Symptoms of Gastrointestinal distress are common among patients undergoing regular Dialysis, with a whopping approximately eighty percent (80%) of Dialysis patients reporting such complaints. These symptoms cause trouble swallowing, vomiting, burping up food, belly pain (including a burning or gnawing pain in the center of the stomach), and/or indigestion. Sciencedaily.com reported, "Whether the onset of these Gastrointestinal symptoms is related to the chronic renal failure itself, its treatment, or alternatively, other factors, is still unknown." However, there is a new solution.
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Karen J. Manley (Renal Dietitian) has found an inexpensive way for Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis patients to relieve their upper Gastrointestinal symptoms without medication. A new study has found that patients can use simple mouthwashes to rinse their mouths' and dilute saliva in order to displace bitter-tasting compounds, such as urea.
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More specifically, very inexpensive and effective rinses included "sodium bicarbonate (5g), salt (5g), citric acid (1g), and de-ionized water, each in a 500 mL solution." While all of these mouth rinses improved all Gastrointestinal symptoms "including dry mouth, taste changes, nausea, and dry retching (also known as dry heaving), sodium bicarbonate was found to be more effective in improving taste changes, nausea, and dry retching,” according to Renal & Urology News. Although citric acid improved dry mouth and taste changes, some patients found that it increased their nausea and dry heaving.
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Sixty-six percent (66%) of patients found sodium bicarbonate beneficial -- forty percent (40%) preferred it to the other mouth rinse options, noted the journal, Nephrology. This may be due to the fact that sodium bicarbonate cleanses receptors on taste buds and may favorably alter mouth pH (taste in mouth), Manley explained.
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Do you have Gastrointestinal symptoms? If so, what do you do to correct them? Would you try any of these mouth rinses? Share your answers with the over 36,700 Friends who have liked the KidneyBuzz.com Facebook Fan Page (click here). While you are there click the like button (located to the right of the profile picture) to show your support. Also, visit KidneyBuzz.com every day (115,000 individual monthly viewers) so you do not miss any of the daily news. Further, visit for the information, Impact Meals, daily inspirational quotes, products, and services which teach those with Chronic Kidney Disease, Dialysis, Kidney Transplant, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure how to better manage and improve their lives. One regular viewer, Karyn McColl wrote, "Hello, I am a hemodialysis patient with renal diabetic and renal anemia. I was recommended to join your page as I was looking for kidney and diabetes-friendly recipes. Thank you [I] really appreciate it!"