Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are hard, stone-like masses that can form in one
or both kidneys.
Kidney stones are usually painless when in the kidney but can
cause severe pain as they travel from the kidneys to the
bladder. An attack of this pain is called renal or uteric colic.
What Causes It?
Kidney stones occur because the small bowel absorbs too much
calcium, your diet is too high in calcium or another mineral,
you have intestinal problems, a urinary tract infection, or an
inherited disorder. You may not be drinking enough fluids
(especially in the summer) or exercising enough.
Nutrition
Reduce your intake of sugar, refined
foods, animal products (meats and dairy), caffeine, alcohol,
soda, and salt.
Drink more water and eat more fiber, vegetables, whole grains,
and vegetable proteins.
Cut down on oxalate-containing foods such as spinach, rhubarb,
beets, nuts, chocolate, black tea, wheat bran, strawberries, and
beans.
Include foods rich in magnesium and low in calcium, such as barley, bran, corn, rye, oats, soy, brown rice, avocado, banana,
and potato.
Magnesium citrate (200 to 400 mg per day) may increase the
solubility of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate.
Pyridoxine (B6, 10 to 100 mg per day) is essential for the
metabolism of oxalic acid, a component of some stones.
Folic acid (5 mg per day) helps break down uric acid stones.
Kidney Beans
Kidney beans, also known as dried French beans or Rajmah, are
regarded as a very effective home remedy for kidney problems,
including kidney stones. The method prescribed to prepare the
medicine is to remove the beans from inside the pods, then slice
the pods and put about sixty grams in four litre of hot water,
boiling them slowly for six hours. This liquid should be
strained through fine muslin and then allowed to cool for about
eight hours. Thereafter the fluid should be poured through
another piece of muslin without stirring.A glass of this
decoction should be given to the patient every two hours
throughout the day for one day and, thereafter, it may be taken
several times a week. This decoction would not work if it was
more than twenty-four hours old. The pods could be kept for
longer periods but once they were boiled, the therapeutic factor
would disappear after one day.
Basil
Basil has a strengthening effect on the kidneys.In case of
kidney stones, one teaspoon each of basil juice and honey should
be taken daily for six months. It has been found that stones can
be expelled from the urinary tract by this treatment.
Celery
Celery is a valuable food for those who are prone to getting
stones in the kidneys or gall-bladder. Its regular intake
prevents future stone formation.
Apple
Apples are useful in kidney stones. In countries where the
natural unsweetened cider is a common beverage, cases of stones
or calculus are practically absent. The ripe fresh fruit is,
however, more valuable.
Grapes
Grapes have an exceptional diuretic value on account of their
high contents of water and potassium salt. The value of this
fruit in kidney troubles is enhanced by its low albumin and
sodium chloride content. It is an excellent cure for kidney
stones.
Pomegranate
The seeds of both sour and sweet pomegranates are useful
medicine for kidney stones. A tablespoon of the seeds, ground
into a fine paste, can be given along with a cup of horse gram (kulthi)
soup to dissolve gravel in kidneys. Two tablespoons of horse
gram should be used for preparing the cup of soup.
Watermelon
Watermelon contains the highest concentration of water amongst
all fruits. It is also rich in potassium salts. It is one of the
safest and best diuretics which can be used with beneficial
result in kidney stones.
Vitamin B 6
Research has shown the remarkable therapeutic success of vitamin
B6 or pyridoxine in the treatment of kidney Stones. A daily
therapeutic does of 100 to 150 mg of vitamin B6, preferably,
combined with other B complex vitamins, should be continued for
several months for getting a permanent cure.
Intake of calcium and
phosphates should be restricted
A liberal intake of fluid upto
three litres
or more daily is essential to prevent the precipitation of salt
into the form of stones.
Kidney
Stones
The
formation
of
stones
in the
kidneys
or
urinary
tract is
not an
uncommon
disorder.
The
stones
are
formed
from the
chemicals
usually
found in
the
urine
such as
uric
acid,
phosphorus,
calcium,
and
oxalic
acid.
They may
vary in
consistency
from
grit,
sand,
and
gravel-like
obstructions
the size
of a
bird's
egg.
Stones
may form
and grow
because
the
concentration
of a
particular
substance
in the
urine
exceeds
its
solubility.
