New Delhi, March 9 : By making changes in lifestyle, kidney diseases cannot only be prevented but also controlled in their early stages, said experts. On the occasion of World Kidney Day, which falls on March 9, a virtual programme was organised with participation of experts of allopathy and ayurveda from across the country to discuss the causes of kidney diseases with emphasis laid on preventive measures, especially lifestyle changes. Himanshu Verma, Head of the Department of Nephrology at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, said in his presentation that the process from kidney disease to kidney failure happens in five stages. "But it is possible to completely overcome the disease in the first and second stages. For this, first of all, it is necessary to have awareness among the patients so that the disease can be identified in the initial stage itself." According to him, keeping the body mass index (BMI) between 20-25, walking 30 minutes in a day and at least five days in a week, changing lifestyle, reducing the consumption of pain-relieving medicines, among other precautions, are effective in controlling the disease in the initial stage. Patients with diabetes and high blood pressure would be at highest risk of kidney disease. "This risk can be much higher for people over 60 years of age with any of these diseases." The experts also talked about on alternative treatment methods of ayurveda like Neeri KFT, a traditional ayurvedic polyherbal formulation that has been found to be effective in regulating functions of at least six genes variants causing kidney dysfunction. In concluding remarks, Sanchit Sharma, Executive Director, AIMIL Pharma, said the nine-day long programme experts discussed extensively on how to avoid kidney diseases and how to manage them. "This discussion shows that no standards can be fixed to prevent the disease but a dynamic approach needs to be adopted," he said. Studies have warned that the prevalence of chronic kidney disease in India is on rise among those dealing with chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. /IANS