juicing and kidneys...

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so i've been juicing for about 10 days now and everything is/was going great. i started out juicing 3 times a day and then having a healthy dinner w/my family. i did that for a week. this past week, i have juiced twice a day, then i eat dinner with the family but i also allow myself a healthy snack during the day. here's where the trouble starts... about 9 days ago i started having UTI symptons so i called my doctor. i started antibiotics but never really got any better. yesterday was the worst!!! my doctor wants me to come back in but i think if i stop juicing, my symptoms might go away. has anyone else experienced these problems with juicing? also, i do have a pretty heavy history of kidney stones which is why my doc wants me to come back in. i can't afford all the tests he'll want to put me through so that's why i came to the "stop juicing and see" idea. i haven't juiced in almost 24 hours and to be honest, i woke up this morning with no symptoms (except juicing withdrawals when i looked in my frig and saw all my produce). what do you guys think...

Replies

  • 1coolmoose
    1coolmoose Posts: 1 Member
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    I read that eliminating vegetables that contain oxalic acid, a compound that may contribute to the formation of kidney stones, can help. They include spinach, kale, beets, parsley, asparagus, cabbage and Swiss chard.

    This was taken from a livestrong article.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/323132-how-to-avoid-foods-that-cause-kidney-stones/#ixzz1jLd2fe8S

    Good luck to you.
  • He11bent
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    Tell your doctor what you just told us.
  • hevancy
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    Hi dsckrc!

    In this article that 1coolmoose recommended (By the way thank you..great article) IRead more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/323132-how-to-avoid-foods-that-cause-kidney-stones/#ixzz1jLd2fe8S


    It looks like in the bottom of this article it says that drinking a lot of water w/ lemon will help prevent the kidney issues. My husband and I are about to start the mean green juice fast and he has a history of kidney stones. The mean green juice has kale (which according to this article) is not recommended if you have a history of kidney stones. But the mean green juice also has lemon in it and am wondering if this is added to help the effect of that mineral in the kale that helps cause kidney stones. Just a thought. Maybe adding lemon to your juices?
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    I juive every weekend. Sometimes Thursdays. Or wed..ahh heck, sometimes sunday mornings. :drinker:
  • Jconner30
    Jconner30 Posts: 311
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    I have went on a couple of juice fasts - 14 days with only juice and water! I felt GREAT!

    http://www.juicefasting.org
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    I thought you were talking about steroids and your kidney/liver.
  • EKarma
    EKarma Posts: 594 Member
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    you really don't want that UTI to turn into a bladder infection. Or it could possibly already be a bladder infection because those are harder to get rid of. Tell your doc that you only want the absolute necessary tests.. It's a shame that our country has to go through the high prices of medical care. It's a complete rip off and we're the ones that are hurting from it. I don't see why juicing would be hurting you tho. sorry to hear about your problem =/
  • skinnyack
    skinnyack Posts: 683
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    1) go to your doctor or at least discuss what you are thinking with them UTI/Kidney bladder= not fun (as you know)
    2) my understanding of juicing is that it heals and cleanses you by helping your body to release the toxins/cancers etc from your body. Good news is Congrats- you're getting rid of it! However, this process also puts your liver and kidneys into overdrive as all this junk is screaming to get out of your body and has to filter through those organs (as I understand it). I believe it is recommended you do something that also supports your liver/kidneys at the same time (colon cleanse/coffee enemas/etc)-I would research it or ask a naturopath- I'm not sure if that would be cheaper? It is not uncommon for people to experience a slight illness when detoxing.
    3) I'm so sorry- I know it is quite uncomfortable. I hope you feel better and find the best solution for you!!!!
  • bluecloud108
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    Yes you are correct. I have definitely learned the HARD way....that juicing can hurt you. So can eating the wrong raw foods.

    Juicing greens (kale is fine) like dandelion, purslane, spinach, chard or making smoothies with high oxalate fruits like starfruits, soursop, kiwis, etc etc

    can definitely contribute to calcium oxalate crystals in your kidneys. I know this from experience.

    For many people this may not be a problem, but if you have a tendency toward kidney stones (which I also do) or gout, then definitely beware juicing/making smoothies with too many of the high oxalate foods.

    Good luck!
  • bonogul
    bonogul Posts: 96 Member
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    i think regardless of whether its due or not due to juicing, u should go to your doctor. He'll run a urine analysis, KUB x-ray and/or ultrasound. if he thought u had a UTI and gave u an antibiotic that means he got a urine dipstick from u at the least. which probably showed some white blood cells. So anyways long story short, if u have UTI it can advance to kidney infection, if these antibiotics u are on aren't helping, go back to ur doctor and let him know, and he might run another Urine analysis and the imagining tests to rule out kidney stones just to make sure or just extend your ur antibiotics...

    good luck, i hope u get better.
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
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    There are several types of stones and they are caused by different things, so eliminating foods from your diet is not a great way to go at this point. Lots and lots of water may help more than anything else, and it's good for prevention and flushing troubles out.
    I would recommend talking to the doctor but if you refuse at this point I would say cut back on the juicing while finishing the antibiotic and see what happens. If it's a stone you'll figure it out, if not then you will know it's an infection and you have to see the doc.

    AND of course if you do that and everything is hunky-dory and you start juicing and get symptoms again, you'll know it is an irritant of some kind.

    :flowerforyou: Best wishes
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,526 Member
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    If you have UTI, then it's best to find out what is causing it and not guess what may be.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • spickard34
    spickard34 Posts: 303 Member
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    Omg I just had the samething happen to me. I use to get bladder infections all the time I eliminated sugar from my diet all was great for a long long time. Recently I started eating raw spinach at night as a low cal snack. I just got a bladder infection and have been thinking over the last few months what is different from this past year SPINACH!! I have been researching online and it seems plausible.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,247 Member
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    It may still be a UTI or kidney infection. Not all antibiotics work on all infections. They may have to do a culture to figure out WHAT bacteria it is so they can make sure you have the correct antibiotics. I had this happen to me in the past. Stupid doctors kept throwing antibiotics at me until one FINALLY did a full culture. Came back as a serious infection that needed a set of specific antibiotics. By the time someone was smart enough to look for that, the infection most likely had already done damage.
  • spickard34
    spickard34 Posts: 303 Member
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    It may still be a UTI or kidney infection. Not all antibiotics work on all infections. They may have to do a culture to figure out WHAT bacteria it is so they can make sure you have the correct antibiotics. I had this happen to me in the past. Stupid doctors kept throwing antibiotics at me until one FINALLY did a full culture. Came back as a serious infection that needed a set of specific antibiotics. By the time someone was smart enough to look for that, the infection most likely had already done damage.

    Good to know I am on anitbotics right now done in 4 days and can still feel it. I will request this to be done :)