Got Kidney Stones?!

Have you ever had kidney stones? I just recently had one and it was the most excruciating pain ever, with no relief.  Oh my goodness! I truly feel for anyone that has had to go through this pain.

As a child I remember my dad having kidney stones a couple times. I remember him lying in a hot tub of water and laying over a pillow on the bed, crying out in pain. He said it was like having a baby (how would he know?) without the easing up of pain between contractions.  Well, I’ve had five boys and I can attest that it really is like having a baby, but with out any relief.  It makes you so sick and the pain is so bad, you can hardly breathe.

I never dreamed I would have kidney stones.  I eat a very healthy diet, exercise and keep my weight down.  I don’t drink soda pop.  I drink a ton of water everyday. How then could this happen to me?

In about a 5 week period, I had been to my doctor’s office twice to see if I had a bladder infection (UTI).  But the urine tests showed no infection, only blood.  Then it hit me! The pain in my kidney suddenly started and lasted for about 12 days. It was horrible. Now that it has passed, I still have some mild pain and tenderness in my kidney.

In doing some research, I found that by doing something really healthy, I was actually adding to the possibility of getting kidney stones.  I was making my smoothies with spinach every day.  I’d heard to switch the greens up, but I like spinach and I was getting mixed greens in my salad every day.  So I thought I would be okay. Well guess what, between having kidney stones genetically in my family and eating lots of spinach (full of oxalates that form calcium in your kidneys =Kidney Stones) it happened to me!

 

I’m switching up my greens. Now I make sure I get a lemon in my water every day. I juice a full lemon and add to my water, using a little raw honey to sweeten.  Or I use a drop of lemon essential oil mixed with a few drops of liquid stevia (vanilla cream is my favorite), then add water and drink. I also take a cranberry supplement called U-Tract Complete.  I use lemongrass essential oil (in a roller bottle with some coconut oil) to use topically on my kidneys.

I also found out through the tests that I had done on my kidneys, that my kidneys are stressed.  A few years ago, I had heavy metal poisoning (I talk about in ‘my story’) and I have Hashimotos.  My kidneys are having a hard time filtering toxins.  So we are in the process of getting an infrared sauna and water filter.  I will be writing more on those later.

Here’s where I get my essential oils (affiliate link)- https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/butterfliesandlavender

I use Sweet Leaf liquid stevia. You can find it at health food stores or on Amazon.  You can find U-Tract Complete at either place also.

I never want to have a kidney stone again, and by doing these things hopefully I can avoid it.  Also, having a lemon everyday has a lot of other great benefits like detoxing, boosting your immunity, supporting the body’s metabolism, aiding in digestion and rejuvenating you.

Three Quick and Easy Ways to Calm Anxiety and Stress

I don’t know about you, but Election Day brought on major anxiety for me! I really don’t like to get involved in political stuff, and kept telling myself that all my worrying wouldn’t change anything. But I could just feel it building…. anxiety, big time. So here’s a couple quick ideas I have found to take the edge off my anxiety and stress.

Take a deep breath through your nose counting to 10, then hold for 8-10 counts and then slowly release through your mouth (try for 10 counts).  Repeat about 3 times.  You can wait a couple minutes and do it again.

Next is lavender.  Over the last couple years, I have found that lavender essential oil helps calm me.  I put a drop on the bottom of each of my feet and put the bottle by my nose take a deep long breath.  I also do this at night to help me sleep better.

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Recently, my doctor recommended I take L-Theanine when I’m extremely stressed.  L-Theanine may help relieve stress by inducing a relaxing effect without causing drowsiness.  It helps to calm me down, and there are no known side effects.

After doing these three quick and easy things, I was feeling somewhat better and calmer.  If you have more time, a nice long warm bath with some Epsom salts and lavender essential oil is heavenly. Oh, and of course a piece of healthy Xocai chocolate can never hurt.

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