Stones of any kind belong on the ground, not in your body, but unfortunately, some of your internal organs can be very good at making them.
Gallstones and kidney stones are both hard buildups in the body that superficially resemble rocks or pebbles. Save for that they don’t have too much in common. Gallstones form in the gallbladder and are mostly hard buildups of excessive cholesterol. Small ones are passed out through your intestines with little fanfare. Large ones that form a blockage will cause pain and need immediate medical care. Kidney stones on the other hand are deposits of minerals that concentrate in the kidneys and passing even a small one is notoriously painful.
They are however similar in being responsive to diet, with a diet for gallstones and kidney stones able to prevent the formation of these pebble-like deposits that often feel like boulders to move. Whether you’re looking to never deal with the pain of gallstone and kidney stones, or never want to experience them in the first place in the following excerpt from the book The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods by James A Duke and Bill Gottlieb, CHC the authors discuss the benefits of a diet for gallstones and kidney stones.
Stones of any kind belong on the ground, not in your body, but unfortunately, some of your internal organs can be very good at making them—especially your kidneys and gallbladder. In fact, it’s not terribly unusual for individuals to form stones in both of these organs. Here’s a quick rundown of how this happens.
Gallstones may form when you have too much fat and cholesterol in your diet. Gallstones are small lumps or nuggets that develop in your gallbladder—the organ that stores the bile (also known as gall) that your body uses to digest fats in your small intestine. Bile is normally a liquid that contains cholesterol, protein, and fat. However, too much cholesterol or calcium salts in bile can cause them to clump together, just as it can clog your arteries and cause heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.
Gallstones that stay in your gallbladder typically don’t cause any symptoms. But if these little stones start moving around, particularly into the bile ducts—the tubes that carry bile in and out of the gallbladder—you can expect some excruciating pain in your upper or middle abdomen on the right side. The pain may come and go.
Women are more than twice as likely than men to develop gallstones because estrogen concentrates more cholesterol in bile. The risk for gallstones also increases if you’re older or overweight. Doctors today usually treat gallstones with laparoscopic surgery or, sometimes, bile acid drugs that dissolve the cholesterol in the stones.
When certain minerals become too concentrated in your urine, crystals of calcium salts and other minerals that are usually flushed out when you urinate start to build up and resemble hard, rough little pebbles. As a kidney stone attempts to leave your kidney, it doesn’t go as smoothly as urine does—not even close. The narrow tubes (ureters) that easily carry liquid have a much harder time moving a solid mass on through, and this causes intense, often fluctuating waves of pain through your lower back, sides, and pelvic area.
Kidney stones affect mostly middle-aged and older men. Unlucky guys! The pain of passing a kidney stone is said to be as close as a man can get to experiencing the pain of childbirth. These stones usually aren’t treated, and the pain can be controlled with medication as they’re passing. In the past, a stone that wouldn’t pass constituted a surgical emergency. Today, a noninvasive procedure called lithotripsy can break up the stone with pulverizing shock waves to help it move on out.
Doctors used to think that too much calcium in your diet contributed to gallstones and kidney stones. This is because both of these types of stones are linked to calcium buildup in either the gallbladder or the kidneys, often from taking calcium supplements. However, studies have found that people who get plenty of calcium from their diet are actually the least likely to get gallstones and kidney stones. Scientists believe that calcium from food instead of from a pill is the key. Dietary calcium has shown to lower the amount of cholesterol in the gallbladder and kidneys, reducing the risk for stones.
Water is an essential part of helping every system in your body work well, and its role in preventing gallstones and kidney stones is certainly included. Drinking plenty of water flushes your liver and dilutes the bile that thickens and causes gallstones. The more water you drink the less concentrated your urine is, which prevents crystals from forming and developing into stones. Experts agree that drinking six to eight glasses of water a day is your best bet. Here’s a trick: Measure out 2 quarts of water every morning and make sure it’s gone before you go to bed.
