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An Ancient Remedy for Children with Nephrotic Syndrome

by Yao Jie Blair(more info)

listed in chinese oriental medicine, originally published in issue 51 - April 2000

To make it easy to understand, it occurs when the kidneys leak large amounts of protein (mostly albumin) into the urine. Protein lost in the urine results in a lower level of proteins in the blood. It is these proteins in the blood which help to hold water within the blood vessels. When the protein level is very low, water passes into the tissues and this is recognised as swelling (oedema).

Figure 1: Dr Yao

Figure 1: Dr Yao

The nephrotic syndrome is characterised by massive proteinuria, which leads to hypoproteinaemia/ hypoalbunaemia, hyperlipidaemia with elevated cholesterols, triglycerides and other lipids, and oedema. To make it easy to understand, it occurs when the kidneys leak large amounts of protein (mostly albumin) into the urine. Protein lost in the urine results in a lower level of proteins in the blood. It is these proteins in the blood which help to hold water within the blood vessels. When the protein level is very low, water passes into the tissues and this is recognised as swelling (oedema). The cause is still unknown. It is a rare condition which affects approximately 1 in 50,000 children. Nephrotic syndrome affects boys more than girls and the usual age at which the problem begins is 2 to 5 years.

The conventional treatment for nephrotic syndrome is steroid therapy. Prednisolone will be the drug prescribed for the child when he or she is first diagnosed. There are some children who do not respond to steroid treatment and continue to have lots of protein in their urine. Also, some children with nephrotic syndrome relapse more often and begin to have side effects from the prednisolone. It is with these children that a drug called cyclophosphamide may be used to help them enjoy a long remission. This drug sometimes has strong side effects on children, such as thinning of the hair, irritation of the bladder, reduced white cells in the blood and future infertility. At present, no conventional therapy is known to alter the clinical course of the disease.

According to Chinese Medicine theory, this illness is related to the lung, spleen and kidney. The lungs have a role to play in ensuring that body fluids are dispersed healthily throughout the body. Impaired lung function leads to a retention of urine. The kidney governs water, so its impaired function leads to a whole range of urinary problems. The spleen transforms and transports fluids throughout the body; when the spleen is impaired, this will lead to an accumulation of body fluids. Dr Yao (Figure 1) is a Traditional Chinese Doctor who has been using Chinese remedies to treat children with nephrotic syndrome since 1980, although these remedies were practised in the family long before then. They are well known for curing kidney infections, acute or chronic. These remedies are made up of traditional Chinese medicines such as Astragalus radix, Phellodendri cortex, Rhizoma atractylodis, Macrocephalae poria, Cordyceps, Notoginseng radix, Anemarrhenae rhizoma, Ginseng radix, Bovis bezoar, etc. The constituents are made into small pills which are easy to take. Since these pills are family made, they can be adjusted according to an individual's specific need.

 

Photo
Photo
Figure 2 Gao Peng came to see Dr Yao in 1986. He was first diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome at the age of four in 1976.
Figure 2 Gao Peng came to see Dr Yao in 1986. He was first diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome at the age of four in 1976.
Photo
Photo
Figure 3 Liu Jun, another boy diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome at the age of four, came to see Dr Yao after six years of steroid treatment.
Figure 3 Liu Jun, another boy diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome at the age of four, came to see Dr Yao after six years of steroid treatment.

In 1986, a boy named Gao Peng (Figure 2) came to see Dr Yao. He was first diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome at the age of four in 1976. He received steroid treatment for ten years, suffering many relapses. During this time he was unable to attend school. A year after taking this remedy he was clear of the steroids and his urine was free of protein. He suffered a relapse two years later, but continued another two years of treatment. Today he is very healthy.

The first photo (Figure 2a) was taken in 1986. Substantial swelling is evident. The second photo (Figure 2b) was taken a year after receiving the remedy. The third photo (Figure 2c) was taken in 1997 after winning a Chinese Writing Competition.

