Interference with the action of the kidneys is apt to result in a retention within the system of the elements which they, in normal condition, eliminate from the system—such as urea, uric acid, urates, sulphates, phosphates, etc. They are the result of the oxidation and the breaking down of the proteins of the body. If the kidneys do not eliminate these the result is a systemic poisoning, and the dietetic treatment must be such as will aid them to act freely.
Fruits should be used freely. The citrus fruits (lemons, oranges, limes, etc.) are the best; they neutralize acids and promote the alkalinity of the blood.
When the system shows an excess of uric acid, the chances are that the individual has not been living on a diet containing too large a proportion of protein, but that he has been eating more than he requires of all kinds of foodstuffs. His system thus becomes weakened and he does not breathe deeply nor exercise sufficiently to oxidize and throw off the waste.
Meats, eggs, and legumes should be eliminated from the diet. A free drinking of water, milk with limewater, cereals, buttermilk, kumyss, barley water, toast water, lemonade, orangeade, vegetables, and fruit should form the diet.
Exercise and free breathing of fresh air are imperative. All food should be thoroughly masticated.
Excess of Uric Acid
When this condition appears it is due to too great an amount of animal or nitrogenous food. It causes dizziness, ringing in the ears, general nervousness, and insomnia.
Uric acid does not render the urine acid but when the acidity of the urine is increased, due to too much animal food, the tendency of the uric acid to form a crystalline deposit is increased. This deposit, as “gravel,” may occasion attacks of renal colic or become the basis, when mixed with mucus, for kidney stones or stones in the bladder.
Headaches if due to uric acid will often cease when animal food is lessened.
Too much candy or sweet foods, or too much fat, eaten in connection with much protein, by deranging the liver function, change the character of the urine and favor the production of uric acid, causing such chronic ailments as bronchitis, asthma, severe nerve depression, gout, and neuralgia.