Show #6 – Kidney Stones and The Miracle of Magnesium
Transcript for Vitamin P Show #6, Kidney Stones and Magnesium
12/2/06
Welcome to another edition of the Vitamin P Show on the Health Hacks Podcast.
As I record this, it is late Sunday night. I spent the weekend with some good friends in Dallas. On the ride to the airport this afternoon, one of my buddies told me that he had developed a massive pain recently that ended up being a kidney stone. He said that the doctors thought the stone was too big to pass on it’s own.
They presented him with two surgical options: something really painful sounding that would cost $3,000, or a sonic blasting that would cost a mere $12,000. Yeah, of course the non-painful approach is 400% more expensive.
Since he doesn’t have any insurance, he wasn’t too excited about either option.
I knew that kidney stones were caused by an excess of calcium, but I couldn’t remember all the details exactly and I told him I would do some research on the plane ride back to Phoenix.
Thankfully for him, I found lots of good stuff about kidney stones in the book, "The Miracle of Magnesium” by Dr. Carolyn Dean.
Basically, the presence of excess calcium is directly caused by magnesium deficiency — magnesium dissolves calcium.
As a kitchen experiment, you can put powdery calcium into a glass of water and stir it around. Some will be absorbed, but not all of it. Pour some powdery magnesium into the water and the rest of the calcium will dissolve. This same reaction happens in the body. Dr. Dean calls this the dance of calcium and magnesium.
We know about the importance of calcium, but it is utter foolishness that we continue to ignore the importance of magnesium in the equation.
For kidney stones, Dr. Dean recommends 300mg of magnesium twice a day, 800mg of calcium per day, and 50-100mg of Vitamin B6 per day.
Eat more magnesium rich foods, green veggies like broccoli.
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of WATER a day to adequately flush the kidneys. And I specifically say water because you absolutely must cut out soda. There 523 reasons not to drink soda, one of them being that phosphorus causes magnesium and calcium to be excreted.
Until you start taking magnesium, you need to stop making things worse by quitting dairy, cheese, etc, anything that would be adding to the amount of undissolved calcium in your body.
Starting tomorrow, spend at least 15 mins a day walking out in the sun. Expose as much skin as you can to the sun, no sunscreen. Your body converts the suns rays into Vitamin D, which helps absorb calcium. And walking is good exercise.
One option for a jump start is to take an Epsom salt bath. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. But you will need to supplement on a daily basis as well.
Jigsaw Magnesium really is the best product on the market. If you go for some cheap magnesium oxide product that isn't in a sustained release caplet and if you take any where near 300mg at one time, you will get diarrhea for sure. And that will cause you to lose even MORE magnesium. My buddy told me he has also been having some pretty bad gastrointestinal problems, so diarrhea is a foregone conclusion with magnesium oxide for him.
In the email I sent to him, I said that if I was him, knowing what I know now, this is what I would do ASAP. I would buy the Jigsaw Essential Daily Packets that will give him 500mg of dimagnesium malate, plus a bunch of other nutrients that he needs to be taking, including calcium. He should also get our Gastro Bundle immediately.
Now the really interesting question is, will my friend actually do this? I’m recommending a few lifestyle changes and about $140 worth of supplements that for sure, will absolutely make a difference for him. Any way you do the math, he’s going to save a ton of money not going the surgery route.
We’ve been good friends for 17 years. But I gotta tell you, dear podcast listener, I think it’s a coin toss. And that’s because he’s not in immediate pain right now. Without pain, procrastination is always our easiest option. Not that I can blame him. I’m the same way! My favorite T-shirt is the one that says, “Procrastinate now!”
When my friend’s pain was really bad a few weeks ago his dad found some advice on the internet to drink nothing but lemon juice for 12 hours. He said it was awful, but it did numb the pain. I learned from “The Miracle of Magnesium” book that this worked because the citric acid of lemon juice helps dissolve calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate.
If you suffer from kidney stones or know of someone that does, hopefully this tip will come in handy. At the very least, please tell them to do some simple research on magnesium. Dr. Dean’s “The Miracle of Magnesium” is a great place to start and it’s written to the layperson.
Please make sure you go and visit http://www.JigsawHealthHacks.com to download the eBook written by my dad, Pat Sullivan.
This is Vitamin P, signing off.
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Ray on Show #6 – Kidney Stones… malisha on Show #6 – Kidney Stones… Pravin Parihar on Show #6 – Kidney Stones… britt on Show #6 – Kidney Stones… R.Pattabiraman on Show #6 – Kidney Stones…
The Vitamin P Show 
hmmm, that’s funny, there was no mention by my urologist of dairy/soda affecting my stones…even after specifically asking. It’s a friggin conspiracy!
hi..i had pain in my left n gt a scan…it showed a 7.2 mm stone still in the kidney…another one 7mm ws in my right kidney..my doc prescribed potassium citrate n citric acid soln to dissolve the stone…am doing that n also drinking lemon juice all day….n thts nt all am sooooooo petrified tht am also doing another home remedy which my neighbour swears by…banana stem juice ….i am going fr the nxt scan on 26th dec…keepin my fingers crossed…if neone ha ne other home remedy ..kindly share.
thanks
neelam
All the people I know who had kidney stones had an operation. It’s great I’ve read this post, very useful info.