Liu Jun (Figure 3), another boy diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome at the age of four, came to see Dr Yao after six years of steroid treatment. He was free of steroids after a year and continued his treatment for a further year. During this time, it was noted that his resistance to common infections had improved. He did not need to reduce his consumption of salt. Physically he got stronger and could attend school without interruption. The first photograph (Figure 3a) shows considerable swelling before taking this remedy, and the second photo (Figure 3b) was taken when he was steroid free. The third photo (Figure 3c) was take three years later after receiving the remedy.

These cases mentioned above are only two among many patients successfully treated by Dr Yao. In China, parents are not willing to have their children undergo biopsy tests for fear of further damage to their kidneys. It is therefore difficult to determine the type of nephrotic syndrome some patients have. Most children treated by Dr Yao suffer from refractory nephrotic syndrome. Through the years, Dr Yao has found that this remedy can improve patient's immunity, and all of her patients improved their resistance to common infections during their treatment. It is her belief, born of her experience, that if children can receive this remedy and be cleared of protein in their urine before they reach puberty, it is unlikely that they will relapse.

Comments:

  1. Naran agarwal said..

    my child is suffering from Nephrotic Syndrome , his blood urea -113, hemoglobin - 5.2, cretin e -7.5, growth not happening

  2. basil nwanjo said..

    my son is 4 yers old and diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome few months ago.he is on predinosone.

  3. george b pilorin said..

    I keep on searching to differrent website on what medicine to cure a Nephrotic syndrome patient.My son has nephrotic syndrome, it was discovered this kind of illness in 2009 when he is 4 years old, Now he is 7 yrs old still suffering by continous taking of prednisone ( MEDROL ) this is kind of steroid.he undergo biopsy resulted into minimal change .previous medicine took by my son as follows:(Royal victoria infirmary hospital in new castle England ) cychlophosphamide,mycophenolate mofetil, contrimoxazole prophylaxis,ranitidine,tacrolimos suspension. Now in Manila Philippines ( current medication was medrol prednisone, enalapril,let me here from you the herbal medicine that you have to cure my son illness.what is this medicine!hope you can respond to me inqueries.now my son is still diagnose at chinese hospital in manila, philippines

  4. Yao Jie Blair said..

    Hi George, we can help your son with our remedy therapy mentioned in the article, can you please contact us at HongXing TCM Clinic (UK) +44 1224321770 or email us at yaojieblair@hxtcmclinic.com, we can discuss your son's case. Thanks.
    Kind Regards
    Yao Jie Blair

  5. sharon seoud said..

    Dear Dr Yao Jie Blair,
    You have come highly recommended.
    My 6 year old son, was born traumatically 3 months premature. Hypoxic injury at birth led to Acute Tubular Necrosis and Cortical Necrosis.
    His Kidneys have a hypodysplastic appearance now. His creatinine is now 245. He is outgrowing his small damaged kidneys. I am keen on Stem Cell Therapy but uncertain of where to go and who to trust.
    I am wondering about Osmotherapy and the TCM you use.
    Can anything you recommend actually help these tiny scared kidneys?
    Kindest regards,
    Sharon

  6. a m jallo said..

    HI i am facing the same problem as the other two .my little girl is 4 and diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome .Thank you in advance

  7. Sansan said..

    Hi Dr Yao,
    I am 42 years old and is now in hospital for Nefrotic Syndrome, minimal change disease, hopefully going home today.
    I live in Australia.
    I am a healthy, active woman, eat only healthy food. So I was blown away, and doctors can't find the cause.
    I'm in steroid now, and terrified at the side effects that may come with it.
    I'm looking for alternative medicine.
    What would be the best way to contact you?
    Thank you very much

    regards,
    Sansan

  8. Victoria Kanwai said..

    My son was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in 2013 at age five. He's now six and has had several relapses since last year. He is on prednisolone, mycophenolate mofetil without much improvement as there is still protein in his urine and odema. We live in Dubai. How can you help my son, please? Thanks

  9. Jonathan said..

    I would like to explore the possibility of having you treat my son. How do we contact you? Thank you much!

  10. may said..

    I just want to ask for a support for an 8y.o child who is suffering to a nephrotic syndrome.she is diagnosed jan. 2014.honestly her parents need financial support.
    Thanks hope you understand.

