Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah

The most repeated kidney advice, drink more water to flush your kidneys, was tested properly and came up empty. Dr. Bismah Irfan gives you the real list with the evidence behind each item: why to skip kidney cleanses, why natural doesn't mean tested, why potassium and protein are questions for your labs rather than blanket rules, why a prescribed medicine is never stopped on your own, and why she still says no to anti-inflammatory painkillers even though the evidence is softer than her rule. Then the do list, with not one supplement on it: move, cut the salt, eat patterns not nutrients, read labels for phosphate, sleep, stop smoking, keep your own records. And the two she would pick.
Take the free 2-minute Kidney Root Cause Quiz: https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description
Free 70-minute Kidney Clarity Session: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description
This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

Someone just told you that you have kidney disease. Dr. Bismah Irfan walks you through the next thirty days: why one abnormal result is not yet a diagnosis (the 2024 KDIGO guideline says to repeat it), how a cooked-meat meal can move your creatinine, the three numbers that decide nearly everything (eGFR, cystatin C and the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio), what to skip this month (cleanses, new supplements before repeat labs, cutting protein out of fear, changing a prescription on your own), and four free things to do instead. A first-month guide you can follow without becoming anyone's patient.

Free printable guide, Your First 30 Days: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/first-30-days?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

Take the free 2-minute Kidney Root Cause Quiz: https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

Free 70-minute Kidney Clarity Session: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

Elizabeth Yarnell was about to turn 30 when she woke up blind in her right eye and was soon diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She didn't accept that nothing could be done, and the first place she looked was her kitchen. Dr. Bismah and Elizabeth talk about how inflammation shows up in different parts of the body, from headaches to sore joints, and the three things Elizabeth checks first on any label: artificial sweeteners, "natural" and artificial flavors, and food dyes. Dr. Bismah also shares her own story with rheumatoid arthritis. Recorded in person with DrTalks.

Find out in 2 minutes if Dr. Bismah's team can help your kidneys: https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

Free 60-minute Kidney Clarity Session: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

Elizabeth's free inflammation quiz: https://elizabethyarnell.com/inflammationquiz

Her cookbook, Glorious One-Pot Meals: https://elizabethyarnell.com/books/glorious-one-pot-meals/

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

Can type 2 diabetes be reversed? Endocrinologist Dr. Jaiwant Rangi gives a careful answer: some people can reverse it, some can reach remission, and everyone needs protection. Dr. Bismah and Dr. Rangi talk about the stage before prediabetes, why the kidneys and heart can be affected before anyone makes a diagnosis, and what Dr. Bismah did with her own genetic test result. Then Dr. Rangi walks through her five steps (Map, Reset, Optimize, Shield, Control), including LADA, the slow "type 1.5" diabetes that is often labeled type 2. Recorded in person with DrTalks.

Take the free 2-minute Kidney Root Cause Quiz: https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

Free 60-minute Kidney Clarity Session: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

Dr. Jaiwant Rangi and The Diabetes Blueprint: https://rangimd.com/blueprint

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

Your blood panel came back "normal," but you still don't feel right. In this episode Dr. Bismah Irfan walks through three real, physical root causes a standard lab panel was never built to catch: stress and the cortisol chain into your kidneys, air pollution and everyday metals (and the detox gene GSTM1 that decides how well you clear them), and gut-made toxins like indoxyl sulfate and TMAO. Plus a hopeful note on cruciferous vegetables and an honest look at an early mouse study on a gut-only drug. Your genes are a tendency, not a verdict.

Take the free 2-minute Kidney Root Cause Quiz: https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

Free 60-minute Kidney Clarity Session: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description

This episode is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

Think your kidney cleanse, green smoothie, or “healthy” supplement is automatically helping your kidneys? Think again.

In this episode, we unpack the surprising story of a patient whose kidney function continued to decline despite doing everything he thought was right—including drinking a concentrated parsley drink every morning for years.

