Naturally Preventing and Dissolving Kidney Stones
I’ve heard it described as some of the worst pain ever experienced. Women often report it as being far worse than childbirth and men are often left screaming in agony!
Yet 1 in 20 people will experience the intense pain of kidney stones in their life. What’s even worse, once you have had one kidney stone attack, your chance of recurrence is about 70 to 80 percent![1] The prevalence of kidney stones should alarm us. However, it is often far too late before we consider how to avoid them.
Many times kidney stones are so small they are hardly detected. They travel down the urinary tract without a person even noticing. However, some kidney stones grow so large they eventually become lodged in the opening of the urethra. When this happens, kidney stones create awful symptoms:
- Extreme pain
- Cramps in the back or side
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Excessive sweating
Not all kidney stones are alike. Different dietary and lifestyle choices, as well as other imbalances in the body, can contribute to the formation of these kidney stones.
There Are 4 Different Types of Kidney Stones
1. Calcium kidney stones
These are the most common. Calcium stones often occur in people with high levels of vitamin D or overactive parathyroid glands. People with chronic kidney disease are also more likely to get calcium based kidney stones.
2. Struvite kidney stones
These typically form after a urinary tract infection. They are more common in women, because women get far more UTIs than men. Struvite stones tend to be jagged or stag-horn shaped stones and can become quite big. These stones can actually cause damage to the kidneys.
3. Uric acid kidney stones
Too much uric acid in the urine forms these kinds of kidney stones. This type of stone is far more common in men. A high protein diet can raise the amount of uric acid in the body and cause stones. Because gout occurs from excess uric acid, those with gout have an increased chance of having uric acid kidney stones, as well.
4. Cystine kidney stones
Cystine kidney stones are rare because they are formed from an inherited disease called cystinuria. This condition is typically diagnosed in people at a young age and will be treated throughout their lifetime.
Prevention is key for avoiding painful and inconvenient kidney stones. And overall renal health not only prevents kidney stones, but a host of other urinary problems, diseases and kidney disorders.
Drinking Kidney Stones Away
The most common cause of kidney stones is dehydration. This makes the simple act of drinking water the most important thing you can do to prevent kidney stones! Hydration is key not only in preventing kidney stones, but also for overall healthy renal function.
Dehydration leads to higher levels of toxins and minerals in the kidneys. When there is a lack of water, minerals and toxins aren’t diluted properly and can damage the kidneys as well as form kidney stones.
In order to stay properly hydrated, you should aim to drink at least 8-10 glasses of filtered water a day. However I recommend checking the color of your urine as well to adequately assess hydration.
- Dark amber urine is indicative of dehydration and is concentrated with wastes.
- Bright yellow urine is still too concentrated and shows minimal hydration.
- Pale yellow to clear urine shows the body is adequately hydrated and the urine is properly diluted.
Many shifts in urine color can be explained simply by how hydrated your body is at any given moment. Watch your urine color throughout the day. The goal should be to have pale yellow color to clear urine. If your urine is bright yellow or amber, then you need to drink a few more glasses of water each day.
Also, look out for other characteristics in your urine. If it’s cloudy, then you may have an infection. Blood in the urine may indicate you have a kidney stone or infection.
Drinking extra water dilutes the substances in urine that lead to stones. Strive to drink enough fluids to pass 2 liters of urine a day, which is roughly eight standard 8-ounce cups.[2]
However, there are additional natural remedies you can add to your water to boost kidney stone prevention!
- It may help to include some citrus beverages, like ononade. The citrate in these beverages helps block stone formation. And as the saying goes, when life gives you lemon…or in this case kidney stones…”make lemonade.” Just adding the juice of a lemon to your water each morning raises citrate levels in urine. Citrate binds with calcium and prevents the formation of kidney stones!
- Adding 1 tbsp of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar to your water each morning prevents kidney stones as well. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) contains acetic acid, which can both prevent and dissolve calcium oxalate crystals.[3] Combine ACV with water and consume on an empty stomach as the first item every day morning to prevent and for relief from kidney stones. You could also repeat this a couple more times through the day to get better results.
Certain fruit juices high in natural inhibitors can also offer some kidney stone preventing benefits.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice is beneficial at preventing UTIs, making it helpful at preventing struvite stones. Cranberry juice also increases magnesium and potassium excretion, which may decrease the rate of kidney stone formation. In a recent study, cranberry juice was found to decrease urinary calcium by 50% in patients with renal stones.[4]
Pomegranate Juice
A 2008 study revealed that pomegranate juice prevents the formation of certain types of kidney stones.[5] This powerful, antioxidant-rich juice has natural astringent properties, which help decrease the formation of kidney stones. If you think you’re at risk for kidney stones, enjoy a serving or two of pomegranate juice every day. Not only will your kidneys thank you, pomegranates are also full of antioxidants that protect the body from damaging free radicals. What’s not to love?
Cherry Juice
Cherry juice is high in potassium, antioxidants and anthocyanins, which are chemicals that prevent uric acid from forming into crystals. These components make cherry juice great for preventing uric acid stones as well as gout!
Drinks that Raise Kidney Stone Risk
Not everything you drink has a positive effect, however. What you drink can also cause kidney stones! Some beverages to use cautiously because of their stone forming potential include:
Alcohol
Although wine seems to make kidney stones less likely, beer and other alcoholic beverages contain purines, leading to higher uric acid levels in your blood and urine. Normally, uric acid is excreted in the urine. But having high levels of purines from alcohol causes uric acid to accumulate. It can then deposit in your joints as gout or in your kidneys as uric acid kidney stones.[6]
Alcohol is also dehydrating, which can lead to kidney stone formation.