  11. Divya Manikandan said..

    Dear Dr Yao Jie Blair, I live in India. My husband was diagnosed with Nephritic Syndrome. His kidneys are not damaged and his Urea and creatinine is normal. He is a diabetic and suffering with severe edema. The docs here have put him on 2 line drugs - Azoran - twice a week, Oncotrex - every alternate day, Tricort - thrice daily. For his diabetes they have put him on Dianorm 80mg - thrice a day and Glynase 5mg - thrice a day before food. Kindly help us.

  12. derek stafford said..

    I am irish aged 37 and I've had neprotic syndrome since i was 9 ,which is relapsing quite often now any help would be gratful

  13. Umang Khanna said..

    Dear Dr Yao Jie Blair, I live in India and my daughter is 10 years old. She was diagnosed of Nephrotic Syndrome when she was 2years. She has been on steroids (prediosone) ever since, with a few months break when she did not have any relapses. We are very concerned for her health and are looking for a cure/ remedy for this problem. kindly guide.

  14. Fiona Tupper-Carey said..

    Our son, 9yrs, has had nephrotic syndrome since age 5, when he was also diagnosed with coeliac disease. He was initially on high doses of Prednisone for 2-3 months then, as the response was good it was gradually reduced to 5 mg every other day. The doctors seemed to think it would not come back, once his immune system started to feel the benefits of his new gluten-free diet. But it proteinuria gradually started increasing after a few months on 5 mg. Prednisone was therefore stepped up, then reduced again, and from then till last year he has managed to avoid high doses by staying on a minimum dose (10 mg, then as he grew and gained weight 15 mg every other day), which was stepped up to every day until dip stick was negative for 3 days. However, in the last 8-12 months, his relapses have been more frequent and he has had to go back up to 50 mg per day (though for not more than 4 to 5 days) twice. Now we were just reducing that dose after last relapse, on doctor's advice, and had got down to 25 mg every other day, but the proteinuria went back up to +++ before we could reduce the Prednisone any further. So doctor said to step up to 25 mg every day until dip stick is negative for 3 days at least. If we cannot get this result, or if he relapses soon afterwards, the doctor said we should consider a different drug, namely cyclophosphamide. We cannot contemplate such drastic treatment as chemotherapy, which will increase his risk of contracting even more serious illnesses. What can you suggest? We live in Milan, Italy. Thank you.

  15. SONIA PATOLE said..

    My son 6 yrs old diagnosed nephrotic syndrome on dec 2013.He has 1 relapse since pls can u advice to prevent further repalse.

  16. Megha Vivek Agrawal said..

    My son is 18 months and is down with nephrotic syndorome.
    Require your contact details

    Regards
    Megha

  17. SAMEER VIQUAR said..

    My son was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome(minimal change) when 1 1/2 years he is 6 1/2 years now still on predinosone and have become steroid dependent.please advice.

  18. PRATHIK DAS said..

    my son is 3.2 yr n recently i came to kne he is suferring frm nephrotic syndrome,,,, cn u plz help me out,,,,,i m really tense fr him

  19. Aftab Hussain said..

    Hi, My name is Aftab, My daughter of age 5.5 years is suffering from Nephrotic syndrome(Steroid Dependent), currenty she is on neoral(Immunosuppresant) and deltacortil(Steroids), she is under treatment for the last 3 to 4 years and ON/OFF on the same treatment, please advice me how to start treatment from you. i am from pakistan.
    thanks

  20. Verna Contreras said..

    hi.. my youngest daughter is also diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome when she was 3 yrs old..she's turning 5 this march and still taking pred..infact with continuous taking of the pred everything went normal so when her doctor advised us to stop the medicine already she began swelling again..i'm from the Philippines and i'm honestly getting desperate to find for treatment for my girl..i'm afraid too..please advise me what remedy can be given to my daughter..thank u..

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About Yao Jie Blair

Yao Jie Blair is the daughter of Dr Yao. She is currently running a clinic in Aberdeen, practising acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Remedies for many chronic conditions including kidney and colon. For more information, please contact Yao Jie at HongXing TCM Clinic in Aberdeen, Tel: 01224 321770; yaojieblair@hxtcmclinic.com   www.hxtcmclinic.com

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