The Best Natural Solutions for Preventing Kidney Stones

Numerous experts blame lifestyle and diet as the primary culprit for the rise of kidney stones. The incidence of contracting kidney stones is growing in the US in males as well as females. Once you’ve got a kidney stone, you are more vulnerable to developing them in the future.

What Constitutes Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones comprise deposits of specific salts and minerals that crystallize within the kidneys to create small to big masses. After they crystallize, they cannot naturally dissolve anymore and rather, require to be moved through the urinary tract system to be removed from the body. Kidney stones are quite common and if you get one, you’re almost 50% more probable to acquire another one within the following 10 years.

In addition to causing distress, kidney stones can also be very painful and can induce a range of different symptoms. A few people mention peeing bloody urine, deep pain in the lower back, stomach aches, fever, nausea, or urine with a foul smell besides the kidney stone itself. If you believe you possess a kidney stone or are feeling symptoms that extend beyond several days, it’s vital to consult your doctor to discover a treatment schedule that works for you. Prevention is key helping avoid these situations.

Kidney Stones Symptoms & Signs

Kidney stones have the following manifestations and symptoms namely:

• Pain in the abdomen or lower back 
• Pain while urinating
• Difficulty urinating
• Urinating more often
• Brown, red, or pink urine
• Vomiting or nausea
• Smelly or cloudy urine

Causes of Kidney Stones

Kidney stones do not have any specific cause. Multiple risk factors can lead to the formation of kidney stones. A few of these features include:

• Dehydration
• A diet abundant in sugar, sodium, or protein
• Digestive ailments such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Obesity
• Family history of kidney stones
• Medications like diuretics
• Different medical conditions such as hyper parathyroid condition

Natural Ways to Prevent Kidney Stones

Making small modifications to your present diet and nutrition schedule may contribute hugely to preventing kidney stones.

1. Remain Hydrated

Drinking more water constitutes the best way to avoid kidney stones. If you don’t drink sufficiently, you will have low urine output. Less urine output implies your urine has greater concentration and is less probable to dissolve urine salts that lead to stones.

Orange juice and Lemonade are also superb alternatives. Both of them contain citrate, which may stop the formation of stones.

You should attempt to drink nearly 8 glasses of fluid every day, or sufficient to expel 2 litres of urine. If you exercise or sweat profusely, or if you possess a history of cystine stones, you’ll require extra fluids.

You can know if you’re hydrated by seeing the colour of your urine – it must be clear or pale yellow. When it’s dark, you require drinking more.

2. Consume More Calcium-Abundant Foods

The most prevalent kidney stone type constitutes the calcium oxalate stone, causing many people to think they should refrain from eating calcium. The converse is true. Low-calcium diets may raise your risk of kidney stones and osteoporosis.

Calcium supplements, nonetheless, may raise your chance of stones. Consuming calcium supplements with a meal may aid to lower that risk.

A particular study put men earlier forming calcium-related kidney stones with a diet carrying 1,200 mg of calcium every day. The diet was also less in salt and animal protein.

The men had almost a 50% lesser risk of forming another kidney stone within 5 years compared to the control group, which took a low-calcium diet of 400mg daily.

Dietary calcium tends to attach with oxalate within the diet, which stops it from getting absorbed. The kidneys then don’t need to move it through the urinary system.

Look for calcium supplements.

Low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese, and low-fat milk are all wonderful calcium-abundant food alternatives.

3. Consume Less Sodium

A high-salt meal raises your chance of calcium kidney stones. Excessive salt within the urine stops calcium from being reabsorbed from the urine to the blood. This results in high urine calcium, which may cause kidney stones.

Consuming fewer salt aids maintain lower urine calcium levels. The lesser the urine calcium, the lesser is the danger of growing kidney stones.

To lower your sodium intake, scrutinize food labels cautiously. To flavour foods without utilizing salt, attempt fresh herbs else a salt-free, herbal seasoning mix.

4. Eat Lesser Oxalate-laden Foods!

A few kidney stones comprise oxalate, which is a natural substance present in foods that join with calcium in the urine to develop kidney stones. Restricting oxalate-laden foods may aid avoid stones from developing. 

