aakpRENALFLASH - April 2020
AAKP HealthLine Webinar on 4/17!  Taking Care of Your Dialysis Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Please join us on Friday, 4/17 at 1 pm ET, for an AAKP HealthLine webinar on Taking Care of Your Dialysis Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Register Now! Registration limited to the first 2,500.  

Featured webinar speakers include: Ari D. Kramer, MD; Gerald A. Beathard, MD, PhD, FACP, FCPA, FASN, FASDIN; and Terry Foust Litchfield, MPA, CPC.  This educational webinar is supported with an educational donation by Avenu Medical.

Coronavirus Resources and AAKP Coronavirus Webinar Links can be found on our webpage - click here.

Click on the blue button to Register.
In This Issue
Click the image below to read our new brochure Coping, Living and Thriving with Kidney Disease.  For more educational resources, click here.
National Donate Life Blue & Green Day

Celebrate Blue & Green Day, part of National Donate Life Month in April, with the American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)!  On April 17, 2020 we will be posting photos of kidney patients with their AAKP Blue & Green Day sign. This effort shows our support of organ, eye and tissue donation.

What to do:
First, download your sign - click here.  Then, take a selfie with your sign (wear a  blue or  green shirt, if possible).  Next, e-mail it to AAKP to post on April 17th @  dpelaez@aakp.org!  Finally, post it on your social media channels on  April 17th!  Use  #BlueGreenDay and tag  @kidneypatient on Facebook or  @kidneypatients on Twitter or Instagram.

Click on the blue button to read more.
Learn more about Potassium; Are You O-K+? National High Potassium Awareness Day is 5.1

Join together on May 1st (5.1) each year to learn and share knowledge about  HIGH POTASSIUM , also known as  HYPERKALEMIA !  It is important for people living with  kidney disease  to learn about potassium and to be aware of how much potassium they take in.


Are You O-K+?  Learn more on 5.1, take part in these activities!
  • Join us for an AAKP HealthLine webinar on May 1 (5.1) at 1 p.m. ET on The Importance of Potassium Management & Kidney Disease.  Click here to Register!
  • Take the Potassium Quiz to test your knowledge!  Click here to take the Quiz!
  • Join us on social media by following us and lining our educational posts at: @areyouok5point1 on Facebook and on Twitter.
  • Read Patient Stories about high potassium.  AAKP Ambassador Chardae "Prima" Sanders and AAKP BOD/Ambassador, Dale Rogers shared their story on high potassium.
Click on the blue button below to read more ways to learn about potassium.
Ask the Doc: Grape Seed Extract and Green Tea
By Stephen Z Fadem, MD, FASN, AAKP Medical Advisory Board Chair

Grape seed extracts come from grapes - as do wine and vinegar - all touted to have distinct health benefits.  A small study was done in Tunisia comparing grapeseed extract with a placebo. It was a randomized trial that lasted for six months.
 
Although the study size was very small it did show a significant increase in plasma catalase and superoxide dismutase. It also showed a significant decrease in protein carbonylation. These large words mean that it had antioxidant properties, and antioxidants help preserve kidney function. 

Although the GFR did not change in the placebo group, there was improvement in the group treated with grape seed extract. This is a very small study, and only looked at patients over a short period of time. Although safe over this time period, one cannot claim long term effectiveness until a larger study is performed. 

Click on the blue button to read the full blog post and references.
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AAKP newsletters are for informational purposes and share some of the latest news in popular media and within the kidney community. The content included is not necessarily the opinion of the Association. AAKP has no control and is not libel for article links that have been removed/changed/broken.