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Sunday, August 23, 2009
Chocolate for Kidneys
My biggest health issue prior to chocolate was my kidneys.
Prolonged use, more than 20 years, of a drug doctors thought was beneficial to my body came to a head in 2000 when it was discovered how much damage that drug had done to my kidneys.
The use of the drug was stopped immediately, but the damage was done.
My nephrology doctor is amazed how my kidneys have stabilized, but the side effects remained for about nine years. Primarily it was the exact problem many expect of older guys, where we simply have to stay close to bathrooms. Road trips were taken with constant vigilance for Rest Areas, and good movies in theaters regularly were interrupted because I'd have to leave for the bathroom. Knowing my weakness, I'd often leave earlier than I needed in order to be back in my seat when the best action took place.
I don't know when the change came, but I do know after consuming healthy unprocessed chocolate for about four months, I drove 210 miles to visit my father in Oregon and only had to stop once to go to the bathroom. Too, staying through my seat throughout an entire movie no longer presents a problem.
I'll have some news to tell my nephrology doctor when next we meet.
By Rocky Wilson
