Comments on: Lemonade And Kidney Stones?

By: Dahl

Dahl — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:01:03 +0000

Fantastic story. My guess is the acid in the juice which breaks down those stones. I am prone to getting kidney stones too. But I believe I got them from taking those yellow vitamin packs at corner store which gives you lots of energy. Won’t be taking those anymore.

By: pipsiwa

pipsiwa — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:19:42 +0000

I have to admit the lemon juice/lemonade treatment was a new one. When you have a kidney stone, the usual recommendation is to drink until your molars float. That means more liquid being filtered out by the kidneys, and more liquid means the stone is more likely to be flushed along with it. It really doesn’t matter much what you drink, alcohol aside, what you are after is the water content. Lemon juice might break down a stone, if the stone were dropped in it pure- but once it’s hit the stomach, the water part is all that is going to be absorbed, aside from the vitamin c. Stomach acid is far more acidic than lemon juice ever dreamed of being, and the acidity is neutralized by bile and other digestive enzymes. So it wasn’t something magic about the lemonade, no. More likely the stone had been broken up in the process of being passed, and all the extra liquid helped that. Stones do often break up in the process, so the filter catches a lot of bits and sand. That he felt no pain was a good thing for him, but that also may have been because it broke up small enough. And compared to the pain he had felt just recently, it would have felt like nothing in comparison. Had it not broken up as much, trust me- the Vicodan would barely have covered it passing. As far as preventing them reoccuring, that can depend some on what the stone was made of, and his fluid drinking habits. Isolated stones do happen, and it’s usually because the fellows don’t drink enough liquid or go to the bathroom often enough. The various salts in urine get a chance to form chrystals, which in turn become stones. Had it been a struvite or cystine stone, it would not have broken up likely at all. That his did means it was likely either calcium or uric acid based. If he ever forms another stone, it would probably be a good idea for him to be worked up for a possible metabolic problem. Some folks tend to have too much calcium filtered out, and that will form stones repeatedly. But chances are that in your boyfriends case, he can likely avoid a repeat by drinking a lot more liquid and making sure he goes to the bathroom every 3-4 hours. Believe it or not, it can really be that simple. And he can drink all the lemonade he likes, if he wants. He can drink just about any liquid he likes. What the kidneys want is the water.

By: The mom

The mom — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:10:48 +0000

depends on the type of kidney stone….
Treatment by Stone Type :
Calcium Oxalate
Plenty of fluids. (Choose water, lemon juice. Avoid grapefruit, apple, and cranberry juice.)
Limit the amount of protein and salt in the diet.
Increase fiber.
Limit the amount of fats in the diet, particularly in people who have short bowel syndrome.
Balance normal calcium intake with potassium- and phosphate-rich foods.
Limit the amount of calcium in the diet (only in people who have genetic abnormalities that cause high intestinal absorption of calcium).
Limit the amount of foods high in oxalates (only in patients with rare intestinal conditions that cause hyperoxaluria).
Diuretics (“water pills”), Citrate salts, phosphates, cholestyramine.
Lithotripsy, uteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, open surgery.
Uric Acid
Plenty of fluids. (Choose water, blackcurrant juice. Avoid cranberry juice.)
Increase calcium intake (be sure well-balanced with potassium and phosphates).
Reduce protein and other foods with high-purine content.
Potassium citrate, sodium bicarbonate, allopurinol.
Lithotripsy, uteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, open surgery.
Struvite stones
Plenty of fluids (water, cranberry juice).
Reduce proteins.
Antibiotics to eliminate any infection. Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) may be helpful in combination with antibiotics. In some cases, organic acids given through urinary tract.
May respond poorly to most lithotripsy procedures and require open surgery. Newer procedures may be helpful.
Cystine stones
Very high fluid intake (four quarts a day).
Limit the amount of protein in the diet.
Alkalizing agents (such as bicarbonate). Sometimes d-penicillamine, tiopronine, or captopril useful for lowering cystine levels.
May respond poorly to most lithotripsy procedures and require open surgery. Newer procedures may be helpful.