Natural Supplements to Address Kidney and Gallbladder Stones

Kidney stones are one of the most common disorders of the urinary tract, reported to affect about 12 percent of men and 5 percent of women over their lifetime.

Certain factors appear to increase the risk of kidney stones, such as a high-animal-fat diet with resulting increased urinary acidity; low fiber intake; low fluid intake; gout (high uric acid levels); high blood pressure, family history; being overweight; and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. There is no conclusive evidence that calcium supplements or foods containing oxalates increase the risk of kidney stones. High doses of vitamin C may aggravate kidney stone development in susceptible individuals.

In the case of gallbladder stones, a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet is advisable to prevent gallstone formation, but some susceptible individuals may develop gallstones even when consuming a healthy diet.

Patients who develop kidney or gallbladder stones may wish to take a combination supplement containing ingredients shown to help dissolve stones and prevent their recurrence. The best evidence in this regard suggests supplementation with the herb Chanca piedra, vitamin B6 and magnesium.

Chanca piedra is a popular South American herb that has been used to dissolve and eliminate kidney stones and gallbladder stones. The English translation for Chanca piedra is "stone crusher." Recent scientific evidence has provided solid evidence of this therapeutic effect. A 2006 Brazilian study showed that the therapeutic effect of Chanca piedra may be due to its ability to modify the shape and texture of stones (calculi) to a smoother and more fragile form, which would allow for easier elimination and/or dissolution of the stones.1

Another study demonstrated that Chanca piedra has an inhibitory effect on crystal growth and aggregation in human urine, which may inhibit stone formation, acting as an important part of  a prevention strategy in those with a past history of kidney stones.2

A 2006 study involving 150 patients with kidney stones tested the efficacy of Chanca piedra supplementation in patients administered shock-wave therapy. Shock-wave therapy (delivered from outside the body) breaks down stones to facilitate their elimination. Upon completion of this therapy, approximately half of the patients were given 2 grams of Chanca piedra every day for 30 days. The remainder of the group did not take the herb and acted as controls. Stone clearance was assessed after 30, 60, 90 and 180 days by abdominal X-ray and ultrasound scan. The herb-supplemented patients were shown to have a stone-free rate 10-23 percent higher than the control group.3

As an aside, Chanca piedra has also been shown to increase the urinary excretion of uric acid; thus, it may also be helpful in the management of gout and hyperuricemia.4

Vitamin B6 and magnesium: Supplementation with vitamin B6 and magnesium has also shown positive effects in preventing the recurrence of kidney stones. In a landmark study, 149 patients with longstanding recurrent kidney stones (calcium oxalate and mixed calcium oxalate/calcium phosphate) received 100 mg of magnesium three times a day and 10 mg of pyridoxine (vitamin B6) once a day for 4.5-6 years. The mean rate of stone formation fell by 92.3 percent, from 1.3 stones per patient per year prior to the study to 0.10 stones per patient per year during the study. No significant side effects occurred.5 Other studies have shown that using various forms of magnesium alone can prevent the recurrence of kidney stones in previous sufferers.6-7

Based on the research summarized above, in patients with existing kidney or gallbladder stones and no medical treatment currently planned, I suggest patients make appropriate dietary changes, drink more water (for kidney stones) and take a supplement twice per day containing therapeutic dosages of Chanca piedra, vitamin B6 and magnesium.

Gene vs. the GOP on D.C. voting rights

Were you as appalled as I was by the political incivility and name-calling in Congress over the recent debt-limit crisis? Today, to prove it is possible to transcend partisan differences and actually get something done between political adversaries, I intend to engage — in an open, respectful and constructive way — one of the most evil monsters on the planet.

All you need to know is that I live in Washington, D.C., the only part of the country that has no vote in Congress. (In a wonderful bit of municipal subversion, the slogan on our license plates is “Taxation Without Representation.”) All efforts to rectify this grievous injustice have been stymied by congressional Republicans, who don’t like Washington because it is heavily Democratic. The more staunchly Republican the legislator, the more he resists. I am talking with congressman Jason Chaffetz (RRRRRR-Utah).

Me: You are one of the most outspoken opponents of legislation to give D.C. residents a vote in Congress. I think it would be fair to say that if the D.C. voting rights bill were a rabbit, you would be Elmer Fudd.

Jason: Except I wouldn’t miss.

Me: My first question is — to establish that you are not a humorless buzz-kill bureaucrat — could you succinctly express your opposition to a D.C. voting rights bill in the voice of Elmer Fudd?

Jason: It’s not a state!

Me: That’s not in Elmer Fudd’s voice!

Jason:

Me: Okay, you won’t fall for that twap. Many conservatives say that they might be in favor of D.C. residents having a vote but that it would take a constitutional amendment.

Jason: Yes, I believe the Constitution is crystal clear on that point.

Me: Aren’t there times when an injustice is so great you have to throw out the rules? Let’s say a man crawls up to a fancy restaurant, dying of starvation. As the maitre d’, would you turn him away because the rules require a jacket and tie?

Jason: Can the restaurant be Five Guys? I like Five Guys.

Me: So the answer is yes?

Jason:

Me: Isn’t saying that you are for D.C. voting rights but only after amending the Constitution kind of like saying you are for the right to bear arms only if you make the gun yourself out of pipe cleaners and mud? Constitutional amendments are hard and painful to get passed, like a kidney stone. We spent 10 years and couldn’t get one that merely said women were as good as men.

Jason: It’s possible to get a constitutional amendment passed. We’re going to vote on one today on a balanced budget.

Me: That’s not going to pass, either!

Jason:

Me: I just realized that the “mud and pipe cleaner” thing actually is my stance on the right to bear arms. You’re an arms guy, right?

Jason: I have a Glock 23 and a concealed weapons permit.

Me: Maybe we can show the world that a liberal and a conservative can come together for the common good. Would you support D.C. voting rights if, in return, every citizen of Utah is issued a bazooka?

Jason: Nah, in Utah bazookas are already mandatory. We have ’em in our schools and churches.

Me: Okay, how about if D.C. gets the vote, but the only polling place is in the fancy
French restaurant Citronelle, and you need a reservation?

Jason: Can we make it Five Guys? I like Five Guys.

Me: How about if Democratic votes only count for three-fifths of Republican votes?

Jason: We sort of already have that system. In Utah. What I really think should happen is retrocession. Maryland takes back the District of Columbia. Then you would have two senators, representatives and a governor.

Me: I can see how you’d like that. A Democratic state becomes more Democratic. Doesn’t shift any balance.

Jason: Okay, how about if Nevada takes the District?

Me: We’re never going to agree on this, are we?

Jason: I like Five Guys.