does tea cause kidney stones?
358951
Tea (not herbal tea, but regular tea) is a source of a chemical called oxalate.  The most common kinds of kidney stones (but by all means NOT ALL kidney stones) are calcium oxalate stones.  \n\nIf you have calcium oxalate kidney stones restricting foods that are high in oxalate can decrease stone formation.  As it turns out, sun brewed iced tea is worse than hot tea for calcium oxalate stone formers.  This is because 1)sun brewed iced tea steeps longer and more oxalate leaches out into solution and 2) people tend to drink larger quantities of iced tea than hot tea.\n\nNevertheless, oxalate stones are not the only kinds of kidney stones.  You need to work with a physician to find out if you need to restrict dietary oxalate or not...\n\nOf note, caffeine has not been shown to increase stone formation.  Dark colas contain phosphate.  High phosphate could potentially increase stone formation in patients with calcium phosphate stones, but not other kinds of stones.\n\nHope this helped
299243
Drink more water. Try to drink 12 full glasses of water a day. Drinking lots of water helps to flush away the substances that form stones in the kidneys.\n\nYou can also drink ginger ale, lemon-lime sodas, and fruit juices. But water is best. Limit your coffee, tea, and cola to one or two cups a day because the caffeine may cause you to lose fluid too quickly.\n\nYour doctor may ask you to eat more of some foods and to cut back on other foods. For example, if you have a uric acid stone, your doctor may ask you to eat less meat, because meat breaks down to make uric acid.
1056526
Hi Stony.  I am a chronic stone sufferer.  There is a lot of research on the role of citrate in the prevention of the most common types of stones - calcium oxalate stones.  I did a search of the medical literature on Pubmed and found a 1996 study in the Journal of Urology that looked at the use of lemon juice as a source of daily citrate.  This study found significant benefits to the use of 4 ounces of reconstituted lemon juice diluted in 2 liters of water and consumed each day.\n\nA more recent 2002 Italian study found that grapefruit juice also increased citrate levels in the urine.  However, it also found an increase in calcium and magnesium in the urine.  The researchers concluded that fruit juices may be helpful, but not if they contain sugar which can increase urinary calcium levels.\n\nPotassium Citrate supplements (I use these) are a well recognized therapy for reducing the risk of stone formation.  Additionally, calcium supplements (contrary to what seems 'logical'), especially calcium citrate, are also a good idea.  The increase in dietary calcium is thought to reduce the absorption of oxalates from the gut.  It is actually the oxalates in the urine (not calcium) that drive the formation of calcium oxalate stones.\n\nMagnesium supplements (again as magnesium citrate) are helpful too.\n\nLastly, vitamin B6 supplementation has be shown to also be beneficial.\n\nOne last thought.  After more than 25 years of recurring stones, last year (with the help of a great Naturpathic Physician) I was able to identify the underlying cause.  I have a condition called Celiac Disease.  This is a common autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and causes excessive absorption of oxalates (and thus the chronic stones).  It is caused by an allergic reaction to the proteins in wheat, rye and barley called glutens/gliadins.  One person in every 100 is estimated to have Celiac Disease.  Sadly, it is only diagnosed in 1 in 3500 people in the U.S. (so 97% of the people with it go undiagnosed).  Medical doctors are very unaware of this common condition - partly because the 'common presenting symptoms' they are taught in medical school are actually NOT the most common symptoms of Celiac Disease.  It may be a good idea for you to get tested.  You may need to educate yourself about it, again because the M.D.s are not educated about it.  You can find a large series of review papers on it at the medical journal "Gastroenterology" in their April 2005 supplement.  These are available on the net.\n\nHope this is helpful to you.  Best wishes and good luck.
49810
oh my goodness. My husband has lived with kidney stones for years. It really depends on the type of stones your body makes. For my husband, he makes uric acid stones. These are from the body not being able to break down protein. He finially found something that disolves them called uricit-k If you don't want to go to the dr. and you make these types of stones you can use baking soda. 1 tea. 3-4 times daily. You will belch like crazy and it tastes horrible but it works. They also sell baking soda pills but you need a rx for it. Also drink plenty of water. They reccommend 2 gallons a day for my husband. But get real, who can drink 2 gallons of water a day? He really did try too. He got 1 1/4 gallon down and that was all he could drink. good luck
193158
Kidney stones (calculi) are hardened mineral deposits that form in the kidney. They originate as microscopic particles and develop into stones over time. The medical term for this condition is nephrolithiasis, or renal stone disease. \n\nThe kidneys filter waste products from the blood and add them to the urine that the kidneys produce. When waste materials in the urine do not dissolve completely, crystals and kidney stones are likely to form. \n\nSmall stones can cause some discomfort as they pass out of the body. Regardless of size, stones may pass out of the kidney, become lodged in the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder (ureter), and cause severe pain that begins in the lower back and radiates to the side or groin. A lodged stone can block the flow of urine, causing pressure to build in the affected ureter and kidney. Increased pressure results in stretching and spasm, which cause severe pain. \n\nRead more at the link below:\n\nhttp://www.urologychannel.com/kidneystones/index.shtml
489798
not good for either.  Best thing for kidney stones is plenty of clear fluids NOT CARBONATED.  Gallstones....ewww.  Once you get them, its hard to get rid of them....you don't "pass" them like you would a kidney stone, and the more greasy or oily foods you eat, the worse they are.  More than likely, you'll need to get your gall bladder out.
