Amazing Mini-Garage That A Caring Father Built For His Son (23 Pics)

Reddit user dogeuppity posted these photos of a mini-garage he made as a birthday present for his 3d birthday. 

Potassium Citrate: Helpful for Kidney Stones?

Potassium citrate is a mixture of potassium salt and citric acid.

While it’s often used as a food additive, it can also improve heart and bone health and help conditions like kidney stones.

This article looks at potassium citrate and how and when to use this product safely.

WHAT IS POTASSIUM CITRATE?

 Potassium is an essential mineral found in various fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes.

If you follow a largely plant-based diet, there’s a good chance you’re getting enough potassium. But if your diet includes more processed foods, you may not be consuming an adequate amount.

Unlike other essential nutrients (like calcium, vitamin D and B-vitamins), potassium is not fortified (added) in staple foods. This is due to its rapid impact on blood pressure.

However, when potassium is consumed from natural sources like these, the accompanying fiber slows its absorption. This allows it to safely perform its role in the body.

In supplemental or medication form, potassium is combined with other molecules like carbonate, chloride or hydroxide to form salts.

Potassium linked to citric acid forms potassium citrate. 

Roles of Potassium

This mineral serves many purposes in the body, but it mostly acts as an electrolyte that helps control muscle and nerve function.

Potassium is also vital to heart health, urinary function, acid-base balance, gastrointestinal motility and various enzyme reactions.

Because of these roles, it can be used to support a variety of health conditions.

Potassium citrate in particular produces alkalizing effects in the body, helping to balance urinary pH levels.

Summary: Potassium is an essential mineral found in many fiber-rich whole foods. It’s important for various functions in the body like electrolyte and acid-base balance. Potassium citrate is a salt that helps regulate urinary pH levels.

POSSIBLE HEALTH BENEFITS OF POTASSIUM CITRATE

Potassium citrate offers a few notable health benefits, especially for the kidneys.

Potassium Citrate and Kidney Stones

 Potassium citrate is most often used to improve kidney stones.

Citrate specifically helps to remove protons, or positively charged atoms, which reduces acidity in the urine.

Additionally, potassium citrate crystallizes stone-forming salts like calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate and uric acid in the bladder. 

Crystallization happens because of two mechanisms of potassium citrate. It increases urine pH, making it more alkaline. It also increases urine citrate levels, which lowers the risk of stone formation.

Studies show that using potassium citrate decreases stone formation and recurrence.

Essentially, it protects against increased urine saturation resulting from high-protein diets.

Citrate in the urine is able to bind to calcium, making it more soluble and less able to create calcium oxalate stones (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Overall, maintaining acid-base balance in the bladder is key for preventing all types of kidney stones (6).

A recent Cochrane review found that potassium citrate may help reduce recurrent calcium urinary stones in children. However, many children couldn’t handle the treatment due to adverse side effects. The authors had limited confidence in this finding and expressed the need for more evidence (7).

A study on 57 adults with active kidney stones showed that potassium citrate therapy helped to increase urine pH, citrate and potassium levels compared to placebo. The study concluded that potassium citrate helped reduce stone formation with only two subjects experiencing mild side effects (2).

Potassium Citrate and Strokes

 Potassium’s effect on blood pressure and heart rate may help reduce the risk of stroke.

A 12-year prospective study showed that every 390mg increase in dietary potassium led to a 40% reduction in stroke-associated death (8).

Also, a meta-analysis on potassium and cardiovascular risk factors reviewed 22 studies. It found that potassium intake reduced blood pressure in those with hypertension and helped lower the risk of stroke (9).

The FDA is currently collecting data on potassium citrate use and stroke risk.

So far, of the 1,749 people who experienced side effects while on potassium citrate, 15 or 0.86% have had a stroke, especially in older males (10).

Potassium Citrate and Bone Health

 There’s mixed evidence on whether potassium citrate is beneficial to bone health.

When the body is too acidic (often the case when eating the Standard American Diet), calcium is pulled from the bones to help alkalinize the blood.

Therefore, it’s important to maintain proper pH balance for bone health, even if your calcium intake is adequate (11).

In one study, 52 adults supplemented with 0, 2345 or 3519 mg/day of potassium citrate for 6 months. The researchers found that 3519mg/day helped improve calcium balance, which could theoretically protect the bones (12).

