Kidney Stones
Saturday 25th July 2009
There are a number of strategies you can use to treat this condition. If you suffer mainly from calcium oxalate stones, you’ll want to minimize the amount of oxalates in your body (as opposed to reducing your calcium intake).
Two foods in particular contribute to creating oxalates, namely soy, and beer.
Other foods that contain high levels of oxalate that you should avoid include:
Spinach
Rhubarb
Chocolate
Parsley
Beetroot
Strawberries
Wheat flour
Pepper
Nuts
A diet high in sugar can also set you up for stones, since sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body by interfering with calcium and magnesium absorption.
Diets high in processed salt are also bad news as salt increases the amount of calcium and oxalate in your urine. Processed foods have notoriously high salt content and should therefore be avoided as much as possible.
Keep in mind that the salt referenced here is processed salt, like your regular table salt, not high quality, unprocessed salts that contain numerous essential minerals that your body actually needs for optimal health.
Naturally, eating fresh, whole foods according to your nutritional type is the best way to ensure you’re eating what your body needs for optimal performance, regardless of what health conditions you seek to avoid or improve.
Prevent and Treat Kidney Stones with Plain Water
Probably the single most effective way to prevent and treat kidney stones is to make sure you’re drinking enough water.
Actually, the number one risk factor for kidney stones is not staying hydrated enough, as it prevents your urine from dissolving minerals and acid salts.
One of the ways you’ll know if you’re drinking enough is to look at the color of your urine. Ideally, you’ll want your urine to be a light yellow. If it’s dark yellow or even orange, it may be a clue that you’re not drinking enough.
Every person’s water requirement is different, depending on your particular system and activity level, but simply keeping your urine light yellow will go a long way toward preventing kidney stones.
Remember to increase your water intake whenever you increase your activity, and during summer months when you’re likely to sweat more. Also know that once you’re thirsty it’s usually too late. Thirst is usually a sign of dehydration.
The only condition that will interfere with that analysis is if you’re taking a multivitamin containing B vitamins, or a B vitamin complex. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), specifically, tends to turn your urine a bright, fluorescent yellow, which will prevent you from using the color of your urine as a guide.
Are You Still Drinking Fizzy Drinks
With respect to your fluids, you also want to stay away from fizzy as it is loaded with phosphorous.
Also, diet soda is probably worse for your health than regular soda, so please don’t think switching to a “lighter” variety will make a positive difference.
Other Approaches That Can Help Prevent and Treat Kidney Stones
Kidney stones can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. If you do get a large kidney stone, naturally you will not be able to pass it without some type of intervention.
In the past they had to do surgery to physically remove these larger stones, but now there are some more advanced options such as extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy. This treatment entails being submerged in a tub of water where sound waves traveling through the liquid shatter the stones. They then pass as gravel through your urine in a few days or weeks.
Lastly, it may surprise you, but exercise is a very important aspect of kidney stone prevention. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, you definitely raise your risk of developing stones, so implementing a regular exercise regimen can go a long way to keep kidney stones at bay.
Another option to add in to your daiy routine is Cha de Quebra Pedra, a South American herbal tea with the nam Stone Breakers tea
Experiments on animals show this tea is also effective for Gall Stones