The idea that drinking beer could aid in flushing out kidney stones is a misconception because beer can cause calcium oxalate crystals to form, increasing the possibility of kidney stones, Tainan-based urologist Su Chia-chen (蘇家震) said on Thursday last week.
Although beer is a diuretic, it would only help flush small kidney stones that happen to be stuck in the urethra, but it was an option best used only in an emergency, and was not an alternative to actual medical treatment, Su said.
The only way to help the body remove kidney stones is hydration, Su said, adding that a daily intake of at least 1.5 liters of water was the only to prevent the formation of kidney stones.
Males have a higher chance of developing kidney stones than females, with a greater percentage of patients being adolescents or adult males, said Su, who works at Chi Mei Medical Center.
People prone to excessive perspiration might also experience urinary concentration and are among those who have a higher risk of developing kidney stones, as well as people who drink little or no water, habitually delay urination until they feel they cannot hold it anymore, and those who overeat, Su said.
Other high-risk groups include people who avoid eating breakfast or are fond of midnight stacks, those who work in high-temperature environments, those with jobs that require less physical action and those with chronic metabolic diseases, Su said.
Having a kidney stone once and having it removed raises the chance of a recurrence, Su said.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS