Junk foods, processed foods and beverages with preservatives or aerated content are harmful for the body in the long run. High fatty, high calorie and sugary diets result in the development of kidney stones due to the abnormal or unhealthy functioning of the kidneys and results in the building up of toxins and harmful chemicals in the body which mix with the bloodstream and later become "kidney stones". The "kidney stones" consist of sharp phosphoric acid crystals and cause a lot of pain and discomfort.

Kidney cleansing involves breaking these "stones" and improving the general functioning of the kidney. It can be sorted out by drinking plenty of distilled water every two hours until the stone is passed. In addition, you can also follow a cleansing diet which is quite popular among people nowadays. Some of the cleansing diets include master cleanse diet for detoxification, fruit diet, colon cleansing diet and the lemon diet. Some of the popular kidney cleansing methods is juice fasting, lemonade diet and masters cleanse diet. All of these involve drinking a lot of fluids.

Kidney cleansing involves drinking a lot of fluid and keeping a check on what you are eating. A well balanced diet which is not too oily, fatty or sugary and a large amount of water intake can sort out a lot of problems. Bowel cleansing procedures can also improve the functioning of kidneys.

There are various natural herbs available in the market that can be used to treat the kidney stones. They may take longer to yield the desired results. While purchasing these herbs, buy the fresh fragrant ones and not the powder form. Also, if the fragrance is lost, it means that the active ingredients of the herb are lost. Hence, do not consume the same. Some of the common herbs include Marshmallow root (pain killer), Fresh Parsley (flakes or dried parsley do not work), Gravel root (wild flower), Hydrangea (flowering bush), Goldenrod herb (some are prone to allergies once this herb is smelt) and ginger (available in most of the grocery stores).

In addition, watermelon cleanse is the most popular method for ‘dissolving’ the kidney stones. This involves sitting in a bath filled with water, eating melons and continuously emptying your bladder throughout the day. This way, one can dissolve big stones and pass it out of the body in the form of sand. However, this is not recommended for patients with diabetes.

Regular tea, iced tea, chocolate and cocoa beverages have a lot of oxalate content and can cause kidney stones if consumed over long periods of time. Herbal teas are good for health. Similarly phosphate crystals are prevalent in high levels in certain cereals, breads, pastas, meats and carbonated drinks. You can reduce the consumption of these and increase the intake of milk, fruits and vegetables. In order to prevent the formation of kidney stones, a diet rich in Vitamin B6 and magnesium is required. Consume at least 2 pints of water on a daily basis. Kidney cleansing can be carried out twice every year.

Jonathan Pitts

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Jonathan Pitts