Parsley is not the villain it's been made into; the widely-quoted oxalate figure for it is a ten-fold error, and you can prove it from the same table it came from. But that turns out to make the real story more interesting, not less.

Along the way: the molecule humans cannot break down and can only excrete, why forty percent of people respond to vitamin C completely differently from the other sixty, what actually causes oxalate to damage a kidney (it isn't what most people picture), the gut bacteria that eat oxalate for a living and what antibiotics do to them — and a measurable, modifiable risk factor that has been sitting in major journals since 2019 and still isn't part of a routine kidney appointment.

If your kidney function is declining despite doing everything you know how to do, the next step may not be adding another supplement or detox. It may be finding out what's actually adding to your kidney's workload. We test. We don't guess.

👉 Take the quiz and check your kidney health:https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

00:00 Intro

02:37 The Myth of "Flushing" Your Kidneys

05:05 What is Oxalate?

06:15 High Oxalate Levels & Kidney Disease Progression

08:38 Debunking the Parsley Oxalate Myth

09:52 Soluble vs. Insoluble Oxalate & Calcium Binding

11:07 Concentrated Daily Dose vs. Culinary Use

12:05 The Hidden Danger of High-Dose Vitamin C

16:13 Case Reports: Extreme Oxalate Toxicity

19:06 Why Doctors Don't Routinely Test Oxalate

22:31 The Real Mechanism: Crystals & Inflammation

24:06 The Gut Microbiome & Oxalate-Degrading Bacteria

26:43 Genetics vs. Clinical Reality

29:52 3 Key Takeaways for Kidney Health

33:44 Outro

BOOK A FREE KIDNEY CLARITY SESSION, 60 minutes with Dr. Bismah, no card needed: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

WORK WITH DR. BISMAH Book a personalized Precision Nephrology consultation. → https://www.drbismah.com/kidney-comprehensive-consult 

CONNECT WITH DR. BISMAH 

🌐 https://drbismah.com 

📸 Instagram: https://drbismah.com/instagram  

📘 Facebook: https://drbismah.com/facebook 

💼 LinkedIn: https://drbismah.com/linkedin  

🎧 Podcast — Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan

Spotify https://drbismah.com/spotify 

Apple Podcasts https://drbismah.com/apple 

📰 Blog: drbismah.com/blog 

📰 Weekly letter: https://kidneyholistic.substack.com 

ABOUT DR. BISMAH IRFAN

Dr. Bismah Irfan is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Kidney Medicine, and the founder of the Kidney Holistic Institute. Her clinical approach — Precision Nephrology — integrates functional and lifestyle medicine with conventional kidney care to investigate the root causes of kidney disease, rather than monitor decline. She trained at Albert Einstein–Montefiore in New York, is the author of Your Kidneys Can Heal, and hosts the podcast Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan. Subscribe for evidence-based answers your kidney doctor may not have time to give you.

#KidneyHealth #KidneyDisease #KidneyDetox #Oxalate #KidneyFunction #ChronicKidneyDisease #KidneyWellness

⚠️ This video is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment.

If you’ve had a kidney stone, you already know how painful it can be. But what if the bigger problem isn’t the stone itself — it’s why your body keeps making them? In this episode, we go beyond the usual “drink more water” advice to explore the root causes of recurrent kidney stones.

You’ll learn how 24-hour urine testing, stone analysis, diet, hydration, sodium, animal protein, oxalate, citrate, gut health, metabolic health, and genetics can reveal why stones are forming in the first place.

We also break down how genes related to oxalate processing, vitamin D, insulin signaling, oxidative stress, inflammation, and kidney reserve may influence individual stone risk — and why personalized prevention can be very different from a one-size-fits-all approach.

The goal isn’t simply to remove a kidney stone and hope it doesn’t come back. It’s to understand your stone type and urine chemistry, identify your individual risk factors, and use that information to build a prevention strategy that actually fits your body.