130694
A urine sample first of all.  Then the Dr may give antibiotics if it is an infection of the bladder, kidneys or unrinary tract.\n\nIf it is not just an infection, it may be kidney stones being passed, although that would be more painful than just burning.\n\nOver the counter help is available such as "ural".  Sometimes drinking lots of pure cranberry juice can help, but see the Dr first.
219179
http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=kidney+stones&sourceType=all\n\n\ngo here. it has a lot of info!
118152
I suspect that the calcium in hard water becomes kidney stones. Buy a calciun suppliment if you need more.
1063549
My family has history of kidney stone and bladder stones.  It was very very painful for them as well as the relatives that took care of them watching them suffer.\n\nIt has then become a family practice to avoid these problems, so hopefully I can be some kind of help here.\n\nKidney stone or any kind of stone development is partly due to eating habit and behavior pattern.  So watchout on your diet and how you move about the day should solve this problem completely.\n\nThe stone is due to deposit of minerals in your body, most likely in your urine fluid.  There are also bacteria in your urine that will convert your urine into ammonia, which will help form these stones in your Kidney or bladder.  The stone takes anywhere from 4-6 years to form, as long as you take care of youself it shouldn't happen to you.\n\nYou should watching out your mineral intake such as calcium and magnesian (salt), just keep it balance and don't eat too much of it.  That should lower your mineral deposit in your fluid.  But don't go on a low-calcium diet, otherwise your body will be lack of calcium and other problem will arises.\n\nYou should also watch out for sitting down for a long period of time, since it will slow down your blood circulation in your lower back (kidney) area, just remember to get up and walk around for 5-10 mins every 45-60mins to help your blood circulate.  \n\nAlso if you sit down in a chair and lay back your back, it creates pressure / tension in your lower back part of your body.  Try not to lay backward when you sitting down and instead sit straight, a good posture would help your blood flow and ease tension in your lower back.\n\nYou also need to drink enough water during the day.  Having water constantly flowing through your body will dilute your urine and help your body get rid of mineral deposit through daily urine discharge.  \n\nBy diluting your urine you also decrease the chance of the bacteria converting your urine into ammonia, since your urine is not that concentrated and not much to convert.\n\nThe last thing to do is exercise regularly, like jogging / swimming or some kind of sport 2-3 times a week to keep the body in shape.  A good cardiovascular exercise that would boost blood circulation will definitely help you prevent any disease.\n\nHope this helps.
87938
it may just be an infection or it could be a kidney stone....you need to see a doctor to know for sure.
525957
If you have past history of kidney problems, then you are still at risk. You may have kidney stones. You may have a bladder infection too. You cannot afford NOT to have this checked out. First though, go out and get a bottle of 100% Cranberry juice, MAKE SURE IT'S 100%. Drink the whole thing and see if that corrects the problem. Otherwise, check out these links to compare problems and learn some. Good luck.\n\nhttp://www.kidneylifecenter.com/\n\nhttp://www.bladder-infection-zone.com/links.html
1041492
Protects against Kidney Disease\n\nAn animal study published in the January 2005 issue of Pharmacological Research suggests yet another beneficial effect of green tea consumption: the prevention of kidney dysfunction in persons who must take powerful immunosuppressant drugs, for example, after an organ transplant. \n\nOne such drug, cyclosporine A, while a very effective immunosuppressant, also markedly elevates the production of free radicals highly toxic to the kidneys. In this study, rats given green tea as their drinking water along with cyclosporine A produced far fewer damaging free radicals than rats given plain water. In addition, a number of other indicators of kidney function (serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid and urinary excretion of glucose) were significantly better in rats given green tea. \n\nAnother animal study published in May 2004 in the Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism explains why. Diabetic rats given green tea catechins and then exposed to a kidney-damaging drug, streptozotocin, produced less than half the amount of superoxide radicals (a particularly damaging type of free radical) compared to diabetic rats on a catechin-free diet. As a result, a cellular waste product formed by free radical damage to fats, lipofuscin, was almost 200% higher in the diabetic rats who did not receive green tea catechins compared to those who did.
976463
for starters ignore Marcus' response...green tea does NOT cause cancer, it prevents carcinogens from being metabolized.  Ideally you should only drink 8 ounces of green tea daily for the health benefit.  If you are drinking it more often, then it can cause stomach upset, especially if on an empty stomach.  Try drinking a glass after you eat.  If this doesnt work, wait about a week and slowly introduce greeen tea back into your system.  Its possible that you have developed an intolerance to it.
503147
Tea soothes most stomach problems.
596729
Anything that effects body acidity will worsen gout, Brandy is more alkaline so not as much of a problem.  That is why there are varying reports.
838144
if you "drink too much cola", with caffeine, you could be moderately dehydrated. That, plus eating poorly and the tiredness from caring for a new baby (by the way, congratulations!) ---to me, it adds up to a kidney infection.  Please get it checked out.