Most
kidney
stones
are
composed
either
of
calcium
oxalate
or
phosphate,
the
latter
being
most
common
in the
presence
of
infection.
About
ninety
per cent
of all
stones
contain
calcium
as the
chief
constituent.
More
than
half of
these
are
mixtures
of
calcium,
ammonium
and
magnesium,
phosphates
and
carbonates,
while
the
remainder
contain
oxalate.
Kidney
Disease
and
Therapeutic
Nutrition
Kidney
diseases
kill
60,000
Americans
a year
and
afflict
at least
8
million
more.
Dialysis
and
transplants
are
expensive,
costing
taxpayers
over 2
billion
dollars
annually.
To that,
add the
emotional
and
physical
costs in
pain.
The role
of
massive
doses of
vitamin
C is
profound
in this
case,
providing
prevention
and
treatment
at
saturation
levels.
Since
vitamin
C is
filtered
and
"wasted"
through
the
kidneys,
its is a
virtually
custom-made
therapy.
The
Kidney
Cleansing
Recipes
A Kidney
cleanse
is a
procedure
aimed at
dissolving
Kidney
stones -
stones
formed
inside
kidneys.Kidney
cleanse
can also
be used
for
improving
kidney
health
by
flushing
out
toxins
accumulated
inside
kidney
tissues.There
are many
different
kinds of
Kidney
stones.
Sometimes,
it can
take
days to
dissolve
them,
sometimes
it can
take
months.
Sometimes,
water is
enough,
sometimes,
you may
need
several
different
remedies.Crystals
form in
urine
from
various
salts
that
build up
on the
inner
surfaces
of the
kidney.
Eventually
these
crystals
become
large
enough
to form
stones
in the
kidney
(called
nephrolithiasis).Such
salts
may
include
calcium
oxalate,
uric
acid,
cystine,
or
xanthine.
These
salts
can
become
extremely
concentrated
under
certain
circumstances:
if the
volume
of urine
is
significantly
reduced
(chronic
thirst
and
dehydration);
or if
abnormally
high
amounts
of
crystal-forming
salts
are
present
(infection).
When
concentration
levels
reach
the
point at
which
the
salts no
longer
dissolve,
they
precipitate
out and
form
crystals.Stones
may also
form in
the
ureter
or the
bladder.
The
salts
that
form
these
stones
are made
up of
combinations
of
minerals
and
other
chemicals,
some of
which
are
derived
from a
person's
diet.
Ginger
may
prevent
diabetic
kidney
damage –
animal
study
10/03/2006
- Ginger
could
help
protect
against
kidney
damage,
a
condition
said to
threaten
one in
three
diabetics,
if the
results
of an
animal
study
published
in Food
Chemistry
are also
seen in
humans.An
estimated
19
million
people
are
affected
by
diabetes
in the
EU,
equal to
four per
cent of
the
total
population.
This
figure
is
projected
to
increase
to 26
million
by 2030.
The
rhizome
of the
ginger
plant (Zingiber
officinale)
is a
rich
source
of
antioxidants,
including
gingerols,
shogaols,
zingerones
and
other
ketone
derivatives.
It has
long
been
used as
a remedy
for
nausea,
especially
associated
with
morning
sickness.
The new
study,
published
on-line
in Food
Chemistry
(doi:
10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.01.013),
assessed
the
effects
of
ginger
on the
blood
antioxidant
levels
and
kidney
health
of
diabetic
rat
models.
Vitamin B3 can help patients with
kidney disorder patients`
A research on kidney diseases at a
hospital here has revealed that the intake of vitamin pill- Vitamin
B3 or Niacin- would control phosphate and thus prevent heart attack
in the chronic kidney disorder patients. Dr Krishnaswamy
Sampathkumar, head of nephrology department of Meenakshi Mission
Hospital and Research Centre, who headed the research team, said
hyperphosphatemia (presence of phosphate at high level in blood) was
common in hemodialysis (HD) patients and it caused heart attack
leading to death.
If you use herbs, do so
responsibly. Consult your doctor about your health conditions and use of
herbal supplements. Herbs may be harmful if taken for the wrong
conditions, used in excessive amounts, combined with prescription drugs
or alcohol, or used by persons who don't know what they are doing. Just
because an herbal remedy is natural, does not mean it is safe! There are
herbs that are poisonous such as Poison Hemlock, Jimson weed, and many
more.
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