Showing posts with label National Kidney and Urologic Disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Kidney and Urologic Disease. Show all posts

Sunday, January 31, 2016

LEMON JUICE HELPS PREVENT GOUT & KIDNEY STONES








"lemon juice . . . prevent[s] . . . uric acid crystals, . . . the precursor for gout and kidney stones."

Start here.


How Do Your Kidneys Work?  

The answer is, constantly! 24 hours a day, your two kidneys filter your blood somewhat like an aquarium filter filters the water in a fish tank. The functional unit of the kidney is the nephron, a tissue unit that not only filters, but also recycles and excretes. 

The nephron filters blood (except red blood cells and protein); maintains the body's acid-base ion balance; recycles needed substances (water, minerals); and excretes wastes in a concentrated urine. In a manner of speaking, urine is filtered blood, or more exactly, blood is filtered urine.

Kidney Diseases and Problems: Inflammation and Infection
The role of massive doses of vitamin C is profound in this case, providing prevention and treatment at saturation levels. Since vitamin C is filtered and "wasted" through the kidneys, it is a virtually custom-made therapy.

Degeneration (resulting from inflammation, etc.) A chronic excess of dietary protein almost certainly taxes the kidneys and leads to gradual degeneration. (Williams, SR  Nutrition and DietTherapy, page 856, "The Aging Western Kidney"). Vegetarianism is a virtually automatic solution to our nation-wide pattern of protein abuse. Protein restriction is generally considered to be an important treatment for progressed glomerulonephritis. Reducing protein intake is obviously an ideal way to prevent a protein-breakdown induced nitrogenous overload in the first place.

Increasing carbohydrates is recommended. “Carbohydrates should be given liberally. This will also reduce the catabolism of proteins and prevent ... ketosis." (Williams)  Again, a regular vegetarian diet, which is high in complex carbohydrates, will assure just this.

from Susan Kaye at Livestrong . . . 

The kidneys play a pivotal role in clearing the body of toxins and waste matter as well as helping to regulate blood pressure. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Disease Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) website, healthy kidney or renal function can be compromised when the kidneys suffer an injury, are damaged by disease such as diabetes or hypertension or polluted through poisoning from various ingested chemicals. You can include some of the best supplements and foods in your daily routine to restore and maintain kidney health.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C supports the kidneys and helps keep them clear of kidney stones, especially urate stones which form as a result of uric acid crystal deposits, says DoctorYourself.com. It recommends consuming oranges, grapes and carrots as well as their juices, all high in vitamin C. Buffered vitamin C ascorbate supplements, available in health food stores, are also helpful in maintaining kidney health.

On Vitamin C, Linus Pauling wrote
I started using vitamin C in massive doses in-patients in 1969. By the time I read that ascorbate should cause kidney stones, I had clinical evidence that it did not cause kidney stones, so I continued prescribing massive doses to patients. To this day (2006) I estimate that I have put 25,000 patients on massive doses of vitamin C and none have developed kidney stones.
Vitamin B
Adding a vitamin B complex supplement to your diet, one that especially has B6, is important to prevent kidney stones, points out the DoctorYourself website. B6 deficiency has been shown to contribute to the development of kidney stones.

Lemon Juice
High in potassium, lemon juice may be added to the diet to prevent the formation of uric acid crystals, which contribute to the formation of uric acid, the precursor for gout and urate kidney stones, according to Health911.com. The potassium in lemon juice helps create calcium carbonate, a chemical that alkalizes the body causing the system to neutralize acids. Potassium is a mineral and one of the electrolytes needed to help the kidneys balance blood pressure, heart function and electrical impulses in the body according to the University of Maryland 
Medical Center (UMMC).

Apple Cider Vinegar
Organic apple cider vinegar is recommended by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody in his book, Alkalize or Die, as a method to help keep the body in a slightly alkaline state. Baroody explains, although an acid, it has the ability to create an alkaline-forming state in the system by neutralizing acids in the digestive process. He goes on to explain that the body is able to maintain good health when it is slightly alkaline. This applies to the kidneys because when the urine is alkaline, they are protected from damage formed by uric acid.

L-Carnitine
L-carnitine also referred to as Carnitine is an amino acid and a nutrient that helps the body and convert fat, especially in the liver and kidneys to energy. Sometime the body needs supplementation with L-carnitine according to the UMMC, because it is produced by the kidneys. If there is kidney malfunction, L-carnitine supplies may be greatly diminished. Speak to your doctor before starting this supplement.   



As to the worst foods for your kidneys, I would watch out for coffee and caffeine.   This site also cites dairy products.  But I would add a caveat of completely doing without dairy.  Yogurt is a healthy dairy food for many of your organs, including your intestines.