For those of you who are aware of what oxalates are you can skip this next part. Oxalates or oxalic acid are potentially harmful compounds found in certain foods. Spinach, chocolate, nuts and seeds, certain fruits and veggies… basically all the things we thought were “healthy” might not be. In fact they may be contributing to some very troublesome health issues.

So why is it such an issue? For starters it can prevent the utilization of certain nutrients, they can irritate and promote inflammation, they can also deposit in certain tissues wreaking havoc on their functions (kidney, bladder, urinary tract to name a few)

Did you know that oxalates can hold on to certain bacteria, the same bacteria (e-coli) known to contribute to (you guessed it) UTI’s! If you have ever been a patient of mine you know I’m a superfan of using D-Mannose for UTI’s however sometimes I see with certain patients it simply isn’t enough. This is where I look into the oxalate aspect of treatment. Often times calcium oxalate is found in those with chronic UTI’s (those who find they are antibiotic resistant are going to want to listen up).

There has been some literature to suggest and support the theory that urinary alkalizers (I cringe when I say this word alkalize) such as magnesium citrate or potassium citrate can be helpful to reduce UTI’s. Just to be clear, this doesn’t mean I’m saying go on an “alkaline based diet” of fruits and veggies – cause that is what got you into this mess in the first place (most likely). It looks like perhaps since magnesium and potassium citrate both alkalize the urine there is less pain – due to less inflammation in the bladder. Plus they (magnesium and potassium citrate) have been shown to dissolve calcium oxalate crystals. Double hitters if ever there were! Essentially we are reducing the amount of oxalates that are binding to the tissues and removing the one place that the bacteria could hide (inside the oxalate crystals adhered to the wall of our bladder). Something else to look into if you are someone who seems to be resistant to antibiotic treatments for chronic UTI. I like to pair this up with D-Mannose since it’s the most effective treatment/prevention as far as I’m concerned (aside form removal of oxalates of course).

Swapping many of my patients to a carnivore diet was something I did unrelated to their bladder issues, however I began taking note of the anecdotal evidence I saw in practice and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. My patients with chronic UTI, interstitial cystitis, random bladder pain, frequent (and annoying) urination, and even some who found “leakage” all saw relief or drastic diminishing of symptoms.

Oxalates are absorbed by the blood stream and then head over to the kidney’s for a little party. They are ideally supposed to then be passed along to the bladder where we pee them out – no harm done. But this isn’t the way it works. With kidney stones we see these calcium oxalate crystals but what does this have to do with the bladder? They can also also deposit in the bladder (why is no one talking about THAT?!)

We call these bladder calculi, which are made up of mostly uric acid and the rest is calcium oxalate. If this is so bad for our kidney’s it makes sense that getting them into the bladder is also most definitely NOT going to be a good time. These little arse holes attach themselves to the epithilial cells (those are what line the bladder and mucous membranes) which as we know then causes inflammation, and inflammation equals pain and irritation. How do we prevent this or get rid of them? Eating a carnivore or low oxalate diet is one way. Less exposure to oxalates will obviously lower your risk.

No matter which way you look at it we need to lower our oxalate load. Have a read of the study I found here: The Interaction between Enterobacteriaceae and Calcium Oxalate Deposits

Basically what this means is the bacteria latches onto the oxalate, cause having razors attached to you weren’t enough now we have these bacteria wearing armour! We should also be checking out the environment to ensure that we have enough immunoglobulin A being secreted (an immune cell). If we do not have enough of this we know that the environment we are providing is a damaged and unhealthy one which we need to address – but that is easy enough if you are CARNIVORE.

When we have a state of chronic inflammation we are weakening our defenses leaving us open and vulnerable. Let’s reduce the need for intervention by eating a more low oxalate/carnivore diet. Problem solved! You’re Welcome.

Want to work with me or members of my team? Why not book in for our FREE Courtesy call or better yet if you are ready to take the plunge why not work with me for 90 days and get you off those oxalates and into a more carnivore/low oxalate style fo eating.