Cranberry Juice, Essay Example

It has been a little over two years since a Nephrologist yelled at me to get out of the room of a patient who had just been diagnosed with end stage renal disease and to whom, at his request, I had given a drink of cranberry juice.  If the doctor did not believe that a renal patient should not have cranberry juice, the professional thing to do would have been for him to ask to see me and then, in an aside, advise me of that.  His unprofessional behaviour resulted in the patient telling the Nephrologist that he was no longer his doctor and that he loved cranberry juice.  I  will not even attempt to guess what emotions the Nephrologist had, but the patient was, obviously, upset; and I was not only hurt by how the doctor spoke to me but also somewhat embarrassed—albeit appreciative at the same time—that the patient felt the need to protect me.

It turns out that cranberry juice is something we should all be drinking since it is not only good for helping to keep the kidneys healthy, but it is also good for the heart and helps to prevent cancer (Turcotte, 2011) .  Veach (2011) says that “while cranberry juice won’t cure kidney disease, it has been found to prevent urinary tract infection.”  Raffanti also extols the benefits of cranberry juice for keeping one’s kidneys and UTIs healthy.  Its flavanoids weakens harmful bacteria on the urinary tract cells and, then, expels them when urinating.  Raffanti also stresses—as do other writers—that making one’s own cranberry juice is best since it is not diluted and does not contain a lot of harmful sugars.  The Mind Power Master believes that a “cranberry juice detox program does a body good.”  One needs only to drink one to two glasses of cranberry juice to prevent kidney problems.  So, knowing how good cranberry juice is for the kidneys, the glass of cranberry juice that I gave my patient could not have done him any harm, although it was likely too late for it to be of any real benefit to him.

Cranberry Juice

Mind Power Master.  Cranberry juice detox program does a body good.  Retrieved on January 20, 2013, from http://www.mindreality.net/cranberry-juice-detox.

Rafanti, R.  Why is cranberry juice good for your kidneys?  Retrieved on January 20, 2013, from http://www.ebow.com/about_5385206_cranberry-juice.

Turcotte, M. (2011, March 11).  Is cranberry juice good for your kidneys? Retrieved on January 20, 2013, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/24234-cranberry-

Veach, M. (2011, April 2011).  Cranberry juice and kidney failure.  Retrieved on January 20, 2013, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/427692-cranberry.