Can you confirm that drinking three quarts of lemonade daily may help prevent kidney stones?
A. Kidney stones form when calcium and oxalate in urine combine and precipitate. Making the urine less acidic can help cut this risk, and doctors sometimes prescribe potassium citrate to lower urinary acidity. People sometimes object, however, to taking a lot of potassium citrate pills. Investigators have reported that drinking two liters (just over two quarts) of lemonade daily worked nearly as well as potassium citrate tablets in changing urinary composition (Journal of Urology, Sept. 1996). Q. I just read your column in which a person with sinus problems advocates using a saline solution twice a day. I have been doing this for years when my sinuses start to act up. The only difference is I make my own saline with water and table salt. A. One recipe for saline solution to wash nasal passages calls for ΒΌ teaspoon salt to 8 ounces of water.