📘 Free Guide: “Before the Next One: Your Kidney Stone Root-Cause Guide”

Get the free guide covering practical steps for diet, supplements, and understanding what your genetics may reveal about kidney stone risk. Get it here: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/kidney-stone-guide?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

00:00 Intro

If you feel you have a kidney problem, don’t just wait! Get curious about your chemistry, understand your risk factors, and start addressing the drivers behind stone formation. Your next stone may be preventable, but the first step is knowing what your body is telling you.

👉 Take the quiz and check your kidney health:https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

BOOK A FREE KIDNEY CLARITY SESSION, 60 minutes with Dr. Bismah, no card needed: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

WORK WITH DR. BISMAH Book a personalized Precision Nephrology consultation. → https://www.drbismah.com/kidney-comprehensive-consult 

CONNECT WITH DR. BISMAH 

🌐 https://drbismah.com 

📸 Instagram: https://drbismah.com/instagram  

📘 Facebook: https://drbismah.com/facebook 

💼 LinkedIn: https://drbismah.com/linkedin  

🎧 Podcast — Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan

Spotify https://drbismah.com/spotify 

Apple Podcasts https://drbismah.com/apple 

📰 Blog: drbismah.com/blog 

📰 Weekly letter: https://kidneyholistic.substack.com 

ABOUT DR. BISMAH IRFAN

Dr. Bismah Irfan is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Kidney Medicine, and the founder of the Kidney Holistic Institute. Her clinical approach — Precision Nephrology — integrates functional and lifestyle medicine with conventional kidney care to investigate the root causes of kidney disease, rather than monitor decline. She trained at Albert Einstein–Montefiore in New York, is the author of Your Kidneys Can Heal, and hosts the podcast Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan. Subscribe for evidence-based answers your kidney doctor may not have time to give you.

#KidneyHealth #KidneyDisease #CKD #PrecisionNephrology #KidneyStones #KidneyStonePrevention #KidneyWellness #RootCauseMedicine

⚠️ This video is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment.

Are your kidneys silently causing bone loss?

Most people assume osteoporosis is simply a matter of calcium intake and age, but without fully functioning kidneys, your body cannot properly activate Vitamin D or manage internal acid-base levels—forcing your system to actively pull calcium and carbonate directly out of your skeleton to balance blood pH.

In this deep-dive interview, bone health specialist Debi Robinson connects with functional nephrologist Dr. Bismah Irfan to uncover how early kidney decline operates as a silent driver of bone breakdown. They unpack why standard blood tests miss up to 40% of lost kidney function before flagging an issue, how over-supplementing with high-dose Vitamin D or calcium can backfire by triggering vascular calcification and tissue inflammation, and why advanced markers like Cystatin C offer a far clearer picture of your health than standard creatinine.

Ultimately, protecting your bone density requires looking beyond isolated supplements and treating the whole body through personalized, root-cause testing. 

🎁 FREE BOOK GIFT FROM DR. BISMAH IRFAN

Get your free digital copy of Your Kidneys Can Heal 👉 https://kidneyholistic.com/gift 

Protecting your bones means looking at how your whole body works together, rather than relying on standard, one-size-fits-all supplements. Watch until the end to discover how a root-cause approach can protect both your kidneys and your bones in the long run.