To ward off gallstones, experts recommend eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. For more protection, these healing foods could help:
Beet greens. During a gallbladder attack, eating beet greens can help ease the pain. Beet greens are very high in minerals, vitamin A, and betaine, a compound that both stimulates the production of bile and dilutes it at the same time. Betaine also causes the muscles around the gallbladder and bile ducts to contract, which helps move things through. Other good sources of betaine include the edible weed called lambsquarter and marshmallow. Coincidentally, marshmallow may be a better recommendation than the beet, containing four times as much betaine. Linda White, MD, author of Rodale’s The Herbal Drugstore, recommends this mucilaginous herb to soothe the urinary tissues.
Dandelion. This backyard “weed” increases bile flow in your gallbladder and improves how your body processes fat and cholesterol. Dandelion greens can be found in popular “spring mix” salad combinations. Drinking several cups of dandelion tea each day has been shown to prevent gallbladder attacks.
Fiber. Dietary fiber hinders stone formation by reducing the concentration of cholesterol in your bile. You can lower your risk for gallstones with a high-fiber diet. A study from Harvard Medical School found that for every five gram increase in fiber intake, risk falls by 6 percent. Fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and bran binds with bile salts (part of bile) and cholesterol in your intestines, preventing your body from absorbing them. In addition, fiber absorbs lots of water, which softens your stools. Water soaked stools absorb fat, and less fat in your system can help prevent gallstones
Globe artichoke. According to Simon Mills and Kerry Bone, authors of Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine, the artichoke is a traditional remedy for urinary stones. They say that it stimulates bile flow and inhibits cholesterol synthesis.
Radishes. Radishes contain a variety of chemicals that help improve digestion, and they increase the flow of bile. Michael Murray, ND, a natural medicine expert and author of The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, suggests eating fresh radishes to maintain a healthy gallbladder. Both the root and the juice of the plant have medicinal benefits.
Turmeric. Commission E, the German agency that evaluates the safety and efficacy of medicinal herbs, considers turmeric, the main ingredient in curry, to be an effective herb for treating gallstones. Turmeric contains curcumin, a compound shown to fight gallstones because it thins out bile. This effect, in turn, helps prevent gallstones from forming and dissolves any that have already formed. If I had gallstones, I would eat lots of Indian dishes loaded with curry made with turmeric.
Vegetables. Eating a lot of vegetables is a good way to prevent gallstones. According to Dr. Murray, vegetable proteins have preventive properties to fight the formation of gallstones. A Harvard research team has also found that proteins in vegetables seem to block gallstones. Bilberry and blueberry. These fruits are crushed with the roots and steeped in gin and consumed as a diuretic, of value for kidney stones.
FOODS TO WATCH
In addition to eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet loaded with fiber, fruits, and veggies, here are some specific foods and diet practices that may help limit your risk of developing gallstones or kidney stones:
For gallstones…
Coffee. Coffee, both regular and decaf, can stimulate gallbladder contractions. If you have gallstones, refrain from drinking java until they’re dissolved.
Eggs. Studies have shown eggs to cause a gallbladder attack in people with gallstones.
Sugar. A study from Harvard Medical School linked meals rich in refined carbohydrates to a 50 percent increased risk for gallstones.
Not enough fat. An extremely low-fat diet allows bile to sludge up in your gallbladder. You need some fat in your diet, just not too much.
Whole dairy foods. Animal proteins, such as those found in whole or high-fat dairy products, have been shown to increase the likelihood of gallstones. For kidney stones…
Meats. Animal protein has been found to increase the concentration of calcium in urine, and more calcium can mean more stones.
Oxalate-rich foods. People who are prone to kidney stones tend to absorb higher levels of dietary oxalates. If you’re prone, try to avoid oxalate-rich foods, such as beans, beets, blueberries, celery, chocolate, grapes, nuts, rhubarb, and spinach.
Salt. Too much salt in your diet increases your risk for kidney stones because it makes the calcium in your urine more concentrated.