I’ve tried the cheaper alternative home treatment of coke and asparagus. I had kidney stones three years ago and after doing the coke asparagus cure twice, I didn’t have any additional problems until last week. I repeated the coke and asparagus cure again – first time I passed gravel and the second time very little gravel. I was told Magnesium oxide would also be of help but wasn’t informed it was a laxative and found you after googling it. I”m not in pain and it’s nice to have an alternative as I don’t like to drink carbonated beverages. In fact when I got home from getting some back up pain meds I found several herbal kidney stone treatments in a book on herbs from my library- ranging from Hydrangea to Gravel Root(Eupatorium purpureum). It was kind of ironic as my Dr. tried all these remedies but had the other form of kidney stones that aren’t based on calcium. Good luck to all on treating kidney stones naturally!
Vickie
secrets-of-the-butchers-wife.com
have you ever heard of a recipe of distill water fresh lemon juice and olive oil , I think you lay on you right side. can you help me?
vicky, that’s a home remedy for gallstones and not for kidney stones.
Does this lemon juice, olive oil therapy really work? How many times days/nights does one need to undergo this for gall stones?
Hi! I have been having kidney stones since I was about 6 years old, wasn’t diagnosed until I was 15, and have been having lithotripsies to blast the (on average) four overly large stones that build up in my kidneys and begin to pass once a year. I, of course, usually pass more than that during the course of the year. Definitely once a month, and maybe even closer to once a week. However, a few months ago, I started taking 250 mg of magnesium a day.
I began to notice that I was passing stones less and less. It even got to where a small stone surprised me! I was so happy and excited, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. It was only October, and November, December, and January was high k-stone time for me.
When November passed and I hadn’t even felt a stone, I was happy, but still couldn’t let myself celebrate yet. I had been telling everyone to be ready for January, as I predicted that to be the month this year. Then Christmas went by, and still… Nothing! I made it to February, and I still had only passed maybe one tiny millisecond worth of pain.
Then Friday, March 12 happened. This was a big one. I still had some vicoden left over from the last kidney stone episode, so I popped one of those. Nothing. Then I popped another one. Nothing. After an hour and a half, I couldn’t take it. I popped one more, and instantly, the pain shot down. I went to the bathroom, but my vision and urine were both so blurry that I couldn’t tell if I had passed the stone or not.
Well, about two hours ago, I did it. I passed my first stone that was more than a few millimeters big. It’s been more than a year since my last lithotripsy, but I am releasing the stones on my own. I am so happy if this is what can help me stay away, not only from kidney stones, but the ridiculous hospital bills that come along with them.
I stand by the magnesium. I actually started taking it for PMDD (Which is also much, much better!), but it has helped with kidney stones as well it appears! I hope that this is really the reason, and I’m not about to have to go have a surgery. It would mean the world to me to not have to be afraid that I could drop to the ground in pain at any given moment. That I wouldn’t have to miss two weeks of the semester because of this condition. That I can pass on the gene, knowing that there is a way to control it. If magnesium is that cure, I would be so grateful.
I had been taking calcium citrate for over a year, not every day but every other day.
Well, one night i went to bed and had to get up about 5 times to pee and not that much came out. I thought OH NO prostate problems. I’m only 36 not THAT! For the last 2 weeks I have had a constant urge to urinate. I’m talking about the feeling of a completely full bladder driving me crazy day and night non stop. I kept thinking back, what did i do leading up to this?? What did I eat and drink?? Ah HA! About 2 or 3 days before this all started I started using epsom salts on my skin because the magnesium can absorb into your skin. I have no idea how or why, but im telling you it had to have flushed all that calcium out of my kidneys into my bladder and i been peeing it out ever since. I looked up everything that caused the constant urge to urinate and all of my symptoms sounded like passing a kidney stone except I never had any back pain at all. Anyway, today is the first day of relief i’ve had since this all started. I would say if you been taking calcium go slow on the magnesium until you know how its going to affect you.
Ok then, will magnesium held in the mouth dissolve salivary calcium stones?
@Rob, I think it might. Let us know what you find. 🙂
I took calcium supplements to help a problem and got kidney stones like crazy over years. Then found magnesium powder. Since taking it i never ever got any kidney stones again.
i used olive oil & lemon formula twice in one week. but i did not pass any kidney stone.i have 7 mm stone in right kidney.can some one tell me the exact dose om magnesium oxide. and for how long it should be used?
@omoron, I wouldn’t recommend mag oxide. It’s very poorly absorbed. Look for dimagnesium malate and take as much of it as your bowels can tolerate, 500mg at least.