Coffee and Black Tea
Both coffee and tea are high in oxalates, which contribute to the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones. Studies have shown that the main source of oxalate in 85% of those who had kidney stones came from either coffee or tea consumption.[7] Limit yourself to just 2 cups a day.
Soda
A recent study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital involving data from 194,000 participants revealed that drinking at least one sugar-sweetened soda per day increased the risk for kidney stones by 23%. The stone-inducing culprit in the soda was found to be fructose.[8]
Proper Mineral Balance to Avoid Kidney Stone Formation
Kidney stones form when the delicate balance of electrolytes in the urine is disrupted. The kidneys are the primary organs of homeostasis, designed to maintain the proper electrolyte and hormonal balances in the body. If the blood does not have the proper water-salt (electrolyte) balance, the body is likely to become highly acidic. This in turn sets the stage for disease and problems in the body such as kidney stones.
Most people are taking in too much or not enough of the amounts of minerals and trace minerals they need to balance electrolytes. The three main minerals that affect the kidney are:
Sodium
Increased sodium levels tend to increase sodium excretion in the urine. Excreting high levels of sodium causes excreting higher levels of calcium. When more calcium is in the urine, kidney stones are more likely to form.
Avoid excess sodium by staying away from processed and prepackaged foods. Fresh foods naturally contain far less sodium and are much healthier.
A maximum amount of 2,300 mg of sodium a day is recommended for kidney stone prevention.[9]
Potassium
This mineral is crucial for eliminating the negative effects of sodium in the body. Potassium citrate also binds to oxalate in the urine to decrease kidney stone formation.
Drinking coconut water is a great way to increase your daily potassium levels and maintain excellent hydration! Eating a banana a day is also a great source of potassium.
Magnesium
There is research that suggests magnesium can lower the risk of kidney stone formation.[10] The exact mechanism behind its preventative effects is yet to be determined. Many people are magnesium deficient, making supplementation important.
Some say magnesium can also shrink the size of existing stones. Just 500 mg a day of magnesium should be adequate at maintaining proper levels in the body![11]
Calcium
It is a misconception that dietary calcium causes calcium oxalate kidney stones. Studies conclude the opposite to be true! Dietary calcium actually prevents calcium oxalate kidney stones by lowering oxalate levels in the urine.[12] [13]
1,000 mg a day of calcium is the recommended daily intake.
Herbal Kidney Stone Busters
There are several herbs that are great at both preventing and treating kidney stones. These herbal remedies have been used for centuries for their natural ability to maintain kidney health and dissolve kidney stones. These herbs are also great to keep on hand for those who suffer frequent kidney stone attacks. Some of nature’s best kidney stone busters include:
Uva Ursi
This is a common folk remedy for kidney stones. It helps to fight infection as well as reduces pain and cleans the urinary tract.
Take 500 mg three times a day to dissolve kidney stones.
Stone Root
This root is a strong diuretic, which helps to clear kidney stones, as well as pain or swelling in the bladder or urinary tract.
Take 40 drops of stone root tincture taken four times a day for relief from kidney stones.
Gravel Root
As the name implies, this root is known for its ability to resolve “gravel” in the kidneys. Gravel root has the ability to dissolve kidney stones. It has many other benefits for the renal system such as resolving cystitis, dysuria, urethritis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. It also encourages the excretion of excess uric acid, which prevents kidney stone as well as gout in the body!
Take 30 drops of gravel root three times a day to break down kidney stones.
Hydrangea
Hydrangea tincture (made from the hydrangea root) may dissolve kidney stones in a matter of hours! It also prevents the accumulation of wastes and toxins, decreases inflammation, and helps pass kidney stones. If you have hydrangea in your garden, you can make a tea from the leaves.
Take 2 teaspoons of the dried flowers in boiling water. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes and drink the tea 3 times a day.
You can also use hydrangea tincture, which is more potent than tea. Just 3-4 drops in water 3 times a day should dissolve kidney stones rather quickly.
Kidney Beans
The shape of these beans reveals the use of this old folk remedy for kidney stones. Try removing the beans from inside the pods, and then boil the pods in purified hot water for six hours. This liquid can be strained through cheesecloth, cooled and drunk throughout the day for one day to ease kidney stone pain.
The excruciating pain of kidney stones doesn’t have to be your fate! Preventing kidney stones isn’t complicated. Maintain proper hydration, mineral balance, and incorporate natural remedies like lemon juice and ACV to help you avoid kidney stones.
For those who struggle with kidney stone formation, follow the simple natural remedies that will help soothe the discomfort of kidney stones and speed up your body’s natural healing process. The recommended herbal remedies will safely break apart those nasty little rocks before they become a problem,
Drink your way to healthy kidneys!
Sources:
[1] http://www.davita.com/kidney-disease/overview/symptoms-and-diagnosis/kidney-stones-and-chronic-kidney-disease/e/4722
[2] http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDiseases/pubs/kidneystonediet/#fluid
[3] http://www.kidneystoneremovalathome.com/apple-cider-vinegar-for-kidney-stones/
[4] http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/cranberry/evidence/hrb-20059059
[5] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19025399
[6] http://www.upmc.com/patients-visitors/education/nutrition/pages/low-purine-diet.aspx
[7] http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/09/22/kidney-stones-coffee.aspx
[8] Mandy Oaklander, “The Painful Side Effect of Soda,” Prevention, May 20, 2013, http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/does-soda-cause-kidney-stones.
[9] http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/5-steps-for-preventing-kidney-stones-201310046721[10] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9096270
[11] http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/80400530/pdf/0506/usual_nutrient_intake_vitD_ca_phos_mg_2005-06.pdf
[12] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Biochemical+and+clinical+effects+of+the+prophylactic+treatment+of+renal+calcium+stones+with+magnesium+hydroxide
[13] http://www.uwhealth.org/news/calcium-may-help-prevent-kidney-stones/14043
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