Lower your oxalate with supplements? Jill’s fired up!

Welcome back to the Kidney Stone Diet Podcast, the show about reducing your kidney stone risk and living your best life. I'm your host and fellow student, Jeff Sarris.

And I'm Jill Harris, your kidney stone prevention nurse. Jeff said, because we're doing in-person right now, because we just taped our 100th episode, he said, pretend you're eating the mic. I'm like, okay.

All right. That's what I'm going to do, so here I am.

Oh yeah, it's going to be good. It'll be nice, silky smooth. It's going to be nice.

You're going to like it.

All righty.

But yeah, because this is completely new. Like, completely new for you using a like, actual

Well, and the headphones, the whole thing.

Yeah, you get to hear yourself, which I'm sure is, very disorienting.

Yeah, not pretty. Yeah, and not cute. I'm sorry for you listeners that have to hear this voice.

No, it's perfect. I mean, it's, yeah, it's just a different experience being on this side. But this sounds, for me, it sounds so nice, too, to have this, the full setup.

Like, this is a real– it's always a real show. But to me, this is just like so much realer. It's like you watch like Joe Rogan or something, and having them in person, there's a different energy.

So, I really like this.

Oh, 100%. Well, and then you get to feel somebody. So, I'm somebody who goes by how, you know, a room feels or how somebody feels.

So, it's awesome. And then Amara's right there, too. So, we're all nice and cozy.

It's amazing.

Yeah, and especially when we're recording remotely, you're trying to look at the camera because you don't want to look at the screen and not be looking at sort of the listener. So, it is– so, I guess– yeah, and I guess we're not looking at the camera here, but we're looking at each other. So, it's, yeah, more of– more of the conversation.

But yeah, so we are back at it. We're going to record a batch today, which is going to be great, and we have a, I think, a good voicemail for you that you're going to I don't know about enjoy, but we'll we'll see.

Oh. Here we go, people. Buckle up.

Hi, my name is Michael. I'm from Buffalo, New York, and thanks to Jill, I've been kidney stone-free for the past five years. When I was in the doctor's office, I noticed that he's selling, from the Methyl Genetic Nutrition Company, an Oxalate Balancer, and also an Oxalate Scavenger.

They're all-natural supplements to aid in the body's ability to balance oxal- acid. I was wondering if Jill could comment on these nutritional items and whether or not someone with kidney stone problems should consider taking these supplements. Thank you.

Oh my god, my blood pressure, and I have very low blood pressure. It is now high. It is high, it is high, it is high, okay?

So, what's his name?

I think it was Oh, I already archived it, sorry. I think it was I thought it was Michael.

Okay.

It could be Michael. I just Let's see. Yes, Michael.

Michael. I like to address people by their gi- God-given names. Michael, Michael just called in, folks, and he said he's been kidney stone-free for five years.

He walks into the doctor's office. Doctor says, "I have some magic pills." Now, I want you all to recognize I do not know about these pills. I don't know them.

I don't know this company. All I know is the scenario I'm being presented with. So, I don't know if there's science behind these pills.

I don't know if they're fancy pills. I don't know if it's PhD, ABC bullshit, blah, blah, blah! I don't know!

I'm sorry for all you people that don't like swearing. Sometimes I do, but I'm mad right now. You're going to have to get over it.

He said he's stone-free for five years. He's worked very hard on that. Why would we be throwing some pills at him?

Why would we do that? Why would we take nickels out of his pocket and tell him

That he needs an oxalate stabilizer pill or whatever the hell it is? I don't understand this. So, I want everyone to hear me.

Maybe there's science behind this. Maybe, I don't know. I don't know, I don't know.

I don't know this company, but I do know that this scenario comes up often with whatever people are trying to deal with: kidney stone prevention,

Diabetes, cancer. When I got my cancer, do you know how many people said, "Look at this TV show. It tells you can cure cancer if you smoke this leaf." Okay.

All right. Well, don't you think everybody would be smoking that leaf and everybody would be cancer-free? I mean, what am I, a jabroni?

Come on, people! So, the fact that he's being offered pills that cost him money–

He doesn't even have a freaking problem, people! What is he supposed to do? So, here's probably how this goes.

