Kidney stones can be extremely painful and frightening. I’d like to tell you about my patient Graham and his experience. Graham is a 42 year old man who came to my clinic seeking help with weight loss and long term fatigue. The men in his family were all overweight in the abdominal region, and his father and brother were both type 2 diabetics. Graham knew he was borderline diabetic and wanted to avoid the same fate.

Graham was diagnosed with a fatty liver six years ago. His liver enzymes were mildly elevated and he felt a dull ache in his liver region most days. He also got very bloated after each meal, and if he ate at a restaurant he usually experienced such bad indigestion that it wasn’t worth the suffering. I explained to Graham that he had insulin resistance, and this was the driver of his obesity and fatty liver.

Elevated blood insulin promotes the creation of body fat, which primarily gets stored around the torso. Insulin also inhibits the fat burning enzymes in the body, making it almost impossible to lose weight despite exercise. Elevated insulin also inhibits the kidneys from being able to excrete uric acid. If uric acid accumulates, this can cause gout, aches and pains, and it raises the risk of kidney stones. His doctor had put Graham on the medication allopurinol, to keep the uric acid down. Despite this, his level was still higher than ideal and Graham did experience mild ankle and toe pain occasionally.

Graham experienced a great deal of hunger and cravings, for ice cream in particular. He knew he needed to keep his carbs low in order to lose weight and reverse the fatty liver, but the problem was he couldn’t maintain a healthy diet for long.

My recommendations for my patient

---Graham had quite an unhealthy lifestyle. He is a solicitor and works extremely long hours. There are some nights of the week where he only gets four hours of sleep. Lack of sleep is a huge risk factor for nearly every serious disease, particularly insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Graham travels a lot for his job and this disrupts his routine significantly. He is often unable to switch his mind off and get a good night’s sleep. I gave him melatonin and magnesium, to help him get to sleep more quickly and improve the quality of his sleep.

--His lifestyle didn’t leave time or energy for exercise. Graham would often sit at his desk for 14 hours straight. In summer he experienced a great deal of swelling in his legs when he sat this long. The constant sitting made him feel tired and he snacked on sugary treats in order to try and revive himself. After dinner at home, Graham would often do another couple of hours work on his computer. At this time of night, his cravings became so intense that he could no longer concentrate on what he was doing unless he grabbed a bowl of ice cream. I gave Graham Glicemic Balance capsules to balance his blood sugar and reduce cravings, and I also asked him to modify his diet.

--Graham knew he needed to keep his carbs low, but he wasn’t eating enough fat. This meant his meals weren’t satisfying and he needed so much willpower in order to not reach for ice cream sooner or later. He was following the meal plan in our book called Diabetes Type 2: You Can Reverse It Naturally but I asked him to add more natural fats to his meals, such as olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, butter and macadamia nuts. I asked him to eat oilier foods more often, such as lamb and salmon, which are generally more satiating than chicken or tuna.

--Reversing the fatty liver is critical, so I gave Graham Livatone Plus. It was necessary to reduce the inflammation in his liver, which could help to heal his liver cells.

Graham followed the diet to the letter. He was able to normalize his liver enzymes and he no longer experienced the dull ache in his liver. He also managed to lose 29 pounds and his blood sugar reading was now in the healthy range. I saw Graham for a consultation every six weeks for several months, because it helped to keep him motivated and focused. One afternoon I got a phone call from Graham. He was in hospital, admitted with a kidney stone. He had been taken to hospital in severe pain, where a scan showed the presence of one stone. Graham was given strong painkillers and sent home that evening. Kidney stones are far more common in men than women, and the majority of cases do not require surgery. Graham actually passed the stone a month later, which required another trip to the hospital.

Not drinking enough water is a big risk factor for developing a kidney stone, as is insulin resistance. Graham had traveled more frequently than usual in the past month, thus he wasn’t drinking enough water and his good diet had lapsed a bit. I asked him to take Kidney Health Formula capsules to help reduce the risk of further stones. Kidney Health capsules contain the herb Phyllanthus amarus, which has a long history of use in the prevention of kidney stones. They also contain cranberry, parsley, vitamin C and NAC to further support kidney health. Magnesium also reduces the risk of kidney stones, and Graham was happy to keep taking it because it made him feel calmer and sleep more deeply.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.