Should I Get Circumcised as an Adult?
Whether adult circumcision has been on your mind for years or just occurred to you, you’re in the right place. We’re walking through the basics of adult circumcision so you can take your next steps confidently.
Kidney Stone Prevention: Our Top Tips
Whether you’ve already passed a kidney stone (or two or three) or you’ve only heard the horror stories, you’re in the right place.
Kidney stones can be incredibly painful and set off a wave of frustrating symptoms. They occur when substances such as calcium, oxalate, and uric acid accumulate and form crystals in the kidneys. The crystals eventually become stones that dislodge and travel through the ureter.
In addition to severe pain, kidney stones can lead to difficulty and discomfort with urination.
When the worst happens and you develop a kidney stone, our expert urologists at Golden Gate Urology in Berkeley, California, are standing by with advanced treatments to help.
But why wait for a kidney stone to form? Here are our top kidney stone prevention tips.
1. Watch your sweat
Athletes and others love working up a good sweat through exercise; sometimes, people seek the same result from a sauna or hot yoga. However, with sweating, try to strike a balance.
Sweating may indicate that you’ve reached your target heart zone, and it may have significant detoxification benefits — but it can also lead to kidney stones.
Loss of water through sweating leads to less urine production. The less you urinate, the more stone-causing materials accumulate in the kidneys and urinary tract. Combat the negative effects of sweating (and reap the benefits) by staying hydrated and replacing electrolytes.
Depending on your activity level and how much you sweat, you should drink 2-3 liters daily.
2. Don’t stress about oxalate
One of the most common kidney stone types is calcium oxalate. That might make you think you need to cut oxalate from your diet completely, but that’s a common misconception.
Oxalate is naturally found in many foods, including fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, teas, and chocolate.
Instead of removing oxalate-rich foods, we recommend eating them with calcium-rich foods during the same meal. Doing so gives the calcium a better chance of meeting and bonding in your stomach and intestines before your kidneys begin to process them.
3. Calcium isn’t the enemy either
The term calcium oxalate kidney stones may give calcium a bad rap, but eliminating calcium from your diet may not be the answer. We’re more likely to tell you to stop taking calcium supplements.
4. Pay attention to your sodium intake
Sodium causes your kidneys to excrete more calcium, which increases your risk of a kidney stone. Pay close attention to the labels on your food and the ingredients you cook with.
5. Try a lemon
Citrate, a salt in citric acid, binds to calcium and can help prevent kidney stone formation. Try drinking half a cup of lemon diluted in water every day.
Kidney stones can stop you in your tracks, but you can stay one step ahead of them when you team up with our experts.
Are you looking for more kidney stone tips? Do you suspect a kidney stone has already formed? Call our friendly staff at 510-255-0013 or schedule your consultation online today.
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