If you’ve ever had a kidney stone, then you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you never, ever want to have another one. Ouch.

You might be surprised to know that each time they go in and break up kidney stones, it gives the person temporary relief but puts that person more at risk for future kidney stones. Why? Because this procedure weakens the kidney system. And kidney stones are most commonly caused by a kidney deficiency. 

Another way to think about it is receiving a procedure to break up a kidney stone will address the issue at hand, but this procedure doesn’t address the underlying cause of why you’re getting kidney stones in the first place. 

At Hope Clinic, we want to help our patients by addressing the root problem as well as the symptom. So, let’s talk about kidney stones. 

WHAT CAUSES KIDNEY STONES?

There can be multiple reasons* as to why someone suffers from kidney stones, but most commonly kidney stones are caused by:

  • a kidney deficiency or
  • inappropriate phosphate levels

Often, these two things go hand in hand. 

It can be easy for our bodies to get overloaded with low-quality phosphorus like the kind found in pop. This means we don’t have enough high quality phosphorous to keep calcium in our blood stream. If our kidney system is weak, blood filtration slows down. So when blood filters through our kidneys the calcium tends to stay in our kidneys instead of staying in the blood. And before you know it, your body is writhing in kidney-stone pain.

HOW TO HELP YOUR BODY WITH A KIDNEY STONE RIGHT NOW

If you have a kidney stone right now, we suggest you start drinking room temperature watermelon juice right away. 

Go get a full watermelon, cut it up—rind and all—and pop it into your juicer. Double it with water and sip slowly on that room temperature watermelon concoction all day long. You’ll be drinking about a quart to two quarts a day until the stone is gone.

Dr. Brad has seen this method clear out just about any stones he’s seen.

The only catch is if you have a yeast infection in your system or blood sugar issues, then the watermelon juice can make these worse. If you think you may have a yeast infection or blood sugar issues along with your stone, you’ll definitely want to come in to the clinic. 

HOW TO HELP YOUR BODY LONG TERM WITH KIDNEY STONES

There are lots of good, “stone-lithic” herbal options out there to break down stones and many ways to strengthen the kidney system. Specific herbs, foods, and body temperature regulation can be great options for long-term maintenance. These can look a little different for each person. We can help you find the best options for your specific body during your next appointment at the clinic.

If you or someone you love struggles with ongoing kidney stones, come join us for our next Hope Class to see how natural care could help your body. 

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*Some kidney stones can be caused by a urinary tract infection (UTI).