👉 Take the quiz here and have a check your kidney health:https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

BOOK A FREE KIDNEY CLARITY SESSION, 60 minutes with Dr. Bismah, no card needed: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

WORK WITH DR. BISMAH Book a personalized Precision Nephrology consultation. → https://www.drbismah.com/kidney-comprehensive-consult  

CONNECT WITH DR. BISMAH 

🌐 https://drbismah.com 

📸 Instagram: https://drbismah.com/instagram  

📘 Facebook: https://drbismah.com/facebook 

💼 LinkedIn: https://drbismah.com/linkedin  

🎧 Podcast — Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan

Spotify https://drbismah.com/spotify 

Apple Podcasts https://drbismah.com/apple 

📰 Blog: drbismah.com/blog 

📰 Weekly letter: https://kidneyholistic.substack.com

ABOUT DR. BISMAH IRFAN

Dr. Bismah Irfan is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Kidney Medicine, and the founder of the Kidney Holistic Institute. Her clinical approach — Precision Nephrology — integrates functional and lifestyle medicine with conventional kidney care to investigate the root causes of kidney disease, rather than monitor decline. She trained at Albert Einstein–Montefiore in New York, is the author of Your Kidneys Can Heal, and hosts the podcast Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan. Subscribe for evidence-based answers your kidney doctor may not have time to give you.

#KidneyHealth #KidneyDisease #CKD #BoneHealth #Osteoporosis #VitaminD #FunctionalMedicine #PrecisionNephrology

⚠️ This video is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment.

Did you know your kidneys can lose up to 70% of their function before you feel sick? Because kidney disease progresses silently, warning signs are easy to miss.In this episode, I reveal 17 visible signs of kidney trouble you can spot yourself—from foamy urine and morning facial puffiness to dry skin, half-and-half nails, and unexplained bruising.Your body is constantly sending signals, and catching them early is key to addressing root causes in your gut, immune system, or blood vessels before major damage occurs. If you notice any of these signs or have high-risk factors like diabetes or high blood pressure, advocate for your health and request a simple kidney panel today.Found this helpful? Hit the Like button, Subscribe for more root-cause health insights, and drop your questions in the comments below!00:00 - Intro00:15 - Signals Hiding in Plain Sight00:54 - Root Cause Approach to Symptoms01:21 - Signs 1–4: Foamy, Bloody, Dark & Cloudy Urine02:05 - Sign 5: Nighttime Urination (Nocturia)02:35 - Signs 6–9: Swelling in Feet, Face, Hands & Abdomen03:08 - Signs 10 & 11: Skin Pallor & Color Changes03:25 - Sign 12: Relentless Skin Itching03:40 - Signs 13 & 14: Dry Flaky Skin & Uremic Frost04:06 - Sign 15: Half-and-Half Nails04:16 - Sign 16: Easy Unexplained Bruising04:25 - Sign 17: Muscle Wasting & Shortness of Breath05:03 - High-Risk Groups (Who Needs to Watch Closely)05:37 - Quick Recap of All 17 Signs05:57 - Warning: Signs vs. Diagnoses06:12 - Red Flag Symptoms Requiring Immediate Care06:23 - Key Takeaways & Advocating For Your Health07:07 - Root-Cause Assessment & Next Steps07:15 - Outro👉 Take the quiz here and have a check your kidney health:https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/ki... BOOK A FREE KIDNEY CLARITY SESSION, 60 minutes with Dr. Bismah, no card needed: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarit... GO DEEPER Your Kidneys Can Heal — Dr. Bismah's book on the science and clinical pathways behind kidney recovery. → https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637928521 WORK WITH DR. BISMAH If you're living with IgA nephropathy or another kidney condition and want to explore the root causes driving it, book a personalized Precision Nephrology consultation. → https://www.drbismah.com/kidney-compr... WHAT TO WATCH NEXT    • How to Heal Inflammation Naturally (Before...      • Tired of Being Told It’s Normal      • “Down, Down, Down”: The Slow Decline No On...      • The Truth About “Detox” Machines   CONNECT WITH DR. BISMAH 🌐 https://drbismah.com 📸 Instagram: https://drbismah.com/instagram 📘 Facebook: https://drbismah.com/facebook 💼 LinkedIn: https://drbismah.com/linkedin 🎧 Podcast — Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah IrfanSpotify https://drbismah.com/spotify Apple Podcasts https://drbismah.com/apple 📰 Blog: drbismah.com/blog ABOUT DR. BISMAH IRFANDr. Bismah Irfan is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Kidney Medicine, and the founder of the Kidney Holistic Institute. Her clinical approach — Precision Nephrology — integrates functional and lifestyle medicine with conventional kidney care to investigate the root causes of kidney disease, rather than monitor decline. She trained at Albert Einstein–Montefiore in New York, is the author of Your Kidneys Can Heal, and hosts the podcast Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan. Subscribe for evidence-based answers your kidney doctor may not have time to give you.#kidneyhealth #kidneydisease #warningsigns #rootcausemedicine #ckd ⚠️ This video is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment.

