Dear ducklings,

Today was spent completing the blog site as well as the Facebook page for the advice section. You can find the link to that page in the ‘advice’ page here. I added all the interests I’m currently engaged in to all the pages save art. It will have something when a piece is completed, though, so stay tuned! There is a lovely GAPS recipe for candied pecans in the recipes section. Do try it, and I hope you’ll tell me if you loved it as much as I do!

I want to welcome any new followers who joined me today, and hope you are finding your way around easily! Today has been long and arduous, since I’m currently dealing with both kidney stones and a kidney infection. I shall not complain, however, as this too shall pass. Instead, I will share a few things that have helped me cope with it and will hopefully make the passing of the stones easier, and have made the pain more bearable!

This lovely little concoction involves taking 20mL of extra virgin olive oil and either 30mL of pre-squeezed lemon juice or squeezing the juice of half a lemon into a glass, and downing it like you would a shot. Do not drink this slowly! The olive oil tastes terrible otherwise, but if you down this quickly the taste of the lemon completely overrides it. This remedy is great for not only kidney stones passing with more ease, but also the best remedy I have found for gallstones!

I have also been using a shot of Bragg’s organic apple cider vinegar twice daily, and drinking POM, eating pomegranate, and watermelon. Obviously I am also drinking tons of water. I find I’m extra thirsty and have no problem drinking about 3 liters a day of spring water, whereas I normally drink two. I also am keeping up with my 500mL of 100% coconut water as well. This, too, is supposed to aid in kidney stones. Coconut water is the best for hydration and has many great properties. I want to warn my readers that if you have kidney stones, there are certain foods to avoid. These foods are called high oxalate. Depending on the type of stones you have, as there are four types, there are certain foods you will want to avoid more than others. Primary ones however seem to be as follows:

– beets
– chocolate
– soda/pop/colas
– spinach
– rhubarb
– tea
– coffee, decaf and caffeinated
– nuts
– wheat bran
– salt (sodium)
– nuts
– sweet potatoes
– eggplant
– beans (all types)
– parsley
– dark leafy greens
– swiss chard
– blackberries
– strawberries
– celery
– endive, escarole
– draft beer
– carob powder
– too much calcium
– too much vitamin C
– too much insoluble fiber

My readers can well imagine my unhappiness, for while I don’t consume much salt at all, I do eat nuts, strawberries and blackberries and love my sweet potatoes and beets! I also admit to always putting parsley in my soups, and mourn the fact that I need to avoid or severely lessen more foods than I already do for the duration of the time it takes to pass the stones! Yet all of these things I have been doing have made things much more tolerable than they might otherwise be, so I’m grateful, once again, to have them available. Should you ever have an encounter with these nasty little stones or a kidney infection, I hope you find this information useful as I have.

Besides this, I am taking homeopathic remedies. Nux Vomica is a very safe one for everyone to take, so I recommend that one. Take 3 pellets at 30CH daily dissolved under the tongue, or take two pellets and dissolve them in a 500mL bottle of spring water–Dasani is often recommended as it is reverse osmosis, and does well for remedies. Take three small mouthfuls daily. Remember to have eaten nothing 15 minutes before or after remedies. Keep them away from cell phones and electronics and try not to touch them with your fingers. I just simply let them fall into the lid and then pop them into the bottle or under my tongue. I am taking another remedy more specific to my infection and stones, so I will not recommend it as homeopaths individualize what they give to people for the most part. Yet I hope you never have to suffer stones and an infection! It is nasty business and not at all pleasant.

Yours truly could use a good night’s sleep and a nice, long hike with her dog tomorrow. Until these stones and infection pass, I don’t think I’ll get my way. It’s time I was going to bed to attempt that first, so wish me luck, and take care, my ducks, until next blog post!

Much respect,

Tales of Souls