with Jill Harris, LPN, CHC
Think you’re doing everything right? These common myths might be raising your kidney stone risk. When trying to prevent kidney stones, there’s nothing more frustrating than hearing conflicting advice. Should you stop dairy? Is lemon juice a cure-all? Does spinach count as a superfood or a stone-maker? I’ve spent the…
Have you ever been told you have too much calcium in your urine, but your blood calcium is totally normal? Then, you may have something called idiopathic hypercalciuria, or IH for short. Idiopathic means there’s no clear medical cause like a tumor or gland issue. Hypercalciuria means your body is…
These stones are different from the more common calcium-based ones. But here’s the great news: uric acid stones are one of the most preventable stones.
Why Am I Making Calcium Phosphate Stones? You may feel frustrated and confused if you’ve been told you have calcium phosphate stones. Most kidney stone advice is for calcium oxalate stones, which are more common. Calcium phosphate stones are different and don’t always respond to the same prevention strategies. In…
Oxalate. A word you’d never heard before your kidney stone encounter. It is such a small word, but boy does it bring about a lot of confusion and anxiety with my patients. I understand. But here is some excellent news… Oxalate is the LEAST important part of the Kidney Stone…
If you’re new here, allow me to introduce myself… I’m Jill Harris—Your Kidney Stone Prevention Nurse I’ve been a nurse since 1998, starting my career at the University of Chicago. Early on, however, I realized I wanted to do more than care for patients AFTER they landed in the hospital—I…
Today, we’re taking a brief look at the most commonly prescribed medications for kidney stone prevention, why doctors choose them, and the medical conditions that can make them necessary. Here’s how each medication works, the conditions it treats, and how lifestyle changes can enhance its effects.
The goal of sharing this information with you is not to scare you but to inform you of what is typical with stents and what isn’t, as well as how to manage them and what to expect. Being informed about these factors can help you feel more in control of…
Kidney stone disease is complicated and difficult to manage if you’re not getting the proper guidance. It’s NEVER one thing—there are usually many reasons you’re still making kidney stones despite the fact that you gave up spinach and almond products and your doc says everything “looks fine.”
Hi! Happy November. I am ready for it! So, I have been meaning to write about the correlation between bone and stone disease for a while now and figured today was the day. Dr Coe, my mentor, has always said, “Wherever you see a stone clinic, a bone clinic is…
Upon first meeting, many of my patients have already given up all nuts and seeds for fear of the high oxalate content. However, there are only a few nuts you should give up to lower urine oxalate.
Welcome to a day in my life filled with private consults. I find it a true joy and privilege to help you navigate your kidney stone journey. Whether reviewing 24-hour urine collections or helping someone integrate the Kidney Stone Diet® into their current lifestyle for weight loss, diabetes, or food intolerance, each…
Let’s talk about your total protein needs per day. Eating meat (anything that flies, swims, or runs) will play a part in your total needs. Go to my Meat Protein Calculator to determine how much meat protein is okay for kidney stone formers. Here is an article to help you understand meat and its…
Below is my summary of a very lengthy study on vitamin D and calcium. Here is the complete study for you sciencey folks who like to get down and dirty into the details. Kidney stones are like tiny, hard pebbles that can form in your kidneys when certain substances in your urine,…
“Jill, how much oxalate is in ___________? It’s not on the list.” My answer is the same now as it was decades ago: eat that unstudied food once or twice a week (I am very practical—you might have leftovers) in normal portion size and meet your calcium needs each day.
Harvard recently updated its oxalate list—you can read about that here—and many of you were concerned that the numbers had changed and demanded answers! I hope our time together today helps you understand the big picture so you can feel less overwhelmed about this change. The worry over the new list…
BIG NEWS!!! In November 2023, Harvard reported on some new and old foods that have been studied. However, I just found out about this information as it is buried on Harvard’s website. We at Kidney Stone Diet have been working all week, night and day, to update our current Harvard…
Not too long ago, I asked my private Facebook group members to tell me what has helped them pass their kidney stones. There were nearly 200 responses, and here are the most common at-home remedies for kidney stone patients from kidney stone patients. They are not in any particular order, but I…