Chronic inflammation can quietly affect your body long before it shows up on a routine checkup. In this episode, Dr. Bismah Irfan, board-certified nephrologist, explores a holistic approach to inflammation and explains how chronic low-grade inflammation may affect kidney health and contribute to ongoing disease.

You’ll learn what may keep inflammation “burning,” including diet, gut health, chronic stress, poor sleep, dental health, environmental exposures, excess body fat, and low omega-3 status.

Dr. Bismah also explains the difference between simply suppressing inflammation and supporting the body’s natural ability to resolve it, along with ways inflammation and its potential drivers can be evaluated.

When you understand what’s fueling inflammation, you can start looking at your health through a different lens—one that goes beyond simply managing symptoms. The goal is to support the body’s own ability to heal by addressing the factors that may be keeping inflammation active. If you’re ready to explore what those factors might be for you, a personalized approach can help you take the next step toward better kidney wellness. Visit https://www.kidneyholistic.com/ for more details.

👉 Take the quiz here and have a check your kidney health:https://functionalkidneydoctor.com/kidney-root-cause

00:00 Intro

00:01:45 Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation

00:03:53 Common Drivers of Chronic Inflammation

00:06:48 Resolving vs. Suppressing Inflammation

00:08:15 How to Properly Test & Measure Inflammation

00:09:48 The Pillars of an Anti-Inflammatory Lifestyle

00:13:04 Targeted Supplements & Cautions

00:14:02 Hidden Sources: Oral Health, Movement & Environment

00:15:51 Real Patient Case Study

00:18:19 Outro

BOOK A FREE KIDNEY CLARITY SESSION, 60 minutes with Dr. Bismah, no card needed: https://www.kidneyholistic.com/clarity-session?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description 

GO DEEPER Your Kidneys Can Heal — Dr. Bismah's book on the science and clinical pathways behind kidney recovery. → https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637928521 

WORK WITH DR. BISMAH If you're living with IgA nephropathy or another kidney condition and want to explore the root causes driving it, book a personalized Precision Nephrology consultation. → https://www.drbismah.com/kidney-comprehensive-consult 

CONNECT WITH DR. BISMAH 

🌐 https://drbismah.com 

📸 Instagram: https://drbismah.com/instagram  

📘 Facebook: https://drbismah.com/facebook 

💼 LinkedIn: https://drbismah.com/linkedin  

🎧 Podcast — Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan

Spotify https://drbismah.com/spotify 

Apple Podcasts https://drbismah.com/apple 

📰 Blog: drbismah.com/blog 

ABOUT DR. BISMAH IRFAN

Dr. Bismah Irfan is a double board-certified physician in Internal Medicine and Kidney Medicine, and the founder of the Kidney Holistic Institute. Her clinical approach — Precision Nephrology — integrates functional and lifestyle medicine with conventional kidney care to investigate the root causes of kidney disease, rather than monitor decline. She trained at Albert Einstein–Montefiore in New York, is the author of Your Kidneys Can Heal, and hosts the podcast Kidney Wellness with Dr. Bismah Irfan. Subscribe for evidence-based answers your kidney doctor may not have time to give you.

#KidneyHealth #ChronicIllness #HealingJourney #KidneyDisease #MindBodyHealing

⚠️ This video is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment.