Your Kidney Health Is More Than a Number
Whether you want to prevent kidney disease, are living with a kidney condition, or are supporting someone you love, discover practical resources grounded in integrative and functional nephrology.
Prevent Kidney Disease
Start before symptoms appear. Understand your individual risk and choose practical steps that fit your life—not a one-size-fits-all diet or supplement regimen.
Ask whether you need both a kidney-function blood test (eGFR) and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR), especially with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or a family history of kidney disease.
A useful first question: “Have I had both kidney function and urine albumin checked?”
Living With Kidney Disease
Go beyond the diagnosis. Bring together the cause of your kidney condition, dated test results, blood pressure, nutrition, daily habits, and treatment questions.
Our integrative approach connects established nephrology with nutrition, lifestyle, inherited risk, environmental exposures, and the gut–kidney relationship. Use the tools to prepare a more personal conversation with your care team.
A useful first question: “What matters most for my kidney health now, and what should we do next?”
Your Practical Kidney Health Toolkit
You do not need to complete every tool. Choose the one that answers your question today. For a broader starting point, try the Integrative Kidney Health Assessment.
I’m not sure where to start
Integrative Kidney Health Assessment
Explore your priorities across nutrition, lifestyle, family history, environmental exposures, gut health, and medicines. Start with a 5–10-minute core assessment and choose deeper topics that matter to you.
Leave with: a practical educational action plan.
I want to understand my results
Know Your Kidney Numbers
Make sense of estimated kidney function (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR). Organize dated results and questions about what they mean in your own situation.
Use it for: understanding your results and preparing better questions.
I want to track my blood pressure
Home Blood Pressure Tracker
Record blood pressure, pulse, and the context around each reading. Review morning and evening averages, see changes over time, and export or print a log for your care team.
Return to it: readings can be saved in the same browser; keep a backup.
I need practical help with meals and habits
Integrative Kidney Nutrition & Lifestyle Planner
Choose whole-food, plant-forward meal ideas, build a shopping list, compare sodium labels, and plan one or two habits that fit your preferences, kitchen, budget, and routine.
Leave with: selected meals, a shopping list, and manageable next steps.
I want to organize everything I take
Medication, Herb & Supplement Review
Bring prescriptions, occasional medicines, herbs, and supplements into one list. Record why you take them, benefits you notice, and questions about appropriate use, monitoring, and safety.
Leave with: a printable review organizer—not an interaction check.
I have an appointment coming up
Preparing for Your Kidney Appointment
Choose your top concerns, note what has changed, and gather the records you already have. Prepare questions and leave space for the actions you and your care team agree on.
Leave with: a printable visit sheet and follow-up notes.
Free to use. No account or newsletter subscription is required. Saving options vary by tool. Read the saving notice and keep a downloaded backup of information you want to retain.
For Families & Caregivers
Support starts with the person’s goals and the help they welcome. You do not have to take over their care to make the next meal, appointment, or conversation easier.
Ask what would help
Agree on one task together: organizing dated test results, updating a product list, preparing an appointment question, or planning a meal they enjoy.
Keep their information and choices clear
With permission, use the caregiver option where offered. Answer about the person you support, bring their questions, and leave decisions with them and their care team.
Learn About Integrative Kidney Health
Six connected perspectives. One person. Our approach brings genetics and epigenetics, nutrition, lifestyle, environmental health, the gut microbiome, and pharmaceutical care into the same conversation.
Choose a topic that matters to you. These selected readings explain the ideas behind integrative kidney health and help you prepare questions—not self-prescribe a treatment.
New to integrative kidney care? Learn how the six pillars fit together. Understand the integrative approach.
Nutrition & metabolic health
Plant-forward eating and potassium
Confused about fruits, vegetables, and potassium? Explore why whole-food choices and individual potassium needs belong in the same conversation—not a blanket list of forbidden foods.
Lifestyle
Five practical steps for better sleep
Build a calmer evening routine with ideas for managing racing thoughts, planning tomorrow, and reducing bedtime screen use.
The gut–kidney connection
Understanding the brain–gut–kidney connection
Explore how gut microbes, stress responses, and the kidneys communicate—and why this developing research matters to a whole-person approach.
Genetics and Epigenetics
Could genetics help explain my kidney disease?
Learn how family history, inherited conditions, and different types of genetic testing can inform discussions about diagnosis and family risk.
Environmental health
Environmental exposures and food-based support
Explore the connections between environmental exposures, nutrition, and the body’s defense systems. Understand why food-based support is not a substitute for reducing exposure.
Medicines, herbs & supplements
Astragalus: research, potential benefits, and cautions
Considering herbal support? Review what has been studied about astragalus, where evidence remains uncertain, and why product quality and medication interactions matter.
How heart, kidney, and metabolic health connect: Understand why blood pressure, blood sugar, and kidney health are considered together. Explore the heart–kidney connection.
Go Deeper With Our Guides
The tools and articles above are free. For more structured reading and practical examples, explore our optional paid guides.
Fundamentals of a Plant-Based Diet for Kidney Health explains a whole-food, plant-forward approach, with food choices, preparation ideas, and recipes. Plant-forward does not have to mean vegan.
Use it as education alongside individualized advice—not as a prescribed diet. Purchasing a guide is optional and is never required to use the tools.
Keep Learning With Integrative Kidney Institute
Receive Integrative Kidney Research & News, new educational articles, and practical resources exploring our whole-person approach to kidney health.
A Few Practical Questions
Do I need an account or a subscription?
No. These tools are available without an account or newsletter subscription. Signing up for educational emails is a separate choice.
Will my information still be here next time?
Saving varies by tool. Where browser saving is available, return with the same device and browser profile, and keep a downloaded backup. Some tools do not keep answers after you close the page. Browser data can be cleared, and information does not automatically sync between devices. Check each tool’s notice before you begin.
Can I use the tools for someone I support?
Yes, with their permission. Use the caregiver option where it is available and enter that person’s information—not your own. Agree on the questions and practical help that matter to them.
Does a completed plan replace a clinical review?
No. The tools help organize information and educational questions; they do not provide a diagnosis, prescribe treatment, or create a monitored patient account. The medication organizer does not check interactions or decide whether a product is suitable. Share the output with your care team.
For questions about our educational resources, contact Integrative Kidney Institute. Please do not use the website or contact form for urgent medical concerns.
Educational resources, not individualized medical advice. Review treatment and dietary changes with your healthcare team. For a medical emergency, call emergency services rather than waiting for a website response.