This is probably, whatever, some kind of office that will say, "Do this testing." They do the testing, and from that lab testing, there will be $700 worth of supplements being offered to this patient. I don't know, hate me in the comments. But if you're stone-free and you're going to an office that says, "Take these pills to be stone-free,"

I– does this make sense, or am I– what– what am I missing here, people? Am I– am I– what am I missing? Tell me, Jeff.

Why would somebody offer that poor man– Michael, why? And I think Michael knows, and that's why he's calling in, and he's like, "Oh, I'm going to sick Jill on him. I'm going to tape this, and I'm going to sick Jill on him." And then that doctor's going to say, "Who cares about Jill?

She don't know nothing because she's just a little baby nurse." And that's what he will say, right? So,

I don't have any science. I don't know this company. Maybe it's a magic pill that I've missed somewhere, but I don't know why somebody would be offer a treat– offered a treatment when he doesn't need one except to make some money.

I don't know. What do you think?

Well, yeah. I mean, that's what it sounds like. Woah.

That's what it sounds like to me is it's Because you've said it before. It's hard to sell eating well and things. It's so much easier to sell the magic pill, the potion, the whatever it is, which, again, if it did work, if it was something that it worked for everyone, it was something very consistent, it would be much more prevalent, just innately, because people want solutions.

They don't They don't want the problems they're they're facing.

No, and– but– but we as people want quick fixes.

Oh, yeah.

So, but what I– why I'm so mad, and I said a bad word, and in real life, people, I swear a lot, just so you know. I don't want to hide that up. It's very hard for me to do YouTube without swearing a lot.

Jeff, every time he sees that I'm going to make a swear word, he has a little thing that shocks my butt on this chair. And he says, "Don't do it, old lady. Don't do it." Wouldn't that be amazing?

I'd be buzzing up and down.

Not to completely derail it, but there is a bracelet thing that I know someone who developed as a habit-forming

Oh, that's nice.

Thing that actually shocks you. And I'm like, "That's That's a little intense for me." But the technology exists, you know.

Well, now I don't want to try it, because it would never shut up on my wrist. So, what gets me mad about this is now, sometimes I speak to everybody as the Kidney Stone Diet expert and a nurse, and sometimes I will speak to everybody as a patient myself with my stage 4 rectal cancer, not a pretty one, people, but no cancer is, and I'm in remission, so don't don't worry about it.

But when you are sick, or you are dealing with an illness, and there's people trying to make money off of you for all these different things, it makes me mad, because you're you're sick, you're scared, you're anxious, you're frustrated, you don't know where to turn. There's all this information. Now, you'll be throwing, you know, things to smoke and pills to take, and there's absolutely no proof that's going to work.

It's one thing when you're sick going through that. So, that's why I get so upset about this, because people are dealing with real emotions and they just want real answers, not bullshit answers.

And then there's the other part of me who's like, I mean, this person isn't even making kidney stones anymore, so wouldn't the doctor, this doctor, wouldn't the doctor be like, "God, this is great what you're doing, and I'm going to tell all my patients about the Kidney Stone Diet." Many doctors will say to me, "Jill, I'm not talking about the Kidney Stone Diet because nobody changes." And so I'll get I understand where doctors come from because we're still huffing it every day, Jeff.

We're not rich, so a lot of people don't want to change, right? And it takes them a really long time to figure out that they do have to change, and that, you know, the diet will be beneficial to them and this diet in general, because it's just a healthy diet.

But, you know, I always tell my doctors, "Well, not to be crass, but I– but I have paid my rent for the last two decades, so people are willing to change, so don't write every patient off that's coming into your office. You should at least give them some basic information." So, I understand, dear doctor, you don't have time in your office, but you could at least give them some basic information so they can start researching on their own because they will, and that's how they find us, right?

So, I know that's what they do.

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, because the resources are out there, and we're trying to give as many resources as possible. Obviously, for someone to just start clean, clean slate, it's impossible to just find to only find accurate information.

Like, for one to do that is it'd be unheard of to go out there because there's so many different potions and pills and things that will get in the way. But having the doctor give those tools, give just like we have the form, the one-page for a better doctor visit.

Something to help educate you to talk to your doctor about these things to let them know that you're willing, like you're you're ready to make a change.

