Dealing with kidney stones can be very painful. You want to do everything you can to help your body get rid of kidney stones. Prolonged kidney stones can be excruciating and keep you from living your normal life. Here are some kidney stone tips that will help you overcome the challenges of kidney stones.
1. Make sure you’re drinking enough water
You need to be drinking more water than usual to help your body pass the kidney stones out of your system. You should aim for a minimum of 8 to 10 cups spread throughout the day. Drinking as much as 12 cups is even better if you don’t mind more frequent trips to the bathroom.
You should also drink fluids with citric acid such as orange juice, lemonade, and limeade. They can help prevent kidney stones from growing and also help break them down. Just be mindful that you also need to avoid sugary drinks as they can often help contribute to forming kidney stones.
2. Adjust your diet
Whether you have calcium oxalate stones or uric acid stones, you need to follow a strict diet that makes it easier for your body to deal with your kidney stones. If you’re dealing with calcium oxalate stones, consuming foods with high oxalate content is likely only going to make your existing stones bigger.
The same idea applies to uric acid stones. You need to eat less animal proteins as they elevate the levels of uric acid, which contribute to the formation of these stones. The best thing that you can do is to conduct research on how to adjust your diet.
Find a list of foods with low oxalate content to come up with a meal plan that you can follow. Find alternate protein sources that are plant based. Adjusting your diet is an essential part of a plan to pass kidney stones. There are many resources for people trying to come up with a new diet that’s kidney stone friendly.
3. Consider kidney stone supplements
There is now a variety of kidney stone supplements that are being sold all over the place. Some of these supplements have helped sufferers deal with and manage their kidney stones better. The main ingredient in some of these supplements is chanca piedra, an herb that has some effectiveness with breaking down kidney stones. Medical experts however recommend that you should not take chanca piedra for more than 3 months.
With that said, there are other supplements that appear to be even better than chanca piedra and do not use chanca piedra as an ingredient. One newer supplement is Kidney C.O.P. Calcium Oxalate Protector that has been awarded five U.S. patents and has shown in laboratory tests to inhibit the rate of calcium oxalate crystal growth by 99%. The maker of Kidney C.O.P. even says that they compared in laboratory studies Kidney C.O.P. to a 5:1 chanca piedra extract and Kidney C.O.P. actually demonstrated to be five times more powerful at stopping the rate of calcium oxalate stone growth. The best thing you can do to assess the effectiveness of the supplements is to read the reviews and ingredients list. See what customers are saying about their experience taking the supplement. Double-check to see if the ingredients are safe for you.
4. Cut down on the seasoning
Another thing you can do is to reduce your sodium and sugar intake. Salt has been shown to increase the level of calcium in your urine. This can create a greater risk of you developing calcium oxalate stones.
As for sugar, there have been studies that show there is an increased risk of developing kidney stones with high consumption. You should especially look to avoid high fructose corn syrup. This is a sugar-substitute ingredient that is used in many processed foods.
5. Work on the health issues contributing to kidney stones
It’s proven that obese people have a greater risk of developing kidney stones. This is also the case for people that have type 2 diabetes. You want to make sure you’re working to address these health issues that are contributing to your development of kidney stones.
Even if you do pass the stones you’re dealing with, you are bound to get another bout of kidney stones if you do not address these health issues.
