In my 20 years on the low oxalate diet I have met, phoned, written to and read the stories of thousands of men, women and children who have found healing through the low oxalate diet. Each time I hear a success story, I cheer that another person has discovered their answer (or at least one part of their answer) to greater health, wellness and joy.
Fruits you can eat on the low oxalate diet -- strawberries, blueberries, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.
The low oxalate diet can offer relief when used alone or with supporting therapies, but it is most powerful and effective when used as part of a comprehensive program to address oxalate issues in the body. A comprehensive program includes the low oxalate diet, support of the dumping (detoxifying) process (e.g. taking biotin), supplements to remove oxalate from the body (such as Oxabsorb and calcium citrate without vitamin D), and addressing the root cause of your oxalate issue (such as a leaky gut, IBS or a vitamin B6 deficiency).
The low oxalate diet has helped people with a wide range of symptoms and conditions, many of which occur together in people who have long-term, unresolved oxalate issues. Here’s a list of conditions and symptoms that may be helped by the low oxalate diet — a list that keeps growing every year as scientists learn more about oxalate and the many health, developmental and psychological problems it can cause.
The Low Oxalate Diet May Offer Healing and Relief for:
1.) Genital Pain: including Vulvar Pain Syndrome, vulvodynia, vulvar vestibulitis, and penis pain
Note: Men, women and children with vulvar pain syndrome may display a wide range of symptoms over their entire body including genital pain, itching and burning; rectal pain and burning; pain with urination; bladder pain (including interstitial cystitis); skin symptoms, such as rashes, burning pain and itching; intestinal symptoms (including irritable bowel syndrome – often associated with “leaky gut”), muscle symptoms (including fibromyalgia), joint symptoms (including arthritis), mouth burning, pain and itching (burning mouth syndrome), eye burning, itching and pain (including sharp stabbing pains or “acid” tears), brain “fog” and other symptoms. Many, if not most, have also been diagnosed with at least one of the other symptoms or conditions in the following list.
2.) Kidney Stones (prevention of stone formation)
Could this be you again after treatment with the low oxalate diet?
4.) Fibromyalgia
5.) Lichen sclerosus
6.) Lichen planus
7.) Nonbacterial prostatitis
8.) Rectal burning, itching and pain
9.) Urethral syndrome
10.) Bladder Pain including Interstitial Cystitis
11.) Dyspareunia (painful sex)
Note: Dyspareunia is often in association with vulvar pain syndrome or genital pain in men and women
12.) Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Note: Pelvic floor dysfunction is often associated with vulvar pain syndrome, vulvar vestibulitis or vulvodynia.
13.) Osteoporosis (low bone density) or unexplained calcium or magnesium deficiencies.
14.) Leaky Gut (permeable intestines) Note: Leaky gut is usually a cause of oxalate problems, not the other way around, but some people have found that a low oxalate diet helped to heal their leaky gut.
15.) Irritable Bowel Syndrome Note: IBS is usually a cause of oxalate problems, not the other way around. But some people have found that the low oxalate diet helped to heal IBS.
16.) Thyroid Disease
17.) Cystic Fibrosis
18.) Sarcoidosis
19.) Asthma
20.) COPD
21.) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
22.) Insomnia, especially waking up “wide awake” in the middle of the night
23.) “Brain Fog” (including trouble concentrating and irritability)
24.) Burning pain in the mouth (including Burning Mouth Syndrome)
25.) Joint and Muscle Pain (including arthritis)
24.) Eye Pain, especially stabbing and burning pains (“acid” tears)
25.) Burning Pain in the Skin
26.) Allergies (especially people with multiple allergies who have other conditions on this list)
27.) Candida
If you or a loved one has one or more of these symptoms or conditions, please consider carefully whether a low oxalate diet may help your healing journey. I personally have suffered from fifteen of these conditions, thirteen of which have either completely healed or responded well to the low oxalate diet and two which have responded partially to the low oxalate diet (people with long-term unresolved oxalate issues often have many symptoms on this list!). I am hopeful that as I explore a more comprehensive oxalate program that is designed to address the root causes of my oxalate problem (in addition to reducing the oxalate in my diet), I will fully heal. I hope the same for you.
Photo credits go to Peat Bakke for Fruit Bowl and to Public Domain Photos for Happy Girl on the Beach.
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