Another study saw significant increases in bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy elderly people without osteoporosis who took 2345mg of potassium citrate for 24 months. They also received calcium and vitamin D supplements, which may have played a role as well (13).

In healthy, postmenopausal women, however, the use of supplemental potassium citrate over two years didn’t help reduce bone turnover or increase BMD (14).

These results contrast with the evidence found in a laboratory study, which showed that potassium citrate could prevent osteopenia (low BMD) progression (14, 15).

Summary: Potassium citrate can help prevent kidney stone formation, and may also reduce the risk of a stroke. There is also conflicting evidence on whether it can improve bone health. Overall, it’s safest to consume potassium from food sources.

POTASSIUM CITRATE RECOMMENDATIONS

 This product should be used under medical supervision.

Prescription potassium citrate is often sold under the trade name Urocit-K, although generic forms are available.

It can also be purchased as a nutritional supplement on its own or within a multivitamin/mineral formulation.

Below is a list of tips to follow when using potassium citrate:

• Always take it with food
• Space it out into multiple doses throughout the day
• Take it with at least 8 oz. of water
• Do not crush or split the tablets
• Do not use in conjunction with salt substitutes, which often contain potassium
• Do not change your dose without consulting your doctor

Dosing

Dosage amounts will vary by person.

In general, healthy adults require 4.7 grams of potassium per day.

With hypokalemia (low potassium levels), dosing increases to treat and prevent the deficiency. Serum potassium levels should stay between 3.5 and 5 mEq/L.

Dosing can also be monitored based on urinary citrate levels, which should be between 320-640mg/day.

You should not exceed 7,819mg per day or serious health consequences may result.

Summary: Only use potassium citrate as recommended by a medical professional. They will help find the appropriate dose for you to keep serum potassium and urinary citrate levels in balance.

SIDE EFFECTS OF POTASSIUM CITRATE

 Many side effects can develop while using potassium citrate.

Blood and urine testing, as well as electrocardiographs (ECG), can assess your health status while using potassium citrate.

Large doses over the recommended amount may cause cardiac arrhythmia.

Other side effects include:

• Allergic reactions
• Bloody or black stools
• Confusion, dizziness
• Irregular heart rate, chest pain, increased blood pressure
• Muscle twitching
• Seizures
• Restlessness, irritability
• Numbness in hands/feet
• Stomach pain
• Painful swallowing
• Unusual bleeding/bruising
• Unusual weakness

Report these side effects to your doctor.

Who Should Avoid Potassium Citrate

Those with the following medical conditions should avoid potassium citrate:

• Severe kidney disease
• Heart damage
• Addison’s disease
• High levels of potassium or sodium in the blood
• Severe dehydration

Discuss with your doctor the safety and appropriateness of using potassium citrate with the following conditions:

• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Low blood calcium levels
• Kidney disease
• Stomach ulcers
• Swallowing difficulty
• Urinary tract infections
• Chronic diarrhea
• Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• Breastfeeding
• Allergy to potassium citrate or other preservatives

If you are using certain medications or supplements, let your doctor know prior to starting a potassium citrate regimen.

Many commonly used products interact with potassium citrate including NSAIDS, antacids, cold/allergy medications, aspirin and diuretics.

Also, many nutritional supplements like multivitamins and mineral formulas contain potassium. Be sure to report their use to your doctor to avoid overdosing.

Summary: High-risk side effects can occur when using potassium citrate, so it’s important to be closely monitored by a health professional. Report all medications and supplements you’re taking to avoid interactions or overdosing. Those with certain severe medical conditions impacting the heart, adrenals or kidneys should avoid using potassium citrate.

POTASSIUM CITRATE FOR DOGS

Dog owners may use potassium citrate to help their pup with urinary stones and painful or frequent urination.

One study fed 12 healthy dogs either a standard diet or one with 150mg potassium citrate per kilogram of body weight, twice per day.

The authors found that supplementation had a limited effect, with a slight increase in urine pH of 0.2 units. Either way, if you choose to supplement, they recommend you do so with food, twice per day (16).

Overall, the research is sparse on this topic despite various pet-friendly potassium citrate products available on the market. Talk with your veterinarian if you’re considering using potassium citrate for your pet.

Summary: Potassium citrate can be used to help dogs with urinary issues, though there is limited research to prove this. Talk with your vet for safety and dosing recommendations.

SHOULD YOU USE POTASSIUM CITRATE?

Potassium citrate can help people, and sometimes dogs, with treating kidney stones.

It may also help reduce the risk of stroke, but must be used with caution and under the supervision of a medical professional.

The evidence for its effects on bone health are inconclusive, so it’s best to play it safe and obtain adequate potassium intake from food sources.

Dosing is based on individual need to help maintain healthy serum potassium levels.

A wide array of serious side effects can result if used improperly. If you suffer from heart, kidney or adrenal disease, ask your doctor if potassium citrate is appropriate for you.

What is the Healthiest of All Plant-Based Milks?

Plant-based milks are here to stay. In the US and UK milk consumption has dropped an average of 1 percent every year in the last 70 years. Globally, the plant-based milk market is expected to reach $16.3 billion by the end of the year—a steep rise from $7.4 billion in 2010.

With the demand for these products growing, many find themselves asking “which is healthiest?” 

Each plant milk is different, especially in culinary application. Almond milk, which is thinner than soy, is a great companion for cereal and oatmeal. Rice milk can be wonderful in baked goods. Full-fat coconut is essential for creamy curries. And soy milk froths up wonderfully for lattes and cappuccinos. Detailed in a new study, researchers spent some time investigating these 4 major milks and determined that soy came out on top in terms of health benefits.

The study, from McGill University and published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology, compared these unsweetened varieties and found that the anti-carcinogenic properties of soy milk’s isoflavones were a powerful draw that put the decades-popular drink at the top of the list. Rice milk was noted as a good alternative to those with dairy, soy or tree nut allergies, yet yielded little nutrition when compared to other milks. Coconut milk’s high fat content was noted, but these healthy fats can reduce bad cholesterol numbers. And finally, almond milk’s monounsaturated fatty acids were noted to help with weight loss, weight management and bringing down bad cholesterol.

The arguments for cow’s milk, however, were on the weak side—especially when considered for adult consumption. Because cow milk is similar to human breast milk (duh), it can provide some helpful antimicrobial exposure for human infants, just like human breast milk. And it contains protein, fat and carbohydrates, all of which are necessary in a diet.

The risk of food borne pathogens should not be ignored, however. And cow’s milk has a slew of health concerns associated with its hormonal composition, its respiratory effects, and its advertisers erroneously touting the product as the best or even only source of dietary calcium. Harvard’s School of Public Health even recommends piling our plates with plant-based calcium-rich foods and says, about cow’s milk, “there is considerable evidence that too-high intakes can be harmful”.

If you are curious about trying out some different plant-based milks, check out this handy guide that breaks down some of the most delicious and nutritious applications for each variety.

Ocular Migraines: The Scary Health Problem No One Talks About

If you’re seeing flashes or spots along with your head pain, you may be having an ocular migraine. Although the term is popular, it’s not an actual diagnosis, says University of Arizona neurology professor John Wall, MD. However, it does describe a real phenomenon that some people with migraines experience. “It refers to either some blindness in one eye during a migraine or having a migraine with aura,” he says. A patient may also call something an “ocular migraine” if they have an aura without a headache at all, says John Rothrock, MD, a professor of neurology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.  

Symptoms of an ocular migraine

If you have a migraine with aura, you’ll “see” the symptoms before feeling any head pain. This may be wavy, zigzag, or shimmering lines or a blind spot in one area of your vision for about 15 to 20 minutes. (They normally do not last beyond an hour.) About 20 to 30 minutes after the aura disappears, your headache may start, says Dr. Wall.

Why do they happen?

While 12 percent of the American population reports getting migraines, a smaller number experience auras. An aura is similar to an electrical wave that affects the areas of your brain that process visual information, says the Mayo Clinic. Periods of brain excitement followed by a depression in activity is believed to be responsible for setting off an aura, explains Dr. Wall.  

Who’s most likely to have them?

Women are more likely to have migraines in general. In fact, migraines are three times more prevalent in women than men, says Dr. Rothrock. “This is likely due to female sex hormones that trigger migraines or make women more sensitive to migraines,” he says. There’s also a strong genetic component.

What are the risks?

By themselves, auras do not put you at risk. However, you may be more prone to other conditions, the most significant being slightly higher odds of stroke if you have a migraine with aura (rather than a migraine alone), says Dr. Wall. “Women with a migraine with aura may have about twice as many strokes as those who don’t,” he says. While that sounds alarming, the actual statistical risk is really small, he adds.  

