Kidney Stones

[Guest guest]

http://doctoryourself.com/kidney.html

 

Kidney Stones

 

KIDNEY STONES (Renal Calculi) AND THEIR RELATION TO

DIET

 

There are five types of kidney stones:

 

1. Calcium phosphate stones are common and easily

dissolve in urine acidified by Vitamin C.

 

2. Calcium oxalate stones are also common but they do

not dissolve in acid urine.

 

3. Magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite stones) are

much less common, often appearing after an

infection. They dissolve in vitamin C acidified

urine.

 

4. Uric acid stones result from a problem

metabolizing purines (the chemical base of adenine,

xanthine, theobromine [in chocolate] and uric acid).

They may form in a condition such as gout.

 

5. Cystine stones result from a hereditary inability

to reabsorb cystine. Most children's stones are this

type, and these are rare.

 

The Role of Vitamin C in Preventing and Dissolving

Kidney Stones:

The very common calcium phosphate stone can only exist

in a urinary tract that is not acidic. Ascorbic acid

(vitamin C's most common form) acidifies the urine,

thereby dissolving phosphate stones and preventing

their formation.

 

Acidic urine will also dissolve magnesium ammonium

phosphate stones, which would otherwise require

surgical removal. These are the same struvite stones

associated with urinary tract infections. Both the

infection and the stone are easily cured with vitamin

C in large doses. BOTH are virtually 100% preventable

with daily consumption of much-greater-than-RDA

amounts of ascorbic acid. Think grams, not

milligrams! A gorilla gets about 4,000 mg of vitamin

C a day in its natural diet. The US RDA for humans is

only 60 mg. Someone is wrong, and I don't think it's

the gorillas.

 

The common calcium oxalate stone can form in an acidic

urine whether one takes vitamin C or not. However, if

a person gets adequate quantities of B-complex

vitamins and magnesium, this type of stone does not

form. Any common B-complex supplement twice daily,

plus about 400 milligrams of magnesium, is usually

adequate.

 

Ascorbate (the active ion in vitamin C) does increase

the body's production of oxalate. Yet, in practice,

vitamin C does not increase oxalate stone formation.

Drs. Emanuel Cheraskin, Marshall Ringsdorf, Jr. and

Emily Sisley explain in The Vitamin C Connection

(1983) that acidic urine or slightly acidic urine

reduces the UNION of calcium and oxalate, reducing the

possibility of stones. " Vitamin C in the urine tends

to bind calcium and decrease its free form. This

means less chance of calcium's separating out as

calcium oxalate (stones). " (page 213) Also, the

diuretic effect of vitamin C reduces the static

conditions necessary for stone formation in general.

Fast moving rivers deposit little silt.

 

Furthermore, you can avoid excessive oxalates by not

eating (much) rhubarb, spinach, or chocolate. If a

doctor thinks that a person is especially prone to

forming oxalate stones, that person should read the

suggestions below before abandoning the benefits of

vitamin C.

 

Ways for ANYONE to reduce the risk of kidney stones:

 

1. Maximize fluid intake. Especially drink fruit

and vegetable juices. Orange, grape and carrot

juices are high in citrates which inhibit both a build

up of uric acid and also stop calcium salts from

forming. (Carper, J. " Orange Juice May Prevent Kidney

Stones, " Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal, Jan 5, 1994)

 

 

2. Control urine pH: acidic urine helps prevent

urinary tract infections, dissolves both phosphate

and struvite stones, and will not cause oxalate

stones.

 

3. Eat your veggies: studies have shown that dietary

oxalate is generally not a significant factor in

stone formation. I would go easy on rhubarb and

spinach, however.

 

4. Most kidney stones are compounds of calcium and

most Americans are calcium deficient. Instead of

lowering calcium intake, reduce excess dietary

phosphorous by avoiding carbonated soft drinks,

especially colas. Soft drinks contain excessive

quantities of phosphorous as phosphoric acid. This is

the same acid that has been used by dentists to etch

tooth enamel before applying sealant.

 

Remember that Americans get only about 500 mg of

dietary calcium daily, and the RDA is 800 to 1200

mg/day. Any nutritionist, doctor or text suggesting

calcium reduction is in serious error.

 

5. Take a magnesium supplement of AT LEAST the US

RDA of 300-350 mg/day (more may be desirable in

order to maintain an ideal 1:2 balance of magnesium to

calcium)

 

6. Be certain to take a good B-complex vitamin

supplement daily, which contains pyridoxine (Vitamin

B-6). B-6 deficiency produces kidney stones in

experimental animals. Remember:

 

* B-6 deficiency is very common in humans

 

* B-1 (thiamine) deficiency also is associated with

stones (Hagler and Herman, " Oxalate Metabolism, II "

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 26:8, 882-889,

August, 1973)

 

7. Additionally, low calcium may itself CAUSE

calcium stones (L. H. Smith, et al, " Medical

Evaluation of Urolithiasis " Urological Clinics of

North America 1:2, 241-260, June 1974)

 

8. For uric acid/purine stones (gout), STOP EATING

MEAT! Nutrition tables and textbooks indicate meats

as the major dietary purine source. Naturopathic

treatment adds juice fasts and eating sour cherries.

Increased Vitamin C consumption helps by improving

the urinary excretion of uric acid. (Cheraskin, et al,

1983). Use buffered ascorbate " C " .

 

9. Persons with cystine stones (only 1% of all

kidney stones) should follow a low methionine diet

and use buffered C.

 

10. Kidney stones are associated with high sugar

intake, so eat less (or no) added sugar (J. A. Thom,

et al " The Influence of Refined Carbohydrate on

Urinary Calcium Excretion, " British Journal of

Urology, 50:7, 459-464, December, 1978)

 

11. Infections can cause conditions that favor stone

formation, such as overly concentrated urine (from

fever sweating, vomiting or diarrhea). Practice good

preventive health care, and it will pay you back with

interest.

 

 

REFERENCES:

Cheraskin, Ringsdorf Jr., and Sisley: The Vitamin C

Connection, Harper and Row, 1983

 

Pauling, Linus " Are Kidney Stones Associated with

Vitamin C Intake? " Today's Living, September, 1981

 

Pauling, Linus " Crystals in the Kidney, " Linus

Pauling Institute Newsletter, 1:11, Spring, 1981

 

Pauling, Linus How to Live Longer and Feel Better,

Freeman, 1986

 

 

Copyright C 1999 and prior years Andrew W. Saul.

From the books QUACK DOCTOR and PAPERBACK CLINIC,

available from Dr. Andrew Saul, Number 8 Van Buren

Street, Holley, New York 14470.