By: AB G
Lemon juice has many health benefits, but did you know it could possibly prevent kidney stones? Although there are some cons of drinking lemon juice, it can still inhibit kidney stones. Scientists like Hongzhi Qiao have been researching this potential cure to see if it could replace medications or even surgery.
When minerals crystalize and clump up inside a kidney, it forms a kidney stone. To get these threatening stones out of someone’s body, patients usually have surgery or take many medications. This process is known to be “so, so, so painful,” according to Jingyin Yan, a nephrologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Some symptoms of kidney stones are pains around the lower back area, vomiting, and a fever. Sometimes these stones bulk up and get huge. These are then needed to be taken out by surgery. “I’ve taken out stones the size of your fist,” says Thomas Chi. Imagine a fist being inside of your kidney, without pain medications. This would be excruciating pain.
Kidney stones are very painful and in order to prevent them, you can drink lemon juice, which binds the minerals that make up the stones. Yes, it is easy to drink about a cup of lemon juice a day, although a clinical trial showed that patients who experienced kidney stones in their life had trouble drinking this amount. Lemon juice contains a lot of citric acid which is very sour, and this makes it harder to drink, even with the great benefits it gives. Lemon juice can also cause dental problems because it’s so acidic.
Lemon juice also has many other health benefits such as supporting heart health, strengthening the immune system, reducing the risk of stroke, and improving digestion because of the high levels of vitamin C.
Sources: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lemon-juice-get-rid-kidney-stones
https://entirelyhealth.com/conditions/kidney/symptoms-of-kidney-stones/7/