They may make you feel like you’re having a stroke

A migraine with aura isn’t just visual. Dr. Rothrock says that some people have sensory auras, which means they get numbness or tingling in their face or hand. “This can be misdiagnosed as a stroke or partial seizure,” he says. A patient history (in this case, someone who has had migraines with auras) is one of the best ways to make the diagnosis. An MRI can rule out a stroke. 

You can still take birth control

If you’re a woman who suffers from migraines with aura, you may have heard that there’s also an elevated risk of stroke if you take estrogen-based oral contraceptives. However, if you have no other risk factors (for instance, you’re a female under age 35 who doesn’t smoke), a migraine specialist may feel comfortable prescribing these to you. “It may also stabilize your estrogen levels to make your migraines better,” says Dr. Wall. 

How to treat one

Ready for some rough news? While admittedly having an aura—with or without a migraine—can be really bothersome and impact your quality of life and ability to be productive, there is little you can do in terms of how to prevent ocular migraines or treat them. “The reality is that nothing to shorten or stop a typical aura has ever been shown to be effective,” says Dr. Rothrock.

Warning signs of a migraine

Many people who have migraines with auras have what are called “prodromal symptoms,” hitting up to 72 hours in advance. You may notice a predictive pattern of irritability, euphoria, thirst, hunger, or simply feeling “off,” explains Dr. Wall. In that case, he doesn’t suggest taking medication that far in advance, but make sure you’re ready for one by carrying your medications with you and responding quickly, he says.  

Taking away the pain

If your ocular migraine (or a migraine with aura) precedes head pain, there are things you can do to treat it effectively. You can take an OTC migraine medication, like Excedrin, when you feel an aura coming on, says Dr. Wall. If OTCs don’t work, your doctor may prescribe triptans, an abortive medication to stop the pain. You’re a good candidate for these if you have about four to six migraines a month, he says.

This Is How You’re Most Likely to Die During Each Decade of Your Life

Some people are obsessed with the thought of how they’ll die, while others would rather remain in the dark on the subject of their death. While death is highly unpredictable, statisticians have created forecasts of how likely a person is to die based on their age.

Read on to find out how you’re most likely to die during each decade of your life, as well as more about the study and its associated test.

The graph and its associated test 

A UCLA statistician named Nathan Yau used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to plot the correlation between the most common ways people die based on their age of death. He used the CDC’s mortality data from 2005 – 2014 to make the graph as well as an associated test.

The flowing data test shows what you’re statistically most likely to die from based on your current age, gender, and race in each decade of your life. For example, a white, female baby born today is most likely to die of circulatory issues like a heart attack or stroke if she dies in her 80s. A black woman who is currently in her early 2os is likeliest to die of cancer if she passes in her late 40s or early 50s. 

20s & 30s

 

• External causes

External causes — classified under the three main categories suicide, homicide, and accidents like road traffic crashes — are the largest killer of people in their 20s and 30s. The Auto Insurance Center’s analysis of 2013 fatal car crashes revealed that failure to stay in the right lane and failure to yield the right-of-way were the two leading causes of fatal accidents.

Men, however, are twice as likely during their lifetime to die from an external cause than women are at 10% overall compared to 5 percent. 

40s 

• Early 40s: External causes
• Mid-to-late 40s: Circulatory issues and cancer

While external causes are the leading cause of death for men and women in their early 40s, by 45 and older you’re as likely or more likely to die from circulatory issues — like heart disease — or cancer.

Cardiovascular diseases like heart disease are considered premature in your 40s, according to Harvard Health, and as many as 4% to 10% of all heart attacks in men occur before the age of 45. U.K. research on cancer incidence by age showed that adults through the age of 49 are the subject of 10% of cancer cases, where twice as many females as males likely to develop the disease. 

50s 

• Circulatory problems

Circulatory problems like heart disease and stroke are the most likely cause of death for both men and woman in their 50s. Heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States overall, with an average of one person dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) every 40 seconds.

While death rates due to stroke have declined in recent years, stroke accounts for one in every 20 deaths in the U.S. 

60s 

• Men: Cancer
• Women: Cancer and circulatory issues

Men are most likely to die of cancer in their 60s, while women are about equally as likely to die from cancer as they are aforementioned circulatory issues.

