phosphorus levels. Further, make sure to keep an eye on the warning signs and talk to your doctor from time to time to minimize the extent of the damage.