Summary: <p class="p1">I’ll admit, this is a new one for me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A new, and painful lesson, to be sure- I got a kidney stone! </p><br> <p class="p2"> </p><br> <p class="p1">Now, of course I had heard of kidney stones- my little brother actually had one a few years back, and went through a really painful, expensive operation to get it removed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>‘But not me’, I thought- ‘I am always healthy, never need to get treated for anything, and prize my health beyond measure!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>To this end, I always drink a daily Green Smoothie, with coconut milk (good), spices (good), cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower (good), along with kefir, apple cider vinegar, ginger root, and berries- all of which are good. </p><br> <p class="p2"> </p><br> <p class="p1"><strong>But I also put in either a big portion of raw spinach, or a beet and beet greens- sometimes both! </strong> I’ve been doing this for years and years…</p><br> <p class="p2"> </p><br> <p class="p1">Most of us think that any dark green is very healthy, indeed- I know I did.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I grew up with Popeye the Sailorman, who is ‘strong to the finish- when he eats his spinach- he’s Popeye the sailor man’.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Well, just add Popeye, one of my childhood heroes, to the list of authority figures like M.D.’s and medical clinics, left-wing politicians and others who are and always have been <strong>wrong.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(</strong>However well-meaning.)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But, it does turn out that kale is relatively low in oxalates, as are mustard greens!</p><br> <p class="p2"> </p><br> <p class="p1">As I already knew, plants are chemical warfare masters, coming up with things like phytic acid and gluten and gliadin, (among other toxic chemicals) that are loaded into wheat so that we mammals don’t eat them or their babies.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>After all, since plants can’t run away or fight, chemical toxins are their only defense, really.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This is why wheat is so awful for us, particularly modern wheat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>But it is also why spinach and many other plants are also bad, because they are loaded with a chemical called an <strong>oxalate</strong>.</p><br> <p class="p2"> </p><br> <p class="p1">Nuts, beans, and peanuts are oxalate bombs- eat sparingly, along with your dark chocolate- after all, these things are <em>treats- desserts, really- not a main food group!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em>And of course, grains are horrible, high sources of oxalate poisons, best eliminated entirely if possible. </p><br> <p class="p2"> </p><br> <p class="p1">Of course, I’d heard of oxalates- but I had never heard just how bad they really are, especially if you take in enough that your body cannot readily get rid of them- then, they form oxalate crystals, and unfortunately I eventually got one, right inside my right kidney.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It hurts something awful, too, but I’ve learned how to deal with that- I just keep completely hydrated, drinking mostly water, but also lemon water and cranberry juice- as long as I stay really hydrated, there is no pain.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I expect to pass the stone naturally- I will keep you posted. </p><br> <p class="p2"> </p><br> <p class="p1">The bad thing is, oxalates also do lots of other damage- to your teeth, to your gut lining (oh no-just like wheat!), to your bones, making them week- and also contributes to all kinds of symptoms that we normally ascribe to aging, and so they are largely ignored as “natural”.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They are not!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Headaches,</p>
