What Causes Kidney Stones & How Can You Prevent Them?
“Much of the calcium and magnesium is carried and retained in the blood by being combined with albumin (the main protein in human blood). When the diet is low in protein, so little albumin can be produced that these minerals are lost in the urine, a situation conducive to stone formation.
“Both of these minerals, however, compete for the available albumin. If excessive magnesium is taken, it combines with so much of the albumin that calcium is crowded out, thus causing it to be lost in the urine. Excessive calcium can crowd out magnesium in the same manner.
“Individuals who take huge amounts of calcium carbonate in antacid preparations frequently produce such severe
“Studies of persons in Finland and Africa, who eat unrefined foods high in both magnesium and calcium, however, revealed no kidney stones in spite of a calcium intake of 4 to 5 grams daily.
“An imbalance of calcium in relation to phosphorus can also cause calcium to be lost. Because the body uses a large percentage of available calcium and phosphorus together to give rigidity to the bones, if excessive amounts of either minerals are obtained, much of the excess canot be used for lack of a “companion”.
“This situation is like having too few men to marry the available women, though the reverse is just as bad. When too little calcium is obtained and the diet is high in phosphorus – a typical American diet – much of the phosphorus, though perhaps sorely needed, is excreted in the urine in the form of a calcium-phosphorus salt; thus the urine is high in both calcium and phosphorus.
“Conversely, if a diet is low in phosphorus but high in calcium, which usually occurs only in a laboratory, such large amounts of both calcium and phosphorus are lost that stones are formed; yet this diet has actually been recommended for person with kidney stones. Even when losses of these minerals are high, if they stay in solution, no stones can form.
“Danger of inadequate diets. People with kidney stones have had low-calcium, low-phosphorus, and low-protein diets recommended to them, often forbidding milk and milk products, eggs, liver, and whole-grain breads and cereals; yet such diets are inadequate in almost every respect.
“Moreover, they are frequently given gels, which cause phosphorus – needed daily by every cell in the body – to be excreted in the feces and thus have the same effect as a low-phosphorus diet. To prevent the urine from becoming too concentrated, stone-formers are frequently asked to drink 4 to 5 quarts of liquid daily, though such a quantity might easily wash out so much magnesium, vitamin B6, and other nutrients that stone formation could increase. When adequate magnesium and vitamin B6 keep minerals in solution and reduce their loss, excessive amounts of fluid are not needed.”
“……The magnesium intake, however, should be approximately half that of calcium. If calcium is excessive in relation to magnesium, urinary losses can cause a magnesium deficiency to be produced. Conversely, excess magnesium induces a calcium deficiency. The magnesium intake, therefore, must vary with the amount of calcium obtained.”
Extracted from Let’s Get Well by Adelle Davis
Calcium and Magnesium Need Vitamin C: As both calcium and magnesium are alkaline, they need some kind of acid before they can be absorbed. Failing to have this combination can lead to increased deficiencies of calcium and/or magnesium or the calcium depositing in joints (arthritis) or kidneys (stones). You can use apple cider vinegar too but vitamin C is usually a more practical and better-tasting solution.
Disclaimer: Please note that we are not doctors. Should you have any illness or disease, please refer to your medical practitioner for the advice. The only advice we give is purely educational but we do also recommend that you find yourself a practitioner who understands nutrition in relation to disease.
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