Replied by Art from California on 08/15/2022

Peter,

I am not a nutritionist, so I can't give good advice on what would be the best foods for people with CKD to eat, but there is a myriad of nutritional information available on the subject using a simple google search. Here is a typical result :

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-foods-for-kidneys

Art

Replied by Art from California on 06/07/2023

This newer review of studies (March 2023) , adds further confirmation to the effectiveness of Melatonin for kidney disease of multiple types : Https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10047594/#:~:text=Melatonin has been proven to, without regard to the mechanism. Here is a relevant and important quote from the review : ' This means that the supplementation of melatonin can be helpful in almost every type of kidney injury because inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress occur, regardless of the mechanism. The administration of melatonin has a renoprotective effect and inhibits the progression of complications connected to renal failure. It is very important that exogenous melatonin supplementation is well tolerated and that the number of side effects caused by this type of treatment is low. ' Art

Replied by Manuel from Buenos Aires., Argentina on 07/08/2025

Hello Art,

I ran into your post in Earth clinic looking for solutions to my CKD that surprisingly resulted in a Stage 4 condition, plus Anemia. I read the complete post and was surprised by your 5 natural Remedies to manage the condition. I do take them all, as I am a total fan of Natural Remedies since 15 years ago EC cured my gout condition which was so severe I had gout pain every 4 months, and by taking Apple Cider Vinegar with Sodium Bicarbonate I could walk freely again... they may come evry couple of years if so now. Doctors would prescribe pain killers!!

Now I was told to REDUCE my Magnesium Citrate supplementation and ELIMINATE Sodium Bicarbonate because of its Sodium content. I take 2.6 gr of Mg.Citrate for a 400 mg Magnesium daily dose and my blood level is at 2.4 mg/ml..Big Pharma doctors think that what they do not know should not be taken which is not Logical and not Scientific

What would be the Appropriate Dose of Sodium Bicarbonate you would recommend and how to take it? I have been taking 9 mg Melatonin for years now Orally, do you believe thi sis correct?

Thnks Art, and you have my complete admiration for what you do in your posts in Earth Clinic, Manuel

Replied by Art from California on 07/08/2025

Hi Manuel,

Thank you for the kind words of appreciation!

You'll have to give me more information so I can give you a more informed answer.

Are you diabetic?

You don't say how you have responded to the regimen compared to before the regimen? Is there clear benefit or no benefit?

Is there a specific reason your doctor wants you to discontinue bicarbonate of soda if it is not having a negative effect on you or your test results in any way or is it having a negative effect?

The dose of magnesium citrate is inside of the RDA for men(400 ~ 420 mg/day of elemental magnesium), but the blood level appears high, if accurate. Is it negatively impacting your test results or health? If you significantly reduce your dose, will they allow using liquid magnesium chloride (spray) topically in the areas of the kidneys?

My list of supplements relating to CKD is very lengthy and I can offer other suggestions for you to discuss with your doctors if needed, but I would like the above questions answered if possible.

Here are a few for them to consider as replacements :

Blueberry Extract

Stinging Nettle

Silymarin

Art

Replied by Manuel from Argentina on 07/15/2025

Thanks for your reply Art,

Regarding if I am Diabetic, the answer is NO

I only started the Diet/Regimen a bit less than a month ago.. It is very strict keeping the following limits: Protein from 47 to 62 gr....Potassium from 2.000 to 2500 and Phosphorous from 800 to 1000 milligrams... with 15 day average at 51,1840 and 790 respectively, and I am keeping track with values per 100 gr. of each food in an Excel program...Absolutely no salt in food Too soon to verify if the diet is the key variable in the 20% increase in TFG because I also take 4000 IU Eritropoyetin injection weekly (to fix Anemia) plus the the 5 supplements you recommended.

My Doctor did not say to discontinue the Sodium Bicarbonate.. It was Chat GPT which at first said that Sodium was a NO NO ...In reality 2 grams of Sodium Bicarbonate only has only a few milligrams of Sodium molecule.. So I sent Chat GPT the link you posted of NIH and it changed its mind and said that a 20% decrease in kidney decay was very meaningful and it seemed Ok to take it.

