Hopefully, many of you reading this have not had to experience the excruciating pain of passing a kidney stone, and if you have, sadly I can appreciate the ordeal that you have been through.
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Kidney stones are a crystal like mineral that can form in the kidney or even the urinary tract. They can be a result of a person’s diet or certain individuals will simply have a genetic predisposition for their formation. Dietary causes of kidney stones include: a diet with lots of animal protein, salt, and sugar. Other causes of kidney stones include and are not limited to: high calcium in urine, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and diabetes.
Here is a podcast by Brad Sobolewski who is an Assistant Professor of Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, and he goes into quite a bit of detail about kidney stones.
Now that we have the background knowledge of what kidney stones are, where they form, and how they form, lets focus on what steps you can take to avoid them. Take it from me, there is no joy in passing a stone the size of a pebble through one’s urethra. It is important to avoid kidney stones, because in most cases, once you have them, there isn’t really much you can do but simply let them pass with time.
- The most important thing you can do is to stay hydrated! This means drinking plenty of water, and other fluids, as the most common cause of kidneys stones, is a depleted fluid intake in a diet.
From Pixbay.com
- Avoid or limit a diet which is high in animal protein.
- Do not intake a lot of dairy products such as milk and cheese as an excessive amount will only increase the chance of kidney stones forming.
- Avoid eating an excessive amount of nuts and soy products.
- Eat plenty of high citrus fruits, as they help prevent the formation of kidney stones.
From Pixbay.com
Now this is a small but important list, but there are many other measures that one can take to avoid kidney stones.
Here is a video by the Urology Care Foundation that helps further explain the measures to prevent kidney stone formation.
Hopefully this post has helped you learn more about kidney stones and how to avoid them. Trust me, eating that extra McDonalds Big Mac is not worth the pain of passing these stones!
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