An AARP analysis of health habits for Americans in their 60s showed some of the common practices that men and women engage in that may be detrimental to their health and cancer or heart disease risk. For example, one in seven women and one in four men in their 60s still drink to excess on occasion, which has the potential to double your risk of congestive heart failure. 

70s 

• Cancer

Many adults in their 70s suffer from cancer as a consequence of harmful actions like smoking, unsafe sun exposure, or excessive alcohol and drug use. However, cancer incidence as a result of age and gender reaches its peak in your 70s.

Men are at significant risk for prostate, colon, and lung cancer, while women in their 70s are at increased risk for breast, colon, and lung cancer. Several “relatively rare” cancers become more common in your 70s including throat, esophagus, kidney, and pancreatic cancers, according to Vibrant Life. 

80s 

• Circulatory issues

The graph reveals that the older people get, the more likely they are to die from a circulatory problem, regardless of their demographic. People 80 years of age or older have at least a 40% chance of dying from one of these circulatory issues.

“This surprised me,” Yau said, “because it seems like cancer would be the leading cause just going off general news … This is certainly true up to a certain age, but get past that and your heart can only keep going for so long.”

Horrifying Ways Diabetes Could Actually Kill You

Diabetes is one of the most expensive health conditions you can develop. Millions of Americans — about 9% of the population — have it. Some have it, but don’t know it — which increases their chances of developing fatal complications.

This disease can kill you. It takes the lives of thousands of people every year. The reasons behind these fatalities, however, might surprise you.

How is Type 2 diabetes different than Type 1? 

Type 1 diabetes is far less common than Type 2. While Type 1 is technically an autoimmune response, Type 2 develops due to insulin resistance, something that often happens when the body can’t produce enough insulin to draw excess sugar out of someone’s blood.

Untreated, both types can have serious, even fatal complications. However, because so many people live with Type 2, it’s much more common to die from complications related to that type specifically. 

How many people die from diabetes complications? 

Diabetes is one of the most common causes of death in the United States. Approximately 80,000 people died from related complications in 2015.

It isn’t the disease itself that kills its victims, but instead the deadly side effects that arise if it isn’t treated properly. Your organs don’t perform well when high blood sugar becomes your body’s regular condition. Here’s why people can’t live like this forever — and what you can do to improve your own outcome. 

Diabetes destroys your kidneys 

Your kidneys are one of the primary ways your body rids itself of potentially harmful toxins. If they don’t function properly, the resulting kidney disease could lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal. Diabetes is the leading cause of all kidney diseases nationwide.

How does diabetes cause your kidneys to fail? High blood pressure damages the blood vessels in your kidneys, impairing their function — sometimes permanently. 

It could affect your blood pressure 

About 80% of people living with diabetes also have high blood pressure. It’s hard to tell which might trigger or worsen the other, because so many of these conditions are related. Any form of stress on your body can put you at risk for serious harm — and even death.

High blood pressure alone can cause a long list of additional complications, including nerve damage in your eyes, osteoporosis, dementia, and more. 

Some people have seizures 

Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to something called HHNS, which causes blood sugar levels to spike to dangerous heights. If a person with this condition becomes severely dehydrated, the consequences could become deadly.

Seizures aren’t uncommon in this stage of HHNS. Your body needs adequate fluids to function, but it’s difficult to stay hydrated when your blood sugar levels are out of control. 

It also damages your blood vessels and heart 

It’s no surprise that both diabetes and heart disease are leading causes of death among American adults. High blood sugar damages your heart, even if that might not seem possible.

Adults with diabetes are up to four times more likely to die of heart disease than those without it. The American Heart Association even considers diabetes one of the seven heart disease risk factors you can actually control. 

You could have a stroke 

Long-term damage to your heart and blood vessels significantly increases your risk of having a stroke. The same way a heart attack results from blockages in your arteries, interrupted blood supply to your brain can deprive it of oxygen — which often leads to brain damage and death.

You might regularly engage in a number of bad habits that increase your stroke risk without even knowing it. Something as seemingly harmless as sitting for too many hours every day can increase your chances of dying unexpectedly. 

Medication alone usually isn’t enough 

If you want to live a long, healthy life — even with a diabetes diagnosis — a regular dose of insulin might not be enough.

Not everyone can say goodbye to high blood sugar for good. However, losing weight through better nutrition and regular exercise decreases your risk of dying from one or many of the above potentially fatal complications. Small, gradual changes matter. They might even save your life.