Progressive kidney failure due to believing in herbal medicine over western medicine

Believing in herbal medicine, patients' kidney failure progresses

At the end of 2024, Mr. M. went for a routine health check-up and was diagnosed with stage 3A chronic kidney disease, with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 59 ml/min/1.73 m2. He was prescribed oral medication and scheduled for a follow-up visit to monitor his kidney function. However, Mr. M. stopped following the treatment regimen and went online to look for herbal medicine.

Believing in the advice of a good herbal medicine in Binh Phuoc , Mr. M. went to a traditional medicine practitioner's house and bought 90 prepackaged doses of medicine to boil and drink 3 times a day. After drinking for a short time, the patient fell into a state of difficulty breathing, edema, and anemia and had to be hospitalized for emergency treatment.

Specialist Doctor II Ho Tan Thong, Nephrology - Dialysis Unit, Tam Anh Medical Examination and Treatment Center, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City said that at the time of admission to the center, Mr. M. was diagnosed with stage 3B chronic kidney disease, with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 30 ml/minute. He was prescribed medical treatment and medication to preserve kidney function.

Despite following the treatment regimen, the patient's eGFR only decreased and did not increase, sometimes reaching about 17 ml/min, progressing to stage 4 chronic kidney failure.

When asked, the patient said that because he wanted to recover quickly without having to go to the hospital, he secretly took herbal medicine.

After the doctor explained the current situation, if the treatment regimen was not followed correctly, there was a high risk of needing lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant to sustain life, Mr. M. stopped taking herbal medicine.

A 65-year-old woman ( Dong Nai ) also came to the emergency room with end-stage renal failure, difficulty breathing, pulmonary edema, hyperkalemia, severe anemia... Doctors had to place an emergency catheter in the neck for artificial kidney dialysis to save the patient's life.

Doctor Thong said that the patient had previously come to the clinic when his kidney failure was at stage 4 and had been treated with internal medicine, responded well to the medication, but had not returned for a follow-up visit for a while. Instead, the patient stopped taking the medication prescribed by the doctor at home and drank leaves recommended by relatives, such as male papaya leaves, eclipta prostrata, green tea leaves, and milkweed leaves.

When the patient arrived at the hospital, it had already progressed to a more severe stage, the kidney had lost almost all function and could not excrete waste on its own. Conservative treatment was not possible and required dialysis 3 times a week.

Do not blindly treat chronic kidney disease with herbal medicine

Specialist Doctor II Ho Tan Thong warns that currently, many people believe in traditional herbal remedies prepared from natural herbs. These remedies are widely shared on social networks with exaggerated claims that they can cure all diseases without the need for dialysis.

According to the National Guidelines on Pharmacovigilance of the Ministry of Health, traditional medicine (also known as herbal medicine) has been used for a long time in the medical examination and treatment system and is considered to have few unwanted side effects, said Dr. Thong.

However, in actual use, allergic reactions and poisonings related to traditional medicine have also been recorded. Some adverse reactions can develop slowly after a long period of using traditional medicine such as heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure or cancer when using drugs containing toxic substances to the heart, liver and kidneys for a long time.

There is currently no scientific research that clearly shows that chronic kidney disease can be cured with leaves or herbal remedies sold online.

Specialist II Doctor Ho Tan Thong said that taking herbal medicine of unknown origin, unknown ingredients, not adjusting the dosage according to kidney function, and improper preparation can cause kidney function to decline, increase blood filtration pressure on the kidneys, and make the disease worse.

The reason is that leaves and medicines sold online often contain potassium and other toxic substances that will burden the kidneys, or even harm them.

For people with chronic kidney disease, kidney function has decreased, even lost function in the final stage, the amount of urine will decrease significantly or stop urinating completely, so patients need to limit water intake.

However, herbal medicines are all boiled and taken orally, which causes the kidneys to work harder while they are already overloaded, causing more serious damage and increasing the degree of kidney failure. Patients are often hospitalized with edema due to fluid retention.

Doctor Thong warns people not to believe in online remedies and arbitrarily abandon their treatment regimen, because there is no "cure-all" remedy that can cure all kidney diseases.

Depending on the disease progression and physical condition of each person, the doctor will prescribe medication according to each stage of the disease and appropriate to each person's kidney function. In addition, the doctor will advise and schedule regular follow-up visits to monitor the patient's condition and advise on appropriate nutrition.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/suy-than-tien-trien-vi-tin-voo-thuoc-nam-hon-dieu-tri-tay-y-post870360.html