Romancing the Stone: Home Remedies for Kidney Stones
Maybe you’re tolerance to pain is higher than most people, but once you get to know the pain brought about by kidney stones, you’ll definitely break into tears. Although medical practitioners still don’t know why people form these tiny crystals of pain in their kidneys, one thing is certain – they definitely hurt. And the worse thing is that if you had one of these stones, you are at a higher risk of forming another one. Luckily, there are a couple of home remedies for kidney stones that can help you reduce the chances of forming another crystal in your kidneys.
It can take a couple of grueling months before a kidney stone passes. You have to undergo a lot pain, patience and lifestyle changes before you can be free from the curse of these nasty crystals. But before anything else, you need to consult your physician first to know what kind of stone you have as there are several types of kidney stones that exist. It is vital that you know which type of kidney stone you have before deciding which remedy suits you.
Home Remedies for Kidney Stones
1. Water is Your Friend. Water prevents high concentrations of salts and minerals that stick together and form stones. It doesn’t really matter what kind of stone you have for as long as you increase your water intake, you can reduce the chances of another stone from forming. If you’re wondering how much water you should drink per day, experts say that you should drink water enough to pass 2 liter of urine daily. If you’re not fond of water, you can drink citrate-rich fluids such as lemonade and orange juice.
2. Limit Calcium intake. Statistics show that almost 90% of all kidney stones are made of calcium or calcium products. If your first stone was calcium-based, it is good advice to monitor your calcium intake. If you’re taking calcium supplements, ask your doctor if it’s important for you to take them or if you should put the intake into a halt. The next thing that you should do is to monitor your intake of calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese, butter and other dairy produce. The recommended calcium intake for those who have a history of kidney stones is 1,000 – 1,200 mg of calcium daily.
3. Don’t Take Calcium-Based Antacids. The more popular antacids of today are very high in calcium. If you had a calcium-based stone, it is advisable to switch to check the side of the box and check the ingredients of your antacid or try non-calcium natural remedies for your upset stomach.
4. Minimize The Intake of Foods that Are Oxalate-Rich. More than half of all kidney stones are considered as calcium oxalate stones. In a perfect scenario, your body would excrete the oxalate from certain fruits and vegetables. But if you had a calcium oxalate stone before, then minimizing the intake of oxalate-rich foods are required to prevent stones from recurring. Some of the foods that you need to watch out for are beans, beets, celery, grapes, green peppers, parsley, spinach, strawberries and tea.
5. Magnesium and Vitamin B6. Based on a study conducted by Swedish researchers, magnesium slashes the recurrence of kidney stone recurrence by almost 90% in a group of patients. Experts say that magnesium can bond with oxalate just like calcium. This magnesium/oxalate bond is less likely to form stones unlike when calcium bonds with oxalate. On the other hand, Vitamin B6 is said to lower the amount of oxalate in the urine.
6. Monitor Your Protein Intake. Protein is said to increase the presence of calcium, phosphorus and uric acid in the urine which may lead to the formation of kidney stones to some. Monitoring your intake of protein, especially if you’ve had uric acid or cystine stones, is necessary to reduce the chances of stones to recur. The advisable amount of protein-rich foods that you can take per day is 6 ounces which may include meat, cheese, fish and poultry.
7. Go Easy on The Shaker. If you’ve had calcium stones before, then it is necessary to cut down on salt. This applies to pickled foods, chips, processed cheese etc. Limit your intake to 2 to 3 grams daily.
