Out of Sight, Out of Mind—Until It’s Too Late Ask someone to name their most important organs, and you’ll hear the usual suspects: Heart. Brain. Lungs. Maybe the liver. The kidneys? They rarely make the cut. And yet—I’ve spent the better part of my surgical life watching what happens when these quiet, powerful little filters stop working. Trust me: once your kidneys fail, everything changes. So, What Do Your Kidneys Actually Do? Most people think kidneys just “make pee.” Which is true. But also wildly incomplete. Here’s what your kidneys are doing right now, without you even noticing: Filtering about 50 gallons of blood every single day Balancing electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and calcium Regulating blood pressure Activating Vitamin D for strong bones Managing red blood cell production through a hormone called erythropoietin And yes—removing waste and extra fluid through urine They’re not just part of your plumbing. They’re biochemical command centers. The Problem? They Don’t Complain Until They’re Already Failing Unlike chest pain or memory loss, kidney damage is often silent. You can lose up to 90% of kidney function before you feel something is wrong. That’s why I keep repeating this to patients: Don’t wait for symptoms. Know your numbers. Simple blood and urine tests (like serum creatinine and eGFR) can tell you more about your kidney health than any fancy gadget. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of kidney issues—you should be testing regularly. No excuses. When the Kidneys …
Hi! I’m Dr. Serena Martin, your naturopathic doctor and nutrition expert in New York City
Personal Story
Megan has been studying diet and nutrition since she was 13 years old. She found that everything she read, whether it was written by a doctor, a dietitian, or other health professional, conflicted. That is why Megan became a Nutritionist.
Megan chose the most reputable school and set out to learn the “truth” about diet and health.
“I gained weight, became obsessed and anxious about ‘healthy eating’, and ultimately felt pretty awful both emotionally and physically.”
Formal Training
She went on to study Integrative and Holistic Health and now specializes in gut-related and inflammatory conditions.
Megan changed her own life with research, diet, gut healing, hypnosis, energy work, and other integrative practices. She now has zero health concerns, more fulfillment and joy in her life, and never spends hours in the kitchen or at the gym. “It feels AMAZING to be comfortable and happy in my own body, even after childbirth!”
Megan’s passion is to help you, too, transform your life with simple tools, deep internal healing, and mind-body connection. She combines conventional knowledge in biochemistry, physiology and traditional health with powerful holistic strategies.
This is the focus of Megan’s work: to help you experience true nourishment, exuberant vitality, outstanding health
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Some Days, It’s Not the Surgery That Exhausts Me — It’s the Suspicion You walk into an OPD room, wearing your white coat, decades of experience behind you. But the patient sitting across from you isn’t just carrying test reports. They’re carrying fear. Not of the diagnosis—of the system. “Doctor, I just read about that scam…” “How do I know I can trust you?” “Are kidneys really sold in India?” And you can’t blame them. Because the truth is, the headlines are real. There have been scandals. There have been doctors who betrayed their oath. And those stories go viral—fast. But what doesn’t go viral is everything that happens in silence, off-camera, every single day. Here’s What I Want You to Know I’ve been performing kidney transplants for over a decade. I’ve worked with patients from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Morocco. I’ve sat with families who couldn’t speak the language but still trusted me with their loved one’s life. And every single time, my only goal has been to protect that trust like it’s part of the procedure. Because for me, it is. Transparency Is Not Just a Buzzword. It’s a Surgical Standard. Every kidney transplant I do is: Audited Documented Legally cleared through national authorization committees And most importantly — explained in full detail to the patient and donor families No shortcuts. No under-the-table arrangements. No decisions made in the shadows. We don’t match kidneys—we match trust with accountability. But Here’s the Hardest Part When one scandal …
I’ve Been Asked This More Times Than I Can Count Not by patients. By their brothers. By mothers, friends, cousins—people who walk into my clinic ready to donate a kidney, but still holding one quiet question: “Will I be okay after this?” Let me answer that the way I do in real life: Yes. You will be. Not just “alive and functioning.” I mean normal. Healthy. Fully you. Here’s What Most People Don’t Realize We’re all born with two kidneys, but we only actually need one to live a completely normal life. In fact, many people are walking around with a single kidney—some because they donated it, some because of childhood illness, others without even knowing it. The human body is unbelievably adaptive. When one kidney is removed, the remaining kidney gradually increases its filtering capacity to compensate. This isn’t a guess—it’s something I’ve seen over and over again in real patients over the last decade. What Life Looks Like With One Kidney Let me be honest with you. Recovery takes time—like any surgery. But once you're healed? You’ll be able to: Eat a normal diet (with a few common-sense modifications) Work full-time Exercise—including cardio, strength, yoga Travel, drive, dance at weddings, chase after your kids I’ve had donors go on to have children. I’ve had patients send me photos from Everest Base Camp. (And once, a honeymoon video from Switzerland—but that’s another story.) The point is: you are not broken. You are not limited. You are not …