According to the Lab Limit,

Magnesium level in Blood of 2.4 mg/dl touches the maximum ... Could it be damaging the kidneys?? If not I can keep taking the 400 mg. of Mg.

Taking care and slowing down my CKD is the objective now, so Please send me the complete list of supplements to help this issue.

By the way do you think that Colloidal Silver of very small particles at 10 ppm may damage the kidneys? it cures too many things.

Thanks again for your continuous interest

Manuel

Replied by Art from California on 07/15/2025

Hi Manuel,

Regarding AI in general, there seem to be many reports on the internet discussing the reliability of AI reports. Personally I feel more comfortable with actual studies in people or at least animals to use as guides. As an example, I asked an AI a question regarding Parkinson's disease and then asked the same the very next day and the two answers were not the same. I understand that as the science evolves that AI should be constantly updating their data, but this seems like it would only happen after at least a month has passed, not the very next day!

As I said, in my opinion, your magnesium level seems high and significantly lowering the dose seems appropriate. Perhaps take a break from oral magnesium citrate and switch to magnesium chloride spray (mag oil) applied topically over the kidney areas front and back each day to try and target the kidney area. Mag oil ultimately goes systemic anyway.

Since you are at an advanced stage of CKD (stage 4), determining a proper dose of sodium bicarbonate will have to be determined by your doctor because regular monitoring will be needed. They will first have to determine if your bicarbonate level is normal and determine dosing accordingly from there. Here is a human study link to show to your doctor so that your doctor can understand that sodium bicarbonate has health value for your kidneys and also to give a starting guide in terms of dosage :

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11843131/

Here is a relevant quote from the human study :

' In this randomized, interventional 3-arm trial of participants with macroalbuminuric, primary hypertension-associated CKD and normal eGFR, dietary acid reduction over 5 years with either F&Vs or NaHCO₃ (HCO₃⁻) yielded improved (i.e., less acid) systemic acid-base status. Improvement was manifest by parameters not usually assessed clinically, including less acid accumulation and greater urine citrate excretion (8-hour UcitV). Improved acid-base status was also manifest by parameters assessed clinically, including higher levels of PTCO₂, PHCO₃⁻, and PCO₂. The 2 intervention groups had lower UNAE excretion than UC, consistent with a reduced acid challenge. Furthermore, improved acid-base status was associated with less oxidative stress assessed by lower U8-iso excretion, and less kidney injury assessed by lower UACR, urine N-acetyl-β-D-glucosamine, and urine angiotensinogen excretion. Indeed, both intervention groups had higher eGFR at 5 years than UC. These data show that typical modern diets, largely acid-producing, ⁴ can cause sustained acid accumulation in those with normal eGFR, similar to patients with CKD and reduced eGFR. In addition, this acid accumulation can be reduced by less acid-producing foods or by mineral alkali like NaHCO₃; both interventions were associated with less kidney injury. '

The graphs in the above study link are very revealing and may be what it takes to show your doctor the usefulness of using sodium bicarbonate long term as this was a 5 year study.

As to the 9 mg of melatonin, in studies melatonin starts to show benefits for humans at 1/2 (.5 mg) a milligram. In your case though, you are apparently tolerating the 9 mg/day dose well so far. Your doctor will have to decide if a further increase in dose will be good or not because it will also have to be compatible with other meds you may be taking. Pretty much all supplements and their dosing will need to be approved by your doctor since you are in stage 4 CKD.

Do you have hypertension? You didn't mention if the cause of your CKD is known. If you do have hypertension and are on a specific hypertension med, you might ask your doctor if you can switch to Beet Root Powder Capsules (BRPC) as these can lower blood pressure while potentially offering benefits for the kidneys at the same time. I like when a single supplement can have multiple uses.

As to other supplements to consider for CKD, the three supplements I mentioned are a good place to start since your doctor will need to approve and supervise them and I think these three may have a better chance of meeting your doctor's approval and will probably be at the supplement limit for your doctor in number. Again, those three at label dosing are :

Blueberry Extract

Stinging Nettle

Silymarin

These three are quite potent and likely to have synergy due to varying methods of action in CKD. All three have very good safety profiles which your doctor should check and is especially important in your case.

Art