Vitamin C. In high doses, vitamin C (an oxalate) can cause problems if you’re prone to kidney stones. If you’re like many people who take a vitamin C supplement to boost your immune system, be aware of this. However, some research suggests that vitamin C–rich foods don’t have the same effect.
Fish. Studies at John Hopkins University School of Medicine suggest that fish oil may slow down gallstone formation. Certainly, fish omega-3’s can lower cholesterol. So can alpha-linolenic acid. Good sources of alpha-linolenic acid include chia, flaxseed, hemp seed, inca peanuts, and walnut oil. This substance could be particularly helpful if you’re at high risk, so you might want to eat more fish.
Nuts. Some naturopathic doctors say that low levels of lecithin may be linked to gallstones. Lecithin is a nutritional substance that helps water and fat mix more easily, and it’s believed that it helps cholesterol move within your system. The more cholesterol moves, the less likely it is to settle and form stones. Foods rich in lecithin include peanuts, soybeans, and wheat germ. On a dry weight basis, soybeans may contain 1.5 to 2.5 percent lecithin, but Brazil nuts and velvet beans may contain as much as 10 percent.
You might want to try these food remedies and nutrients to help prevent painful kidney stones from forming…
Cranberry. Dr. Murray suggests that cranberry reduces the volume of ionized calcium in the urine by more than half in patients with recurrent kidney stones. He cautions, however, that it would take 16 ounces of cranberry juice a day to prevent stone formation under such high-risk conditions
Fiber. Foods rich in fiber have proven to reduce the amount of calcium in urine, making kidney stones less likely, so include lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your diet. Fiber may be one reason that vegetarians are at lower risk for developing these stones, but studies show that even meat eaters can lower their risk for kidney stones by beefing up on fiber.
Cranberry juice. Dr. Murray, also the author of The Complete Book of Juicing, says that cranberry juice is a good choice if you’re prone to kidney stones. Too much calcium causes them, and cranberry juice contains quinic acid, which reduces calcium in your urine. Dr. Murray suggests drinking two eight-ounce glasses a day to help prevent stone formation.
There’s one old-time remedy I probably wouldn’t try if I had gallstones. Rumor has it that fasting for three days and then dosing yourself heavily with olive oil and fruit juice will give your gallbladder such a boost that it spews out any stones. Some people have reported seeing their stones pass as “greenish blobs” when they follow this remedy, but some experts are skeptical. It’s possible that the greenish blobs are residues of the olive oil, not gallstones.
Dandelion. Eric Yarnell, naturopath; Kathy Abascal, an herbalist; and Carol Hooper, an MD—all good friends of mine—suggest large volumes of dandelion leaf tea for kidney stones. Animal studies confirm that it is useful in preventing kidney stone formation. If you can’t find it in your supermarket, weed it from your lawn, but don’t pick plants that are too close to a road or driveway. The roots are very good at soaking up chemical pollutants from passing cars.
Magnesium. Eat foods rich in magnesium. Magnesium regulates calcium by binding with calcium salts in your urine, which keeps them dissolved so that they can’t form stones. Foods rich in magnesium include green vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts.
Potassium. People with low potassium levels are at higher risk for kidney stones because of potassium’s role in maintaining healthy urine. Eating a diet full of vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits and juices, is often recommended. My friend Alan Tillotson, PhD, notes that lemon juice is an inexpensive form of citrate; 4 ounces per day provide sufficient concentration to increase urinary citrate levels and reduce urinary calcium excretion.
From the Herbal Medicine Chest
When it comes to herbal remedies for gallstones and kidney stones, it basically boils down to tea. Try steeping a preventive, healing tea with any of these…
For gallstones…
Celandine
Milk thistle
Peppermint
For kidney stones…
Beggar-lice
Java tea
Couch grass
Lovage
Ginger
Parsley
Goldenrod
Stinging nettle
Horsetail
For additional advice on proven natural remedies for common health conditions, purchase The Green Pharmacy from Bottomlineinc.com.
