Customer Reviews

No More Kidney Stones: The Experts Tell You All You Need to Know about Prevention and Treatment

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a nurse and recently fell victim to kidney stones. My first reaction (after the pain) was to read everything I could get my hands on. I found this book and so far,it's the best one out there. I would recommend it to anyone that suffers from stones and will also share it with my patients. Thanks for the GREAT and easy to understand information!!!

The authors provide a good overview of the relevant anatomy, physiology, and surgical management of stone disease, which is helpful and intelligible. The same cannot be said for the other chapters: the dietitian co-author fails to do much but adulterate and confuse lists of information pulled out of her references. Despite her impressive credentials, correct information is freely intermingled with ludicrous instructions to "strain parsley from soup" and to emphasize beverages such as "potato juice." It is possible, with considerable effort, to resolve some of the apparent contradictions among her more conventional recommendations, but the encryption is largely secure. On the positive side, the discussion of calcium and some of the other more academic material was well-done. Overall, the medical chapters may be worth the purchase price, but look elsewhere for dietary advice. -a physician with stones

I've suffered from painful kidney stones for some time. Despite changes to my diet and lifestyle, I could never completely rid myself of this problem. A friend recommended this book to me and I loved it! I've been stone free for almost three months. This is truly a must-read for anyone plagued with the pain and annoyance of kidney stones.

I found "no More Kidney Stones" to be a clear presentation on how stones are formed and how to avoid them, or control their growth once you have them. The explanations of various medical processes, and how different substances impact the function of the body, were particularly useful to me. The dietary material is very comprehensive and helpful, with extensive "do's" and "don'ts", and what to do if you "do" a "don't". I found the book to be easy reading and informative.

As someone who has worked for a number of years on providing laboratory results for stone patients I am intimately familiar with the challenges kidney stone patients face. As even some of the other reviews point out many in the medical industry have little information of value to share with those who suffer from kidney stones. This is all the more alarming when you take into account the fact that most people who have one kidney stone will have another in their lifetime.
To date, this book provides the best overall review I have seen. It lays out in clear and concise language why different types of kidney stones occur, what steps can be taken to prevent them, and lastly provides examples of how to incorporate these steps.
As for few the few negative comments posters have left:
1.) This book is not a medical text, it is written for the patient, so additional detail would provide little value to the majority of readers.
2.) This book is not intended as a complete diet guide as it size would have to be increased extensively to include all of the potential informtion. Rather the diet information presented here is intended to help the patient to begin establishing guidlines.
I have referred this book to large number of poeple and have gotten nothing but positive feedback!!!

The book is certainly readable and at least mentions many medical conditions associated with stones, but it lacks details on stone surgeries and emphasizes diet to the point where sample menus are half the book! There is no comprehensive review of methods for managing kidney stone pain or specific details about the various surgeries. While many medical problems are listed, they often have inadequate explanation or details. The new edition of "The Kidney Stones Handbook" by another author (just published) is much better.

"No More Kidney Stones" was the best kidney stone book I have read in regard to prevention.
The important prevention ideas include:
1) to drink water late in the day.
2) to eat early and quit eating early, if possible.
3) a list of common medications for prevention.
4) a list of high oxalate foods (some oxalate lists are contradictory on the internet.)
I'm grateful for the book....Robert

After being diagnosed with kidney stones, passing three on my own and having two separate surgeries, I decided to take the advice of my nephrologist to prevent them from recurring. This book is a textbook of knowledge covering areas relating to how the stones are formed, causes and multiple plans of action to prevent them from occurring again. My book is "highlighted", paperclipped and "dog-eared" to easily locate golden nuggets of wisdom that I don't want to forget. Because this approach is a multi-faceted one, it requires multiple changes to be made in one's lifestyle. Some of the changes I had to make were diet (switching to low-oxalate), increasing consumption of water, calcium with meals, strict reduction of salt and the decrease of my diuretics. This book gives explanation and suggestions as to how to make the changes work for you. It does require a juggling act and this straight-forward "textbook" has been a great source for staying on course, that is to prevent future kidney stones. It is easy reading and comes in chapters by subject. However, I found it most helpful to mark the items (as you would mark up a "textbook") that specifically were important for ME to remember for easy quick reference.

I will never forget the experience of passing a kidney stone three years ago. And, I don't want to forget because I never want to go through it again. "NO MORE KIDNEY STONES" has become my bible. I read through it cover to cover at the time, and I have now reread the new updated edition. It gave me an in-depth understanding of what was happening with my kidneys and, more importantly, it gave me a road map for avoiding kidney stones in the future. All of the diet related information and the food group table in Appendix A (measuring oxalate content) are invaluable. I learned about the importance of oxalates in stone formation and limiting protein intake. "NO MORE KIDNEY STONES" changed my life. I have given the book to everyone I know who has had a kidney problem. Not one day goes by that I do not remember the health of my kidneys. So far this book has helped me avoid a recurrence, and if I do have one, I will be able to handle it better.

Having read the book and suffered the passing of stones, I find the text to be as articulate and as genuine as the author. It is informative, explanatory and easy to understand. The knowledge given allows one to focus on prevention and to take charge of one's own care. My only suggestion would be to include a listing of all foods low in oxalate, so that changing one's diet and life style become reasonable and realistic goals. I have found this txt to be worthwhile enough to purchase again, but this time as a gift to a fellow "stoner."