- With Mayo Clinic urologist
Erik Castle, M.D.
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Erik Castle, M.D.
Erik Castle, M.D.
Dr. Erik Castle is a board-certified urologist who joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona in 2007.
Dr. Castle is an associate professor of urology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and a senior associate consultant in the Department of Urology, where he also is assistant residency coordinator.
He was an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2004 to 2006 after serving as a clinical instructor/fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for one year.
Dr. Castle's research interests include prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. He is the director of the Desert Mountain Prostate Cancer Research Fund and is the principal investigator of Castle labs housed at the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research building at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His basic science research is focused on novel secondary hormonal therapies of prostate cancer as well as genomics of prostate and bladder cancer.
His surgical expertise includes laparoscopic urology, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing, robot-assisted radical cystectomy with neobladder, robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and other robotic urologic oncology procedures. He has performed many of these procedures as demonstrations internationally. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He is president of the international Society of Urologic Robotic Surgeons. He is also the director of the international laparoscopic nephrectomy courses throughout Mexico on behalf of the American Urologic Association.
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Question
Kidney stones: Do home remedies work?
Are there any natural remedies to prevent kidney stones?
Answer
from Erik Castle, M.D.
One of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of subsequent kidney stones is to drink more fluids — ideally water — to increase your 24-hour urine output to 2.5 liters a day. Aim to drink enough fluids that your urine is nearly clear or has only a light yellow tinge. Drinking additional fluids decreases, or dilutes, the concentration of substances that can contribute to the formation of new kidney stones or to the enlargement of existing kidney stones.
The amount of water you should drink varies with the individual — based on factors such as activity level, climate and medications. However, most people need to drink at least 3 liters of water a day to achieve this level of urine output. Ideally, you should drink some of this water at night. If you have another medical condition, consult your doctor before markedly increasing your fluid intake.
Other natural measures that may help prevent kidney stones include:
- Avoid foods and beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup.
- Reduce your daily salt intake.
- Avoid calcium-containing antacids.
- Limit intake of beef, pork and poultry to less than 4 to 6 ounces a day.
- Eat moderate amounts of dairy products — between one and three servings — each day.
- Limit the amount of pasta you eat.
- Avoid high-oxalate foods, such as dark green vegetables, nuts and chocolate.
Some research suggests that magnesium citrate or vitamin B-6 supplements may help prevent kidney stones. But the evidence is weak and at this time not sufficient enough to recommend magnesium citrate or vitamin B-6 for the prevention of kidney stones.
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