Nephrology: The Most Overlooked Area of Health in Entrepreneurs
Published: 2019-10-24 14:15:38

_Entrepreneurship in America_
	In the America of 2019, entrepreneurship is a tantalizing concept that draws in increasingly more workers as time goes on. Some [research](https://www.ethosbiosciences.com/pages) suggest that by 2020 upwards of 27 million Americans will obtain full-time self-employment with 68% of adults believing that entrepreneurship is a good career path to follow. There is also a fair amount of misunderstanding that is linked to our understanding of entrepreneurism--40% of those [surveyed](https://www.babson.edu/media/babson/site-assets/content-assets/academics/centers-and-institutes/the-arthur-m-blank-center-for-entrepreneurship/global-research/gem-2018-2019-global-report.pdf) believed it was ‘easy’ to start your own business with 49% believing they had what it takes to successfully start their own. While such optimism is important in the field of self-made careers, it is undeniably contributing to the lack of preparation and research linked to the high failure rates of entrepreneurs’ business endeavors. 
	While one’s preparedness and the soundness of business plans are certainly fundamental to one’s success, attempting to generalize such advice into maxims of universal applicability is a strategy constantly met with debate and criticism--for the simple fact that what works for one group might not work for another. That’s why--as an entrepreneur myself--I find that advice centered around mental and bodily health is one of the most impactful ways to positively influence entrepreneurs.
	Of course this topic is not a new one. A google search of “how to improve health in entrepreneurs” conjures 158,000,000 results. Though I’ve found a glaring problem in much of this coverage, most of which ironically originates from the information being tailored towards entrepreneurs. That is, these articles and guides often present highly general and basic information designed to be a quick read for entrepreneurs that are so busy and have minds full of so much diverse information. This results in extremely repetitive suggestions: eat right, sleep right, and think right--an oversimplification to be sure, but you can see my point. 

_The Struggle to Improve_
	This article will attempt to compensate for such unspecific and repetitive coverage by focusing on research and areas of health that are often left out of the conversation, which when addressed, will improve your productivity and overall well being as an entrepreneur. This issue is important to address because entrepreneurs as a population are wrought with health issues and all the difficulties correlated with the high failure rates of self-made businesses. 
	A recent landmark [study](http://www.michaelafreemanmd.com/Research_files/Are%20Entrepreneurs%20Touched%20with%20Fire%20(pre-pub%20n)%204-17-15.pdf) by Dr. Michael Freeman, an entrepreneur and clinical professor at UCSF, displayed findings that 49% of entrepreneurs reported a mental health condition, the foremost of which being depression. His study also demonstrated that entrepreneurs battled issues with anxiety at a rate of 27%--that’s a noticeable jump from the national average of 18.1%. Other [research](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141112144726.htm) has indicated a similar inflated rate of addiction, both to substances and food, but also to certain behavioral habits.
	The interesting point here is that with entrepreneurs, who are so dedicated to daily activities centered around high performance and productivity, there is a particular risk to become addicted to these routines themselves even if they are highly destructive to health. An unfortunate outcome of these tendencies is that this often results in high blood pressure and other representations of physical stress, such as diabetes in the case of a detrimental relationship with food.

_Striving for Optimized Health: The Overlooked Organ of Productivity_
	As mentioned above, much of the advice centered around alleviating these problems is delivered through highly generalized health guidance. So what we will explore in the remainder of this article is the lesser-known organs and systems of performance of productivity in the human body. In my view, the most relevant starting place here is the kidneys. In short, your kidneys filter extra water and wastes from your blood, and balance minerals—such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium—that circulate in the blood because the kidneys are not just being overlooked by entrepreneurs, they are largely ignored culturally here in America. 
	[Research](https://www.cdc.gov/kidneydisease/publications-resources/2019-national-facts.html) on the topic reveals a shocking reality. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a worldwide health crisis with 40 million Americans living with CKD, 90% of whom are totally unaware of the fact that they are living with the condition. By 2030 the prevalence of CKD is expected to rise to a staggering 17% of patients over 30. This is particularly alarming for entrepreneurs due to the fact that a major risk-factor in CKD is high blood-pressure and drastic shifts in blood sugar--both of which are extremely common in entrepreneurs, who work under extreme stress and often have extremely variable diets.
	Inflating the danger here is the reliance of entrepreneurs on outsourcing the immense energy needed for their demanding daily routines. Energy drinks and coffee, nootropics, and even prescription drugs are common crutches for the modern entrepreneur, all of which place immense pressure on the kidney to filter out all of the incurring toxins. When the kidneys are forced to bear this burden the body can exhibit symptoms that will be of great concern to entrepreneurs: tiredness, headaches, concentration problems, decreased appetite, sleep problems, and weight loss. One of these might be a hindrance, but together these symptoms could act as a death sentence to the high standard of performance entrepreneurs strive to achieve and maintain. 

_Preventing and Intervening_ 
	Once seeing the cruciality of the kidneys in our pursuit of productivity, performance, and well-being, the negligence in coverage of the topic begs the question, why is this not more widely discussed? One piece of the puzzle is the economics of the field. Dialysis has historically been both extremely expensive and highly immovable insofar as there simply have not been many--if any--realistic alternatives with similar outcomes. This resulted in a lack of investment and therefore a lack of innovation in the field of nephrology, which is the field of studying kidney functionality and diseases; but all of that is changing. 
	In January 2019 [reports](https://www.dosisinc.com/kidney-care-2019-attention/) indicated venture capitalists invested 2.9 billion in healthcare startups--a whopping 37% increase from similar investments in 2018. This led to increased investment and attention in the kidney care industry. New technology and research initiatives focused on preventing and intervening in cases of CDK is simultaneously fueling our awareness of the importance of kidney health. [Ethos Biosciences](https://www.ethosbiosciences.com/pages/about-ethos) for example is developing new technology on the diagnostic end of nephrology, increasing our ability to monitor and project kidney health in individuals over time. 
	Fortunately, as an entrepreneur there are very realistic and fairly simple practices that will help you avoid the pitfalls of impaired kidney function, although many of these will involve removing some of the crutches that are common amongst entrepreneurs. One of the primary paths to proper kidney health is hydration. Keeping your body hydrated will assist your kidneys in removing the wastes that might otherwise build up and catalyse the health problems listed above, though the recommended amount of daily water consumption may surprise you. As reported by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine the adequate daily fluid intake is about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids for men and about 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women. 
	Another of the foremost strategies for maintaining kidney health is reducing the strain caused by your diet and supplement intake. Many herbal supplements, while boasting an array of benefits, are exceedingly difficult for your kidneys to process. Due to this you should check with your doctor before taking any such supplements on a daily basis. Similarly, smoking and many medicines (both over-the-counter and prescription) will overtax your kidneys, and should be monitored and compensated for if not removed. 
	While so many articles and guides will give you a basic rundown of things so focus on improving your health and performance as an entrepreneur, I hopefully have provided the reasoning and groundwork for why you should narrow your focus on this very specific part of your body, which is both at the core of burgeoning heath-crisis in America and is also a biological center for productivity. As entrepreneurs it is our prerogative to stay ahead of the curve, and if you make the much needed decision to focus on the health of your kidneys, you will be doing just that.