Acupuncture treatment for chronic kidney disease

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease, also known as chronic kidney failure, is a condition where kidney function declines gradually over time. The kidneys help filter waste and excess fluids from the bloodstream, which are then expelled through urine. Chronic kidney disease typically develops due to other conditions that place stress on the kidneys. In many cases, it arises from a combination of various health issues. It can be caused by: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney infection etc. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) stems from a fundamental deficiency combined with excess manifestations, both of which persist throughout the disease. TCM treatment strategies for CKD primarily focus on invigorating Qi, strengthening kidney function, enhancing blood circulation, dispelling stasis, clearing heat and dampness, eliminating turbidity, and reducing edema. These therapeutic approaches are both multitargeted and multifunctional. In this article is presented a case of 57 years old men with chronic kidney disease, that is, his left kidney is only functioning at 9 percent. He learned about his condition by accident when he had a routine blood test, because he had a problem with high levels of the liver enzymes AST and ALT. He had no symptoms previously. The patient is diabetic and takes metformin tablets. He also has high blood pressure which he controls with tablets Cornelin and Koprenesa. He also as a medicaments use Roswera and Aspirin. He came to our TCM center in September 2024 due to high creatinine and urea. At that time, the doctors recommended dialysis or transplantation due to his kidney condition, but the patient refused and decided to try another type of treatment, namely acupuncture. Initially, he underwent 10 acupuncture treatments, and then had a new blood test where creatinine and urea were within normal limits. He took a month off and then continued with acupuncture treatments every 2 weeks, one treatment. Acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for improving kidney function and relieving pruritic symptoms in patients with this disease.

Keywords: TCM, Acupuncture, Kidney, Creatinine