I’ve never had a kidney stone, but my patients tell me its one of the worst pains they have ever experienced. Imagine, for a moment, a hot searing knife-like pain that hits your back or side without warning. The pain begins just below your kidney and it hits like a missile. It throbs mercilessly and takes you down. You are sweating and begging for relief. It gradually tears its way down your back to your lower abdomen, causing excruciating pain the whole way.
That is how my friend Steve described it to me the other day when he called begging for relief. As soon as Steve said, Hi Doc I could feel the agony in his voice. I think Ive got a kidney stone! I am in terrible pain. Can you get me some pain relief?he begged.
I am not one to let someone writhe in pain. My first duty as a physician is to relieve suffering. So I called in a prescription for pain relievers. However, I also shared with him a unique treatment. Its a sure fire way to get rid of a kidney stone. Before I tell you what it is, let me tell you more about kidney stones.
There are two main types of kidney stones. The first is uric acid. But the most common is made of calcium. When you eat too high a protein/fat diet, your body can become too acidic. The excess acids need to be neutralized by alkaline minerals (calcium) pulled from your bones. Your body then eliminates the acids and calcium through your urine. That is when the stones can form. A dietary deficiency of calcium can result in a similar mobilization of calcium from your bones to keep up blood levels of calcium. That is when the stones form. This home remedy works to dissolve calcium stones.
I told Steve, I have a sure-fire cure for you.
Lay it on me, he said.
Simply drink eight ounces of fresh-squeezed lemon juice immediately. Then add one ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice to a glass of water and drink it. Repeat this every hour for the next 12 hours. The stone is sure to go! Steve promised to jump on it.
Lemon juice contains lots of citric acid. Acid dissolves calcium. But this was even better. Citric acid is a natural and extremely powerful binder of calcium. You can drop a tooth into citric acid and watch it dissolve. (Please note that momentarily exposing your teeth to the acids in citrus wont dissolve them. Your saliva quickly restores alkaline pH.)
Ive successfully used infusions of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or oral vitamin C to bowel tolerance in the past for kidney stones. Ascorbic acid is another great dissolver of calcium.
Steve took the advice and two days later I got this email message: Hey Doc, Thanks again for the prescription Friday night and the lemon cure. Ive not had any more pain since I started drinking the lemon juice. I add a little Stevia (herbal sweetener) and it makes great lemonade.
Wow, that was fast work. It required nothing more than a simple pain reliever for the urgency of the situation. So the next time you have got a painful kidney stone, try this remedy and let me know how it works for you.