Oxalates and Pain

Pain can be caused by eating foods that contain oxalates.

Apr 19, 2009 Kristin Collins

Sometimes pain is unexplained with no obvious cause. Oxalate's can sometimes be the cause of unidentified pain.

What Are Oxalate's?

Oxalate's are naturally occurring chemicals that are found in certain plants and foods. The chemical name for oxalate's is ethanedioate. Oxalate's can be hard to avoid because they occur naturally in common foods. Avoiding oxalate's is harder than you may think but for some people it may just be a matter of cutting down on particular foods or making some dietary changes. Depending on our own gastrointestinal systems, oxalate's can become a problem in some people and not others.

Why Do Oxalate's Cause Pain?

Oxalate's can become bound to calcium and cause needle-like crystals. These crystals are somewhat like sharp needles that embed themselves in tissue and can cause excruciating pain. If you have ever had kidney stones, you will know the type of pain that I am talking about. A lesser degree of pain can be seen in other pain disorders.

What Type of Disorders Are Caused By Oxalate's?

A build up of oxalate's can cause a number of pain related disorders such as fibromyalgia, kidney stones, vulval pain, chronic pelvic pain and any other unexplained pain. Please check with your health practitioner if you think this may be the problem.

What Foods Contain Oxalate's?

A full list of oxalate foods can be seen by clicking here.

Some examples of foods that contain oxalate's include:

Tea, Chocolate milk, Cocoa, Wheat germ, Wheat bran , Sweet potatoes, Soybeans, Fruitcake, Beans, Beetroot, Celery, Chives, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peppers, Leeks, Peanut butter, Chocolate, Berries, Tomato soup, Currants, Vegetable soup, Marmalade.

What If I Need To Take Calcium Supplements?

Because the oxalate's bind with calcium, caution needs to be taken when supplementing.

Calcium citrate is safe to use if you have a problem with oxalate's.

What Else Can I Do To Avoid Oxalate's?

To help with the elimination of oxalate's it is wise to eliminate any yeast overgrowth. An overgrowth of yeast such as those seen in candida can increase the production of oxalate's. You need to get the yeast problem under control before you even think about eliminating oxalate foods.

Supplementing with Probiotics can also help with the elimination. The lactic acid in the probiotics binds with the oxalate's and helps with elimination. With the high number of artificial additives,preservatives and antibiotics etc in our diet, it can make it very hard for our gastrointestinal system to keep in balance. Probiotics are important in every person's diet regardless of what health problem they are experiencing.

Many people have improved their pain with the elimination of oxalate's from their diet. Please check with your doctor if you have unexplained pain.

The copyright of the article Oxalates and Pain in Nutrition is owned by Kristin Collins. Permission to republish Oxalates and Pain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.