Hi Sonia,

I definitely owe you a Kudos,

5 months ago I went to the doctor on a routine physical checkup which included various blood tests and lab work.

One if the tests is called a Creatinine, Serum test. Basically this test measures the level of waste product creatinine in your blood and urine. These tests tell how well your kidneys are working. A high creatinine level may mean your kidneys are not working properly. The amount of creatinine in the blood depends partly on the amount of muscle tissue you have; men generally have higher creatinine levels than women. A creatinine clearance test measures how well creatinine is removed from your blood by your kidneys. A creatinine clearance test gives better information than a blood creatinine test on how well your kidneys are working.

Apparently my test didn't go so well. The doctor called me into his office and explained to me that my kidneys were failing. He showed me the test results which were: Creatinine 1.5 (normal range is 0.7-1.3) and my Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) was 51-NB. This was pretty much Greek to me at the time. The doctor explained that your GFR tells how much kidney function you have. It may be estimated from your blood level of creatinine. If your GFR falls below 30 you will need to see a kidney disease specialist (called a nephrologist), a GFR below 15 indicates that you need to start treatment (dialysis or transplant). At the level of 51, I had 3rd stage Chronic Kidney Disease, or moderate chronic renal insufficiency (range 30-59%). Of course I was absolutely shocked because I felt fine and worked out. Some of the symptoms at this stage are tiredness or fatigue, back pain, appetite, urine (amount. color, frequency) and digestion (slowed). I was experiencing some of those symptons, especially back pain.

The doctor said that NOW is the time to start working on this because, according to him and other readings I had done, kidneys cannot improve, but they can be stabilized. He had me take more tests and an ultrasound which revealed that I had a Renal Cyst to boot. He told me that most cysts are benign and to do any further testing on the cyst to insure it is not cancerous would basically be so invasive it would damage the kidney so bad, that it will stop functioning. He said we will monitor it for 6 months to see if there may be any cause for alarm.

The doctor reviewed some lifestyle changes that needed to be done, effective immediately:

1. Diet, less protien see dietitian.
2. Consume more liquids
3. Seek alternative excercise....(possibly YOGA)

Once I came to terms with my new diagnosis, I decided I need to look into YOGA. I had heard about hot yoga and conducted some research and read many testimonials discussing the healing effects people have had. So, I thought I would give it a shot and in I walked into your studio. The first time almost killed me.....wow, intense; however, man did I feel good afterward. So I went back, again and again. I liked the results I was getting, better sleep, less pain (knees and back), weight loss etc so I decided to join longer term.

Well, on November 23rd I had more lab work done. When the results came back I was completely floored. According to the tests, my Creatinine level was in the NORMAL range at 1.2, and my GFR increased 33% to 68-NB! The GFR results lifted me out of stage 3 and into stage 2, mild kidney disease. I really did not anticipate having a test result like this, incredible. The doctor states that improvement results can be from the way the kidneys are filtering that day, but when there is permanent damage, the kidneys cannot improve.....hmmm well mine did?? This proved to me how yoga helps to flush your kidneys and improve internal organ function.

During the last 4 months my wife has had me on a heavy regiment of herbs and flushing shakes which are good for the internal organs, but there is no way I would have had this much improvement if I did not start doing yoga. I am a true believer in the healing effects of hot yoga, and am truly hooked, I am glad I walked into your studio that day and will continue to do so. My goal is to keep flushing my kidneys and see if I can get more improvement (I will test again in 4 months). As a bonus my back has never felt better and I lost 20 lbs (not bad).

Anyway, I wanted to write you a note and really let you know how yoga has improved my mind and BODY and to say thanks for encouraging me to continue.

Thanks again Sonia and I will see you in the hot room.