More than 12% of men and about 7% of women will have to deal with kidney stones at some point in their lives. Once you have suffered through them, statistics say you’re more likely to have them again. Statistics say they’ve got an 80% chance of recurrence.
Kidney stones have a tendency to open people’s minds to natural medicine.
Conventional doctors will tell us that common causes include too much calcium, too many vitamin supplements, too much animal protein, and genetics.
Genetics can lead to a predisposition to kidney stones, but learned behavior (diet) within the family is the reason the stones run in families. Some drugs, cheap supplements, soda, factory farmed animal products, table salt, tap water, and an acidic diet can all lead to the formation of kidney stones.
A diet of fresh, unrefined, whole foods prevents kidney stones.
How to Prevent Kidney Stones
Magnesium citrate, a complex B vitamin with extra vitamin B6, lots of stevia sweetened lemonade along with a healthy diet will not allow kidney stones of significant size to form.
Harvard researchers found that 180 mg of magnesium and 10 mg of B6 taken daily can actually prevent 92.3% of kidney stones. Other studies show huge reductions with magnesium alone at 500mg a day.
Diet is crucial
Fresh, raw, organic produce is the foundation of a healthy diet. Avoid refined foods including table salt and sugars and flours. Drink lots of water. Spring water from a clean source has numerous health benefits, and distilled water is very pure and good for you if you consume enough produce. Drink lemonade sweetened with stevia each day. Lemons also reduce the likelihood of kidney stones.
If you drink coffee, switch to tea. Studies show that black and green tea reduce the chances of developing kidney stones. Don’t eat conventional factory farmed animal products.
Avoid poor quality, unhealthy supplements and protein powders.
Other foods that prevent and eliminate kidney stones include raw apple cider vinegar, dandelion root, olive oil, kidney beans, and watermelon.
Natural remedies for kidney stones
Drink a half a gallon of cranberry, stevia lemonade per 100 pounds of body weight every day. See sources below for the recipe. Be careful with cranberry juice long-term. Short-term, it’s fine for helping pass a stone and for treating a urinary infection.
Cranberry juice contains polyphenolic compounds that dissolve kidney stones and flush them out of the body through the urine. But long-term use has been shown in some studies to possibly cause stone formation, probably due to its high oxalic acid.
Also drink a cup of apple cider vinegar and eat a tablespoon of unrefined black strap molasses each day daily, to balance the body’s PH.
If you’re shopping for a tincture or a tea look for the following herbs that have been shown time and time again to help remove kidney stones painlessly and quickly:
- Nettle leaf helps maintain the flow of water through the kidneys and bladder and helps keep crystals from forming into stones.
- Hydrangea root behaves as a powerful diuretic and also an antilithic herb, which ejects and prevents kidney stones
- Gravel root provides defense against kidney stones and increases the flow of urine. Gravel root also plays a role in maintaining an alkaline body by expelling excess uric acid, a cause of kidney stones
- Marshmallow root eliminates toxins and soothes cell membranes in the urinary system, making it easier to release kidney stones
- Horsetail herb helps regulate the calcium stored in the body and soothes urinary tract inflammation
- Uva ursi leaves increase renal circulation and limits the acid content in urine
- Corn silk reduces the risk of recurring kidney stones and helps treat bladder infections
- Goldenrod flowers fight urinary tract infection and help flush out kidney stones
A naturopath and master herbalist known as Doc Shillington shared his recipes for kidney detoxification and kidney stone tinctures. Read Natural Remedies for Kidney Stones for the recipes and for more information on kidney stones and see Inexpensive, Easy Detox for a recipe for cranberry stevia lemonade.
By Michael Edwards, Natural News; | References: Organic Lifestyle Mag.; Organic Lifestyle Mag.; NY Times; Dr. Yarnell; Natural News;
