How do kidney stones form? From the blood flowing through them, the kidneys
produce urine by removing some fluid and certain salts dissolved in that fluid. When concentration levels of
dissolved salts reach the point at which the salts no longer dissolve, they
precipitate out of solution and become solid again, forming a solid mass of tiny
crystals in the kidney's tubal system (nephrons), called a kidney stone.
Kidney stone characteristics.
Size ranges from that of a grain of sand to a
golf ball. Depending on their composition, they may be smooth, round, jagged,
spiky or asymmetrical.
One or more kidney stones can block urine
flow through the ureter (carrying urine from the kidney to the bladder) causing severe pain.
Small stones may not be felt, but larger stones
moving through the ureter may cause severe pain. A blockage can build up
pressure in the kidney causing swelling (hydronephrosis), which over time can
damage the kidney. A blockage further down the ureter can cause the muscular
ureter to swell (hydroureter) initiating painful spasms,
DIfferent types of kidney
stones?
Calcium stones
~80% of all kidney
stones. Composed of calcium +
either phosphate
or oxalate.
Possible dietary causes:
Calcium PHOSPHATE stones:
high
levels of phosphate fertilizers used in growing vegetables;
Calcium OXALATE stones:
beer, black pepper, berries, broccoli,
chocolate, spinach and tea.
High blood calcium levels can result from such
as:
Renal tubular acidosis. If the kidneys do not effectively eliminate acid, it builds up in the
blood. The kidney may be defective or simply overworked by an overly
acid-forming diet.
Some cancers.
E.g. Multiple myeloma (cancer of bone marrow plasma cells)
Struvite Stones
10% of kidney stones. Composed of magnesium
ammonium phosphate
Uric acid stones
~5% of
kidney stones
Occur mostly in those having chronic infection in the urinary tract (UTI's).
Specifically caused by bacteria that produce urease, which makes urine more
alkaline, allowing struvite to precipitate out of urine and form stones.
Occur with increased blood levels of uric acid.
Digestion produces uric acid and if the acid level in the urine is high, the
uric acid may not stay dissolved and solid uric acid particles precipitate out
in the urine, which can cling together to form a kidney stone.
About 50% of those with uric acid stones have uric acid
deposits in other body parts, called gout. E.g. big
toe joint.
Causes of uric acid stones
Dietary causes. Today, excess uric acid in the body is
most likely due to excess consumption of fructose in sugars, such as in sodas,
candies and sweetened foods. Also, uric acid levels are increased by consumption
of alcohol (particularly beer and wine) and purine-rich foods, including offal,
red meat and shellfish.
Medical or disease causes.
Include chemotherapy, certain bone marrow disorders over-producing blood cells,
and Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (an inherited disorder).
Cystine stones
~2% of kidney stones. People with cystine stones process dietary amino acids
abnormally. E.g. Cystine is an amino acid
Kidney stone symptoms
Crampy, spasmodic bouts of severe pain as stones
pass into ureter - pain usually begins in the area between
the lower ribs and the hip bone. As the stone nears the bladder, the pain often
radiates along the inner thigh. Women may feel the pain in the vulva, while men
often feel pain in the testicles.
Nausea/vomiting and frequent/painful urination
are common - can feel like you are peeing a combination
of sharp broken glass and boiling acid!
Fever and chills
- usually
resulting from obstruction of the ureter, which allows bacteria to become
trapped in the kidney and cause a kidney infection (pyelonephritis).
Who gets kidney stones?
~600,000 persons in the U.S. develop kidney
stones each year
Men are ~4-5 times more likely to develop them
than women. ~10% of men and 5% of women age 30-50 in U.S.
suffer from kidney stones, with first episode at age 20-30.
Up to 2/3
of men who have passed one stone will experience a recurrence.
Average of 9
years between episodes
Kidney stones are 4-5 times more common in whites
than in African Americans
How to prevent
kidney stones
General tactics to prevent kidney stones
Drink more water each day.
At least 2 qts. /day
Dietary changes can
be made to reduce risk of future stone formation. By aiding resorption of existing
stones. Changes needed are dependent on type of stones. (See below)
Regularly make and drink Dr.
Schulze Kidney/Bladder tea in early afternoon and again in early evening.
This tea tastes really good! ---
you can even add a dash of honey.
Dr. Schulze Kidney/Bladder tea
Pour 12 oz boiling water
over 1 rounded tablespoon of Dr. Schulze kidney tea.
TIP: grind dry tea in a
small grinder (e.g a coffee grinder or Minimate®chopper) for a few
seconds to allow some of the chunkier herbs to
better infuse into the water. However, to retain freshness, don't grind more than you will use in a few days;
Allow to steep 5-10 minutes
Strain into 2 -
8oz. cups. One cup for the a.m. and reheat 2nd cup or drink cold in p.m.
Optionally, add 1
dropperful of Dr. Schulze kidney bladder tonic to each tea.
Enhances therapy
Dr. Schulze Kidney/bladder Tea and Tonic can be purchased at Dr. Schulze's
website:
Magnesiumand B6
will dissolve calcium oxalate kidney stones.
Due to a lack of
magnesium, this type of stone is produced when
calcium precipitates and fixes to oxalic acid in such as potatoes, spinach and
tomatoes; Studies have found that magnesium and B6 help prevent recurrence of calcium oxalate kidney stones by
increasing the solubility of calcium in urine. Lack of
magnesium is also indirectly
responsible for
rampant tooth
decay, poor bone development, osteoporosis and slow healing of broken bones and
fractures.
Note:
Magnesium is not involved in the production of uric acid or phosphate stones
Eat less acid-forming protein and more alkaline-forming fruits and vegetables to lower
blood calcium level.
High-protein foods utilize calcium to
neutralize their acidic effect on body fluids, including the blood. The
irony here is that people eat high protein dairy foods for their calcium
content. The alkalizing calcium (brought into the blood to neutralize acid
formed from protein metabolism), overloads the kidneys, which excretes much of
the calcium in urine. A better choice
for calcium intake is low protein /high calcium /alkalizing foods, such
as carrots, sesame seeds, citrus, and greens. (High-level blood calcium also
contributes to plaque build-up in the arteries). Ounce for ounce home-made,
organic carrot juice is on par with milk for calcium content, and carrots don't
need to neutralize acidic, pasteurized dairy and use up calcium supplies.
Do
not supplement more than 1 g/day of vitamin C. Excess
vitamin C in the body undergoes chemical
conversion into oxalate leading to a rise in the levels of oxalate in the urine.
Since accumulated oxalate gives rise to kidney stone formation, it is advised
that people with kidney stones not exceed 1 gram /day of supplemental vitamin C.
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