Urine testing for renal and other health issues
In April 2019, Moonie King, President of the Tepehua Community Centre in Chapala, gave us a urine testing machine. Nurse Olga (of Tepehua) provided the training. The Poco a Poco medical office provided the testing service for free for people in San Pedro Itzicán and anyone from the surrounding villages.
The results from the urine tests were then reviewed by a doctor or nurse at the Tepehua Community Center in Chapala. The testing found some people with positive for bladder infections and were prescribed antibiotics. (If left untreated, these infections can cause renal problems.) Other patients were referred to specialists in Guadalajara or Ocotlán, for follow-up because they were already showing signs of renal disease.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2021, the urine testing machine stopped working. (They are very sensitive to dust...). We did try to get it repaired, without success.
Identification of kidney disease
We know that the nephrologists recommend urine testing, as well as testing of blood, as the only way to find out if someone has renal problems at an early stage (before they have any symptoms).
Testing
In San Pedro, these tests are not available (there is no other medical office) and the people in these towns do not have the money to take urine or blood tests when they can't afford to even feed their families.
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Testing done by the Lila K Foundation in the fall of 2022
The Lila K Foundation did testing in 2022, but testing needs to be repeated,. It's a very expensive process.