Kidney stones is a condition which has become much more prevalent in recent times.  A New York Times article by Laurie Tarkan on October 28, 2008, cites that urologists in some parts of the USA are reporting a noticeable increase in kidney stones, especially in women and children.  Recent statistics reported that 12% of men and 7% of women get kidney stones at some time in their life. These statistics also suggested that the percentage of women with kidney stones was higher than reported.

Kidney and urinary stones are created when minerals in the body combine with other substances and accumulate in the small ducts and tissues of the organ “eventually forming a thick sludge then stones.” Many times, these stones have no symptoms and pass through the ureter unnoticed.

The problem comes when the stones cannot be passed into the urine.  Some reasons for the inability of the stones to be passed are: size, inflammation, and scarring of the ducts, hardness, and sharpness of the stones.

An excess of certain chemicals in the body which are unable to be broken down completely along with poor diet, inadequate fluid ingestion, metabolic deficiencies, genetic predisposition, obesity, and chronic inflammation play a role in the formation of kidney stones.  The most important factors though are healthy liver and kidney function, regulation of acidity or alkalinity, hormonal regulation of the body’s minerals and the health of the large intestine.

There are many different types of kidney stones, so it is vital to have a comprehensive, individualized approach to preventing and healing them.  Finding the right healthcare practitioners is of utmost importance in treating this painful and at times debilitating condition.

“It is estimated that 350,000 Americans visit the emergency room each year to deal with kidney stones.” Most of these stones are made up of calcium oxalate.

Last week I spoke of some of the causative factors for kidney stones.  There are four types of stones and myriad causative factors and predispositions creating them.  The four types of stones are:

• calcium stones– These are the most common and account for ¾ of all kidney stones. They are composed of calcium oxalate.
• uric acid stones-These are found in gout and genetic disorders. They are caused by faulty protein metabolism.
• Struvite stones– These are found in women with frequent urinary tract infections.
• Cystine stones– The least frequent type, they are caused by a genetic disorder.

Traditional Chinese Medicine takes into consideration a person’s lifestyle, diet and constitution when treating any medical condition. Finding the causative factors is key in effective treatment and each person is unique.  The treatment goal will be to dissolve the hard masses, drain dampness/congestion and promote the free flow of energy(chi).

Current dietary recommendations include;

1) Reduce high oxalate foods in your diet. Some of these foods include:

2) Reduce your sugar intake.  Sugar causes the body to excrete calcium.
3) Limit your consumption of alcohol.  Alcohol creates heat in the body which add to the toxicity and accumulation of wastes.

It is recommended to keep your diet at 40-50 mg of oxalate a day or less for prevention of stones.

• Limit consumption of carbonated drinks– i.e. soda, seltzer.  The bubbles are very acidic and if you are creating stones your body is too acidic.
• Reduce animal protein consumption– rich foods are part of the problem. Recommended -3-5oz, 3-5x a week of clean, lean meat
• Reduce consumption of eggs– they are rich and can promote dampness if eaten too often.
• Avoid processed and refined foods– cold cuts and hot dogs contain too many chemicals that will overburden the system.
• Reduce dairy, it creates phlegm

You’re probably wondering what to eat at this point.  It will depend on the type of kidney stones that are being produced but here is a list of things you can do:

• Increase water consumption to about 2 liters a day, if athletic you may need more
• Increase calcium-magnesium ratio foods;     avocado, banana, bran, brown rice, dark chocolate, lima beans, oats, potatoes, barley, coconut, cashews, rye, sesame seeds, soy
• Get your calcium from sources other than dairy, such as kelp or broccoli
• Add B6, magnesium, cranberries- very beneficial
• Add foods that dissolve hard masses; crab, agar, kelp, miso, nettles, octopus, spirulina, tofu, wheat grass
• Choose low oxalate foods; alfalfa sprouts, cauliflower, chives, cherries, boiled asparagus, chestnuts, cucumber to name a few

The most important is to be followed by a medical professional. Acupuncturists will treat someone with just oxalate stones differently than someone with oxalate and uric acid stones or someone with kidney stones and high blood pressure.

For more information refer to:

www.aprilcrowell.com/Treating Kidney Stones with Asian Medicine
and
acupunctureintegrated.com – kidney stone prevention

Last week I spoke about the effectiveness of Chinese Medicine when treating anxiety.
Acupressure and acupuncture help to balance the body’s vital energy which affects the body, mind, and spirit.  Each yin organ energy pathway is associated with an emotion.  When an acupressure practitioner takes pulses during a session she/he determines where the energy imbalances lie.  They then treat the imbalance which will also help to balance the emotions.  Over time the anxiety will usually improve.

Kidney health is extremely important when dealing with anxiety.  When the kidneys are run down it slows the healing process.  The kidneys are weakened by overexposure to toxins, overwork, stress, eating too much meat, excessive alcohol consumption, poor sleeping habits, and some medications.  The emotion of fear, which plays a large role in anxiety, is associated with kidney energy.  In Traditional Chinese Medicine the kidneys and adrenal glands are the same organs.  The kidneys are also associated with the bones and hair.
Foods which help to support kidney energy will also help with anxiety.

These foods include:

For further information refer to www.consciouslifestylemag.com/ Foods For Anxiety

Every so often I like to revisit the 24-hour meridian clock.  It has valuable information on how our energy cycles throughout our body during a day.
“In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is believed that each organ has its point of highest energy and lowest energy.”

The 24-hour Meridian Clock shows the times when each meridian is most active and the best times for different activities.  For example: Gallbladder Meridian is most active between 11:00 pm and 1:00 am.  This meridian is responsible for decision making and everyday stress. The Body Clock shows the optimum bedtime to be between 10 and 11 pm.  Following the natural rhythm of our bodies enhances our health and wellbeing.

The summer meridians include: Heart, Small Intestine, pericardium and Triple Warmer.  These meridians are most active in the summer, so this time of year their 24- hour energy cycle times are heightened.

Heart Meridian – most active between 11 am and 1 pm. The activities are blood circulation, high energy, lunch

Small Intestine Meridian – most active between 1 pm and 3 pm. sort and absorb food, low energy, nap

Pericardium Meridian – most active between 7 pm and 9 pm. protection, light reading, sex, taking care of self

Triple Warmer Meridian – most active between 9 pm and 11 pm. Endocrine and metabolic balancing, sleep

Traditional Chinese Organ Body Clock/www.foreverconscious.com