QuickCheck: Do roller coaster rides help with kidney stones?

Pop! That feels better.

PETALING JAYA: Love it or hate it, not everyone is a fan of the roller-coaster. But one way to overcome the fear and anxiety of sitting on one is to join other thrill seekers on that amusement park ride.

While there are studies about how the ride helps people overcome their coasterphobia (extreme fear of roller coasters) could it be used to help treat a more physical issue like kidney stones?

Verdict:

TRUE

In 2016, a Michigan State University professor emeritus discovered that riding the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller-coaster ride at Disney World in Florida, US, helps patients pass kidney stones with a nearly 70% success rate.

Dr David Wartinger, a professor emeritus in the university's Osteopathic Surgical Specialties Department, led both a pilot study and an expanded study to assess whether the stories he was hearing from patients were true.

To test the theory, Wartinger used a validated, synthetic 3D model of a hollow kidney complete with three 4mm kidney stones inserted into the replica and carried it in a backpack on Big Thunder Mountain 20 times.

His initial results verified patient reports.

"In the pilot study, sitting in the last car of the roller coaster showed about a 64% passage rate, while sitting in the first few cars only had a 16% success rate," Wartinger was quoted saying.

The pilot study was later published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association in the same year.

Of course, if you're suffering from kidney stones, this is not a sign for you to take a roller-coaster ride at Disney World.

Perhaps get proper consultation from your urologist about this.

And if you don't have kidney stones (and you want to avoid having them), you should take prevention steps, including staying hydrated and not over-consuming food that causes them.

High sodium levels in the body can promote the increase in urinary calcium excretion, while animal protein and seafood can increase urinary and blood uric acid levels – which increases the risk of stone formation.

References:

1. https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2016/got-kidney-stones-ride-a-roller-coaster

2. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/research-finds-thrilling-cure-kidney-stones-roller-coasters-n654576

3. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/ohio-professor-roller-coasters-college-students-face-fears/story?id=36290302

4. https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/putting-dr-g-on-the-spot/2023/01/08/a-dietary-resolution-to-stop-kidney-stones