Foods rich in oxalates are:

• Chocolate
• Spinach
• Sweet potatoes
• Beets
• Coffee
• Peanuts
• Soy products 
• Rhubarb
• Wheat bran

Calcium and oxalate attach in the digestive tract before entering the kidneys, so it’s more difficult for stones to form if you consume high-calcium foods and oxalate-rich foods simultaneously.

5. Eat Fewer Animal Protein

Foods abundant in animal protein are acidic and may elevate urine acid. Excess urine acid may result in uric acid as well as calcium oxalate kidney stones.

You should attempt to restrict or avoid:

• Poultry
• Beef
• Pork
• Fish

High consumption of animal protein may raise calcium excretion and reduce citrate levels. Moreover, animal protein sources are abundant in purines. These compounds are disintegrated into uric acid and may raise the risk of creating uric acid stones.

6. Keep Away from Vitamin C Supplements

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation may lead to kidney stones, particularly in men.

A 2013 study found that men who consumed heavy doses of vitamin C supplements increased their chance of forming a kidney stone twofold. Researchers don’t suppose vitamin C from food includes similar risks.

7. Examine Herbal Remedies

Chanca Piedra also called the “stone breaker” comprises a common herbal folk solution for kidney stones. The herb is believed to aid stop calcium-oxalate stones from developing. It’s also supposed to decrease the size of existing stones.

Look for herbal supplements of Chanca Piedra.

Employ herbal remedies with care. They’re not well-researched or well-regulated for the treatment or prevention of kidney stones.

8. Reduce Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine is another thing that you’ll wish to restrict. You don’t need to remove it from your scheme but attempt to refrain from drinking it too much. Caffeine accelerates your metabolism and results in dehydration. Attempt not to cross 400mg/day and bear in mind that caffeine is in greater foods and beverages than simply coffee.

Recommended: 7 Reasons To Limit Caffeine Consumption

9. Ensure Sufficient Intake of Magnesium

Apart from their fiber content, vegetables and fruits are a splendid source of magnesium. Research displays that reduced levels of magnesium raise the risk of kidney stones. Magnesium too is a chelator of oxalate and can limit urinary crystal formations.

10. Keep A Healthy Weight

Research shows that being overweight, possessing an increased body mass index, and keeping a greater waist circumference considerably raises the chance of kidney stones for different reasons, including:

• Reduced urine PH
• Greater inflammation and oxidative stress
• Probably more intake of sodium and animal protein and lesser intake of fiber, fruits, and vegetables in the diet

Due to this, keeping a healthy weight is crucial to lowering the risk of kidney stones.

11. Drink Cranberry Juice

Daily fluid consumption doesn’t need to be boring, and water isn’t the sole beneficial substance out there if you are grappling with kidney stones. Cranberry juice is among the healthiest kind of juices present, and it’s too amongst the finest ways to aid your system to cleanse.

Cranberries comprise a natural diuretic, which implies that it can be among the best methods to cleanse the kidneys when your body requires a thrust to return on the right path. If you don’t like its taste, shift to cranberry supplements rather.

12. Consume A Fish Oil Daily

Research has demonstrated that fish oil can stop kidney stones by reducing oxalate and urinary citrate levels. It lessens the concentration of oxalate and calcium in the urine, which constitutes a preventative measure. Attempt to consume greater fatty, cold-water fish like mackerel, sardines, and salmon.

Wrapping Up

It is quite common to have kidney stones. There’s no assurance that prevention methods will work, though they may lower your risk. Your safest bet for avoiding kidney stones is remaining hydrated and effecting certain dietary alterations.

If you have a condition that raises your chance of kidney stones, like persistent urinary tract infection, inflammatory bowel disease, or obesity, discuss with your doctor methods to manage it to lower your risk of kidney stones.

If you’ve already had a kidney stone previously, ask your doctor to get it tested. After you identify the kind of stone you’ve had, you can adopt focussed steps to stop new ones from forming.

You may like this

• 9 Foods to Add to Your Diet for a Healthy Uterus
• Importance of Uric Acid Levels in Our Body and How Can We Lower It Naturally
• Natural Ways of Colon Cleansing