Kidney Stones - Try This

[Guest guest]

Hi All

 

I thought this is interesting - as i've said before the value of omega 3

is far beyond peoples comprehension!

 

This is from HSI - Health Sciences Institute

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

 

November 20th, 2001

 

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Dear Reader,

 

She’s one of the most energetic people I know. And even when

everything is going wrong, she has a smile and this unique brand

of perkiness. So when I saw her with bags under her eyes and a

grimace that wouldn’t go away, I knew something was wrong.

 

It turned out my friend Pat had suffered with kidney stones for

more than 30 years and was in the middle of an attack. She’d seen

doctor after doctor, and endured procedure after procedure to try

to correct the problem – all to no avail.

 

When she told me what was going on, I asked her if what I had

heard was true - that passing a kidney stone was more painful than

childbirth. I’ll never forget what she said to me: “Jenny, I’d

rather give birth to an elephant than go through this.”

 

Five and a half million people in the United States alone suffer

from this condition – and it seems most of them would agree with

the way Pat described the incredible pain. Unfortunately,

mainstream medicine offers little relief. There’s still no defined

cause of kidney stones, and no defined cure.

 

Even alternative medicine hasn’t had many solutions. That’s why

the team here at HSI kept digging until we were finally able to

offer members some relief. We discovered an effective alternative

kidney stone treatment called chanca piedra. This natural herb

from the Amazon rain forest, which we covered in the September

2000 issue of the Members Alert newsletter, has been proven to not

only ease the passing of kidney stones, but also help prevent them

from forming in the first place. Now, a new study from Japan

offers additional hope for people still suffering.

 

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One supplement can reduce known marker for kidney stones

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The new research found that supplementation with eicosapentaenoic

acid (EPA), one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, can

significantly reduce urinary calcium excretion.

 

Kidney stones are caused by a buildup of calcium in the urine. The

calcium mixes with either oxalate (a salt), or uric acid, and

gradually forms deposits in the kidneys. Eventually, the small,

sand-like particles make their way into the urinary tract. Either

they are painfully passed through the urethra during urination, or

they can become lodged in the tract, blocking urine flow and

potentially, leading to kidney damage or failure. So, reducing the

levels of calcium in the urine is believed to be a key to

preventing kidney stone formation.

 

In this new study, researchers observed EPA’s effects on 88

patients with a confirmed history of kidney stones. At the

beginning of the study, each patient’s urinary calcium excretion

was recorded. Almost 30 percent of the participants had

hypercalciuria (the medical term for high levels of urinary

calcium) in excess of 250 mg per day.

 

After the baseline assessment, each participant was instructed to

take 600 mg of EPA orally after every meal, for a total of 1,800

mg of EPA each day. Urinary calcium was checked at three months

and then again at six, 12, and 18 months. (Only 48 patients were

still participating at the 18-month mark.)

 

Nearly three-quarters of the participants with baseline

hypercalciuria saw significant reductions in their urinary calcium

output after only three months of using the EPA supplementation.

Those that remained with the study were able to maintain their

lower levels (though levels didn’t continue to decrease with

longer use).

 

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Don't live in fear of your next attack - try low-risk EPA

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This study didn’t include a control group, and it didn’t track the

participants long enough to determine if the lower levels of

urinary calcium output actually translated into fewer kidney

stones. But the results are promising, and the risks of trying

this approach are negligible. In this study, the participants did

not experience any side effects at all. From other fish oil

research, we know that omega-3 supplements can thin the blood, so

people taking blood thinners or those with bleeding problems

should avoid them. But for most people, EPA supplements are safe.

And for those who live in fear of their next kidney stone attack,

they may be a welcome alternative.

 

Most fish oil supplements on the market are composed of a

combination of EPA and DHA (docosahexanoic acid), another omega-3

fatty acid. Remember that this study saw results at 1,800 mg per

day (1.8 g per day) of EPA alone. Read supplement labels carefully

to determine how much EPA different brands of fish oil supplements

contain, and how many capsules you’ll need to take to reach the

levels recommended by the study. When we checked a local health

food store, we were unable to find a pure EPA supplement that had

a dosage easily converted to the 1,800 mg. Nature’s Way offers Max

EPA, which has 1,000 mg per capsule. (There are several

combination supplements that offer lower amounts of EPA.) You can

order Max EPA from Nature's Way online at naturesway.com.

 

If you suffer from kidney stones, I’m sure you’re willing to try

anything to avoid the pain. Maybe you missed our coverage of

chanca piedra last year, and are still interested in that remedy.

We recommend the chanca piedra extract from Raintree Nutrition,

which comes in liquid form. You can order directly from Raintree

at 800-771-0255 or visit their website at rain-tree.com.

 

Now there’s potentially another alternative – EPA supplements.

We’ll keep looking for more information about the causes of and

cures for kidney stones to help you overcome this painful

condition. If you know someone else who has suffered with kidney

stones, please feel free to pass this information along. From what

Pat tells me, it’s not an experience anyone should have if they

can possibly avoid it. And hopefully, with natural preventives and

treatments like chanca piedra and EPA, fewer of us will have to

suffer while waiting for the mainstream to catch up.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute