Calcium Stones:
Around 3/4 of kidney stones are calcium based which break down into 2 main types – calcium oxalate stones and calcium phosphate stones. Calcium oxalate stones are the most common cause.

Uric Acid Stones:
Approximately 5-10% of kidney stones are the result of too much uric acid in your system. This can occur for several reasons and may be treated in the same way as gout. Gout is also a painful cause of having too much uric acid in the body. If you have been diagnosed with uric acid stones Gout Remedies may help.

Struvite Stones:
Struvite stones are found more commonly in women and make up around 10% of all kidney stone problems. These stones are the result of infection and the bottom line treatment for this is antibiotics.

Cystine Stones:
Cystine stones account for less than 1% of all kidney stones. This is a hereditary problem that stimulates the kidneys to release too much of an amino acid called cystinuria. A low salt diet is helpful if you have cystine stones, along with freshly juiced lemonade.

Symptoms of Kidney Stones:
Anyone who has had kidney stones will tell you that it is “extremely painful”. The main symptoms of a kidney stone is sudden and intense pain felt in the back, side, groin or lower abdomen. Other kidney stone symptoms include vomiting, nausea, painful and frequent urination and blood in the urine.

What can I do to help with Kidney Stones?
Before we go into specific juices tailored for each type of kidney stone, there is a common home remedy which helps each type. Drink water! and lots of it! All Kidney stones form because there is more deposits of crystal forming substances than the kidney can dilute and excrete. Doctors and other health professionals recommend to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day to help the kidneys dilute the stones.

Juicing for Calcium Stones:
As we mentioned above, there are two types of calcium based kidney stones. Both may respond well to lemon juice. Lemons and other citrus fruits contain something called citrate, which has been shown to help break down calcium based stones. So a daily glass of homemade lemonade can help with the dilution of present kidney stones symptoms and help lower the risk of developing new ones. Please note that the citrus fruit grapefruit is an exception, and actually has a counter-productive effect for eliminating kidney stones.

Calcium phosphate stones:
In addition to lemonade, a calcium phosphate kidney stone symptom may be reduced by increasing the acidity of urine. These stones do not thrive in acidic environments, so adding a daily glass of cranberry juice (which has an acidic effect on urine) may have a beneficial effect in dissolving them.

Lemonade Juicer Recipe – take 3 lemons, peel them and juice the flesh only. Dilute with water to your taste.

Calcium Oxalate stones:
Calcium oxalate stones are the most common kidney stone of all. To help reduce this kidney stones symptoms a diet low in oxalates is recommended. Foods high in oxalate include beer, chocolate milk, tea, nuts, sesame, soy, berries, citrus fruit peel (only juice the flesh), purple grapes, red currants, rhubarb, beets, dandelion, swiss chard, parsley, spinach and watercress. For an in-depth list visit oxalate food chart.

Adding more calcium to your diet can actually help! Even though this may sound contradictory. So how does that work? Calcium is needed to bind with oxalate to intercept it before it reaches the urinary tract. If free standing oxalate makes it to the urinary tract it can help develop kidney stones. Although calcium isn’t found in great quantities in fruits and vegetables, some are fair sources of calcium. In conjunction with juicing, it might be useful to take calcium supplements.

Calcium Fruit Juicer Recipe –
2 apples
1 lemon

You can juice the whole apple to get the full benefits of its nutrition. Use only the flesh of the lemon and not the peel. This juice is very refreshing with ice cubes, and also tastes great warm on a cold night.

Hope this helps with your kidney stones! Also – never self diagnose kidney stones and always check with your doctor before making dietary changes for you kidney stones symptoms.

Best Wishes
Darren and Veronica Haynes