These are some of the best natural kidney stone remedies!
You sure know the stories about how painful kidney stones are. Hopefully, there are a couple of things that can help, and all of them are easily accessible.
In the US, it’s estimated that 1 in 10 people will experience a kidney stone at some point in their life. This means they are pretty common, and it is better to be prepared. Some people might need surgical treatment, but there are plenty of remedies you can try at home.
These natural kidney stone remedies can help you prevent and also aid in passing the stone in case you already have one. You can try to incorporate these solutions into your routine, but it’s better to always discuss them with your doctor beforehand.
What are kidney stones?
Kidney stones, or renal stones, are made from solid waste, mostly minerals, such as calcium oxalate (CaOx) mixed with calcium phosphate (CaP). As your kidneys do their thing, these minerals build up and form crystals. Over time, these crystals grow, and this is how you get kidney stones.
Most of the time, sand or smaller stones are not a problem, but as they get bigger, they can cause blockages as they try to leave the urinary tract. In the end, this can cause some severe effects, including excruciating pain, beeping, and vomiting.
Also, if you get a kidney stone once, the chances you will get another one in the next 5 to 10 years are somewhere around 50%. This is why these natural kidney stone remedies may help, and we are here to share them all with you.
1. Say no to foods high in oxalates
Well, now you can just limit the consumption and not stop entirely, but if you know that you are predisposed to kidney stones, this might help. Some well-known foods that are high in oxalates are mostly plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and cocoa.
One thing to keep in mind is that your body alone produces oxalates, and there is not much you can do about it. But if you are also eating a lot of high-oxalate foods, this can lead to an increased level of oxalates that are excreted through urine, and in the end, this may cause calcium oxalate crystals to grow on your kidneys.
This is for sure one of the natural kidney stone remedies that works, but the only problem is that a strictly low-oxalate diet is not the best choice as many of those foods are incredibly healthy. Yes, you can reduce the intake from time to time, but this is all.
The only case in which a strictly low-oxalate diet is recommended is if you are suffering from hyperoxaluria, which means you have extremely high oxalate levels in your urine.
Before changing your diet and trying this one of the natural kidney stone remedies, it is a good idea to consult your healthcare provider.
2. Stay hydrated
If there is one thing everyone should know about natural kidney stone remedies, it is that the most important thing is to be as hydrated as possible. Drinking plenty of fluids can reduce the chance of getting kidney stones, and besides that, it’s healthy to be hydrated all the time.
When you drink fluids, the stone-forming substances get diluted, which makes them less likely to crystallize and form stones. But not all fluids have the same effect. Water is the best of all, and a high water intake will reduce the chances of kidney stones. Tea, beer, orange juice, and wine are also good choices, but soda can contribute to the formation of kidney stones, so you better stay away from it.
Also, any other sugar-sweetened soft drinks have a lot of fructose, which increases the levels of oxalate, calcium, and uric acid excretion. So, one of the best natural remedies for kidney stones is to drink plenty of water and eat foods that have a lot of water, such as watermelons and cucumbers.
3. Try to increase the magnesium intake
Magnesium is also a mineral, but as it serves an important role in the metabolic processes that take place in your body, it also has a role in reducing the appearance of kidney stones. It is not yet fully understood how magnesium works in this case, but recent evidence showed that magnesium might reduce oxalate absorption while it’s still in your gut.
Unfortunately, even if this is one of the natural kidney stone remedies that does wonders, people don’t consume sufficient amounts of magnesium on a daily basis. The reference daily intake is 420 mg per day, and if you want to optimize your magnesium intake, you can try consuming more magnesium-rich foods such as tofu, avocados, and legumes.
4. Get calcium
Ok, most people believe that if you want to reduce the formation of calcium-containing stones, you need to reduce your calcium intake. This seems intuitive, but in reality, things are different.
What is most surprising is that a diet high in calcium is actually associated with a lower risk of developing kidney stones. One study found that those who ate a diet high in calcium (1,200 mg daily) had a 50% lower risk of future stones compared to those on a low-calcium diet (400 mg daily).
The way this works is explained by how the calcium tends to bind with the oxalate compounds, which in this way prevents them from being absorbed. This means the kidneys don’t have to deal with them anymore, and the risk of developing kidney stones is decreased.
If you want to add more calcium to your diet, try consuming more cheese, milk, and yogurt. We know that this one of the natural kidney stone remedies seems pretty counterintuitive, but it works.
5. Consume less animal protein
As you can see, there are a lot of natural kidney stone remedies, and most of them focus on how we eat and our dietary habits. Eating too much animal protein increases the levels of calcium that we excrete, leading to kidney stones.
When we say animal protein, we mean protein that comes from meat, dairy, fish, and so on. Another thing about animal proteins is that they are high in purines, and when these break down, they create uric acid. This leads to the formation of uric acid stones, another type of kidney stone different from the oxalate ones.
You should be very careful with organ meats such as kidneys and liver, as they contain the highest amounts of purines.
6. Too much vitamin C might be bad
Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, as we all know it, is associated with a higher risk of developing kidney stones. We are talking about high doses of vitamin C.
This happens because vitamin C encourages the excretion of oxalate in urine. Taking too many vitamin C supplements is not beneficial, as a part of this vitamin C will convert into oxalates.
A study that took place in Sweden found that middle-aged men who took vitamin C supplements were twice as likely to get kidney stones later than those who didn’t take supplements.
But remember that we are talking about supplements. Vitamin C that comes from your day-to-day diet, such as lemons or oranges, is okay and is not associated with a higher risk of developing kidney stones.
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