Oxalates are not a well-known problem, but that doesn’t mean they cannot become a problem. In my practice I routinely test for and find elevated oxalate levels. It is a part of the chronic disease puzzle that is often overlooked. Just like other parts of the methylation puzzle, oxalate issues are often missed due to lack of awareness on the part of doctors and patients. And it doesn’t have to be that way – that is why you are here learning at BeyondMTHFR!
The series of article I recently published titled Oxalates and MTHFR – Part 1 sheds light on this biochemical issue. After reading these articles it should be clear that oxalates can and do cause problems inside our bodies, esp. for those dealing with complex, chronic disease and methylation problems. Remember that oxalates are a main cause of kidney stones, so people who have had one or more oxalate stones need this type of support.
To help balance your oxalate levels and optimize your health, please follow the advice below. The protocol I have shared with you below is simple, powerful and effective at reducing oxalate levels. This protocol addresses oxalates in the diet and also supports the body’s natural oxalate detoxification mechanism.
Recommended Eating Habits for High Oxalate Problems:
The key to understand here is that many of the healthiest foods we eat contain high amounts of oxalates. At first blush you might think people with oxalate problems should not eat these foods, but that is not what I am saying. Researchers have discovered that we can eat high oxalate foods as long as we take in enough calcium with the meal (even with a non-functioning or non-existent gallbladder).
Common High Oxalate Foods Found in Our Diet – source
For the most up-to-date information on oxalates and health issues they may cause, please visit LowOxalateInfo.com and sign up for the Trying Low Oxalates Yahoo Group.
High Oxalate Supplement Protocol:
Cal-Mag-K – 1 tablet w/ each meal. Provides gut-specific calcium-citrate which binds up excess oxalates in the diet, preventing oxalate toxicity in the liver, kidney and rest of the tissues. When treating high oxalates take this product with every single meal. Once oxalate levels lower and become balanced, this product should be taken with high oxalate meals such as smoothies, kale and spinach salads, etc.†
Lipo-Flow – 2 tablets with each meal. This formula provides nutrients which help to the liver and gallbladder process fats more effectively and produce increased quantity of bile.†
Stress Essentials Relax – 2 capsules 3x per day with meals. Helps to support glutathione production in the liver and provides high doses of taurine to improve bile flow; also provides B6 which is necessary for oxalate detoxification inside the liver.†
In the beginning of the healing process people with oxalate issues should be cautious and lower their oxalate intake slowly. Many patients have reported experiencing an oxalate “dumping” syndrome if they go from high oxalates to low too quickly. The best advice is to lowering your oxalate intake by 5-10% each week until you settle into a mild oxalate diet – it really isn’t required to be strictly 100% low oxalate for most people. Just reducing slowly from high to medium/moderate plus proper supplementation seems to be the right protocol for most. After that initial period individuals with a history of high oxalates may eat high oxalate foods as long as they support their gut with calcium-citrate and bile support. The protocol section above gives you the information on which supplements are useful to help protect the body from oxalates. This is useful whether you are recovering from high oxalates or are just seeking to prevent them from becoming an issue in the future.