Exactly. Well, one of the reasons I love the 15-minute urine analysis call is patients go in their doctor's office after talking to me, and they have their report in their hands. Many times, the doctor doesn't even have their report in his hands or her hands.

So, but that's not to, you know, talk smack about the doctor. It's just to say, this is how our healthcare system works now. There's no time, right?

So, people doctors are just running from office from room to room to room, trying to help people. There's just no time.

But when you go in an office, I think there's, you know, two types of healthcare providers. When they see the patient with the information, they're like, "Oh, shit. Look at all that information they're bringing in.

I ain't got time." And then there's the other doctor, because that's a real problem in healthcare, and then there's the other doctor that's like, "Ooh, look at this. Look at Trixie here with her brochures, and she got a pad, and she's got a pen," and

Doctors went into medicine because they wanted to help people. So, when we're educated and we know the right things to bring up at a doctor's office visit, well, they can't hide from you, and they can't avoid the questions because you have them, right? Or they can't forget, or they're not in a rush.

So, when you show that you're educated, boy, you're going to get a heck of a lot better doctor office visit, and that really makes me happy because as a patient, that's just great, because you're not wasting your copay, you're not wasting your time, the doctor's time, and you're getting valuable information instead of having a short visit with your doctor, not much is talked about, you get home, or a couple things were, but you don't know those things.

So, now you have you go research it, and now you're like, "Oh, shoot, I have more questions, but that doctor's long gone, and good luck trying to get through the portal." As a patient, I know these things, and that's why I made that service, because if you can be armed before you get to that doctor's office visit, well, hot damn, that's going to be a good visit, right?

So, you can get your the most made out of it. That's awesome.

And as a patient, you're doing a favor to the doctor.

Absolutely.

Because they're not, again, starting, like, "Okay, I need to tell you everything in these 20 minutes I have with you."

And also, Jeff, I'm going to tell you one more thing, cuz there's always one more thing I have to say. Is that doctor's super excited, because it's not just, "Oh, another patient that doesn't give a damn about their health." They're like, "Cool. This patient is so motivated.

They know this, this, and this." And that is why that doctor went into medicine for the most part. So, when they have a patient that's super into and excited about prevention, well, they're going to light up, too. I promise you.

I hear it all the time from patients. They're like, "I went in there. What you taught me, the doctor was so impressed.

He couldn't believe it. He never even talked to me barely before, and he was like doing a jig." And I know y'all are like, "Jig, Jill, really?" My mom's like, "He didn't do no jig, Jill." Ma,

Ma, he did do a jig. I'm not making that up. The end.

I like it. But yeah, Michael, thank you so much for the question. Like that is–

Michael, thank you.

Yeah, that's a very important one. But yeah, I think– I think he sort of knew. He was sort of

Yeah.

Throwing it out there just because it's something important to talk about.

He was throwing it into the lion's den for sure. He's like, "Go get her. Get him, Jill.

Get him." I don't believe in those supplements. Now, like I said, as a Just so you people know, I don't know about this company, but all I know is a patient has no stones, and now he's being asked to take a pill to control oxalate. I think it's under control by diet, people.

Don't need no pill.

Yeah, absolutely.

Two pills, he said. Don't get me started. It's going to be hard for me to rev on off of this one, okay?

But, yeah, thanks again for your question. Anyone else who has a question or anything like this that comes up where you're like, "I don't think Jill is on board with this, and I want to know for sure," or "I want to share this knowledge with more the broader community." The number is 773-789-8763, and we'd love to feature you on a future episode.

And, again, all of this information, all of everything about the Kidney Stone Diet, all the free resources, the doctor's visit, the urine analysis, all these different things are available at kidneystonediet.com where you can find just everything and links to the email newsletter, which is a free weekly newsletter where Jill will show up in your inbox every Saturday.

A little motivation, keep you on track, and going along your week. So, yeah, I think this is a good spot to wrap.

Yes, it is.

Thanks again, Michael. Thanks, Jill, for the wonderful, heartfelt

Yeah.

Response.

You're going to have to lower your volume on that one when you're editing. Wow, that made me mad.

No, that was perfect. Yeah, thanks again, everyone, and we will see you next time.

Thanks, guys. Have a great day.