Preventing Kidney Stones

[Gvac]

Dearest Dr. Steve,

Recently a co-worker of mine was taken to the hospital with kidney stones. They had to pulverize them with a laser and put a stent in his cock so he could pass them. :ohmy: :surrender:

After dealing with gall stones 2 years ago I don't ever want to go through any kind of pain like that again.

Are there any steps one can take to prevent kidney stones? Any foods and or beverages that should be avoided, and any that prohibit the formation of stones?

Thanks a bunch!

Your dearest friend and pal in RonFez.net land,

Gvac

[Dr Steve]

Dearest Dr. Steve,

Recently a co-worker of mine was taken to the hospital with kidney stones. They had to pulverize them with a laser and put a stent in his cock so he could pass them. :ohmy: :surrender:

After dealing with gall stones 2 years ago I don't ever want to go through any kind of pain like that again.

Are there any steps one can take to prevent kidney stones? Any foods and or beverages that should be avoided, and any that prohibit the formation of stones?

Thanks a bunch!

Your dearest friend and pal in RonFez.net land,

Gvac


g:

kidney stones suck. There are many kinds of kidney stones, each caused by a screwup in the body's ability to deal with crystalline substances.

Some people make Calcium Oxalate stones. they need to be on a low oxalate diet which can be reviewed at http://www.branwen.com/rowan/oxalate.htm.

Some people make Uric Acid stones. Those people need to alkalize their urine (make it less acidic so the crystals can't precipitate), and avoid:

* Dairy products
* Legumes
* Soy products
* Tofu
* Lentils
* Whole grains
* Vegetables

Hell, if you tried to just preemptively change your diet to avoid both those stones, there's little you could actually eat.

A better and more general method is to just make sure you drink plenty of mineral-free water daily (around 8 8oz glasses/day) to keep your urine from getting too concentrated and thereby allowing stones to form. Beer seems to be bad for oxalate and uric acid stones. Everything in moderation. If you ever DO develop kidney stones, the first time it happens you need to collect some stones and take them to a lab for analysis (your primary care provider can do this for you). Once you know what they are, preventing them becomes much easier.

your pal,



steve