I have kidney stones more of the oxalate variety- so mine are more or less caused by oxalate rich foods- which are the foods I really love- spinach and rhubarb are the main perps here, but in moderation I’m fine. It’s all really a balancing act for my stones and I get small ones (I have hereditary stones… so I’ve come to terms that this will be a life long adventure and I’m only at year 6 with them) every now and then and a big one when I go crazy on the spinach and other stiff leafy greens… (SAD!).
Not all kidney stones are the same- people get one type typically unless they’re illing, but there are 3 types of stones. I’ve found cutting out processed foods helped a little with mine (mostly the pain factor) and in general I’ve felt healthier.
The last unassisted stone I passed was about 5mm… my doctor called it a trophy stone because I just kind of showed up at his office with it one day without him knowing I was passing one and asking for some antibiotics for the wicked uti that would occur after all is said and done (run of the mill for the big ones).
I think the common stones are more or less calcium based, but as a reminder- not all are. (Stupid oxalate stones)
One more thing to try: A three day water and apple juice fast. Eat no solid foods. Drink only lots of water and clear apple juice for three days. This is supposed to dissolve the majority of kidney stones. It also becomes a gall bladder cleanse if on the third night you consume 3/4 cup cold pressed oil, followed by 3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice and then immediately recline in bed, laying on your right side with a pillow elevating your right hip, until you fall asleep. What you pass in the morning may astound you!
What is the dose of magnesium and B6 to use
500mg of magnesium (as dimagnesium malate) and 5mg of B6 (as P5P).
Vitamin P, you had some good advice for your friend, but a couple of things if I may:
He doesn’t need to spend $140, in fact less than $30 on some good magnesium citrate or malate and some P5P.
The calcium has to be citrate, microcrystalline hydroxyapatite or lactate form. Calcium carbonate can cause kidney stones (eg. Tums) so people have to be careful when they just read “Take calcium”. Calcium Carbonate (poorly absorbed, basically chalk) is cheap and in every pharmacy & health food store so uninformed people will buy it first.
You should start any magnesium including citrate in a low dosage (100mg) initially & then build up to bowel tolerance (400-800). You don’t really need to spend extra money on sustained release magnesium. Natural Calm powder is excellent.
He should only eat a small amount of spinach or broccoli for a while, and only cooked, due to the high oxalic acid levels.
Oh and yes… I did notice that this was from ’06! Sometimes it does take that long for some people to finally buy a supplement they really need…
Raman
So far i have taken out 5 stones, varying in sizes from 2mm to 6mm in 7 years using Lemon & Olive oil method. This I have informed to my friends and relatives also. Many of of them got rid of their stones very easily using the above method.
Yesterday I removed my 5th stone. This method is very much effective when the stones are in the ureter tube, The stones will roll out without any pain or drop of blood in few hours. You should take equal amount of fresh lemon juice say 30ml and virgin olive oil 30ml, mix well and drink early in the morning. Don’t drink anything for the next 15 minutes. After that for every 15 minutes drink around 300 to 500 ml water. Continue for 2 hours. Most of us will feel the movement of the stone in the ureter with in an hour. Use a tea filter whenever you urinate to catch the stone. I am sure even a very big stone of 10mm size will roll out wiht out any pain.
Some of my friends are carrying out this procedure as a routine once in 3 or 4 months to get rid of forming of stones.
I had to undergo Laser Lithotripsy to remove my first stone. That time I was not aware of this mehtod. It is really very painful when they remove the stent tube after couple of weeks. That made me to look for other alternatives.
This method will work well for Gall bladder stones. However, the procedure and quantity are different. Last year I instructed my mother in law (72years old ) to go through this method and she passed out more than 60 gms of gall bladder stones through her stools.
Try this method. Definitely useful. Good Luck.
Proof that magnesium does dissolve calcium; I was peeing hard “sand” a few days ago- after three days of taking 500 mg of magnesium, I am now peeing soft calcium deposits that completely dissolve when you touch them. Magnesium is also how your body absorbs calcium- that’s why it’s added to all calcium products. Take it, it’s amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Britt, this is Pravin and I am having calcium oxalate stones in both of my kidneys and also one in the bladder. 8mm in left kidney, 7mm in right kidney and 5mm in the bladder. Britt, will Magnesium (dimagnesium malate) help to dissolve these stones?. Could you please once again tell me the exact quantity of Magnesium (dimagnesium malate) that I should consume.
I completely agree with everything said. I have had 7 lithtripsys and 1 shockwave treatment two extractions. And each time i was hospitalized my mg was low to the point they hung mg iv bags. I do believe that mg needs to be in check. Im now taking mg malate and hope it starts dissolving stone formations i have. I do think the medical field has become more of a business instead of helping people or my dr. Would have told me this sooner. Not only is litho expensive it has damaged my left kidney.
I had a 6mm kidney stone last month but after taking magnesium citrate (400-800 mg/day) on empty stomach for 1 month, it disappeared.