News: Doctors Recommend Sambong For Treatment vs Kidney Stones

Abdominal pain, blood in the urine, recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). These are the most common complaints of Dr. Frederick Mendiola’s patients suffering from kidney stones. Kidney stones are considered as one of the most common illnesses or disease affecting mostly middle-aged Filipinos today.

According to Dr. Mendiola, an invasive urologic surgeon at St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City, about 50 to 60 percent of his patients are inflicted with kidney stones. “Kidney problems are usually detected when a patient experiences abdominal pains and hematuria or blood in the urine,” he added. “However, there are also instances when a patient does not experience any of these. Instead, the most common symptom is a recurrent case of UTI. Therefore, it is highly recommended that patients visit a doctor regularly to prevent the illness.”

If left untreated, Mendiola said a patient may develop severe infection that will later affect the blood, leading to death. “It may also lead to chronic renal failure, destroying the kidney and its function, which will result in lifetime dialysis or a kidney transplant,” Mendiola said.

To prevent kidney stones, Dr. Mendiola advises to avoid diets which are high in sodium and uric acid. Some examples of these diets include dairy products, beans, nuts and shellfishes. “Aside from diet, patients with kidney stones also need something that will induce urine formation.” He suggests drinking three to four liters of liquid a day to prevent stone formation.

When it comes to medications, Dr. Mendiola says potassium citrate and sodium bicarbonate are effective in treating this condition if combined with sambong.

Potassium citrate and sodium bicarbonate can be obtained from certain prescription drugs. On the other hand, an optimum amount of sambong can be obtained from RE-LEAF Forte, made of processed organic sambong (Blumea balsamifera), a 2-in-1 medication that is not only an anti-urolithiasis but a diuretic as well.

RE-LEAF Forte is best used versus calcium or uric acid stones in patients with normal kidney function. Recommended dosage is two tablets, three times a day. It also works as diuretic in patients with mild to moderate congestive heart failure and edema. RE-LEAF Forte is now available in Mercury Drug, Watson’s and other leading drugstores nationwide.