The Prevention of Calcium Oxalate & Monohydrate Kidney Stones

Many people consider the natural elimination of a large kidney stone to be one of the most painful experiences you can suffer and survive. Kidney stones can manifest several different forms, but the calcium oxalate monohydrate stone, either alone or in combination with the dihydrate form, is the most common. Once the stones form, lithotripsy, which consists of high-intensity shockwaves, can shatter and remove them painlessly. However, an ounce of prevention can remove the bother and expense of lithotripsy at least as well as the latter removes the unwanted stones.

Drug Interventions

• An analysis of separate studies conducted on a class of drugs known as thiazide diuretics, which increase urine output, showed that the administration of these drugs reduced the recurrence of kidney stones in susceptible patients by about 21 percent over the placebo (“sugar pill”) groups. In these studies, a second drug was also administered to reduce the loss of potassium from the use of diuretics.

Green Tea

• According to Xudong Li, a Chinese researcher at Sichuan University, green tea does not prevent the formation of calcium oxalate crystals, the leading form of kidney stones. What Li’s research has suggested, however, is that green tea seems to alter the form of the crystals that tend to develop. Green tea seems to encourage the development of the dihydrate crystal while discouraging the monohydrate form, which is more rigid and more difficult to rid from the urinary system. In other words, drinking green tea may help prevent trips to the emergency room for those susceptible to calcium oxalate kidney stones.

Diet

• The Mayo Clinic website offers a few dietary suggestions for reducing your risk of developing kidney stones, including the common calcium oxalate stones. Although it may seem contrary to common sense, dietary calcium—found in abundance in dairy products—has no apparent relationship with kidney-stone development. (However, there is a correlation between kidney stones and calcium supplements.) Over-consumption of foods high in oxalates, such as spinach and chocolate, should be avoided, as should diets high in sodium or animal protein. Eating too much animal protein tends to decrease the amount of citrate in urine, and citrate helps prevent stone development.

Water

• Drinking large amounts of water daily can help flush the substances that contribute to stone formation from your urine. The Mayo Clinic stresses that those with a tendency to develop kidney stones who live in hot climates, or those who are physically active, should drink even more water to compensate for loss of hydration to perspiration. Drinking large quantities of water will also help remove partially formed calcium oxalate crystals from your urine.

Supplements

• The Healthcommunities website recommends taking magnesium citrate and vitamin B-6 supplements, 500 mg. and 25 mg. respectively, to reduce the recurrence of calcium oxalate kidney stones. A deficiency in B-6 can increase oxalates in the urine, which can result in the formation of calcium oxalate stones over time, and magnesium allows calcium to be used by the body.