I'm referring to doing this every day, months on end. At that time, I believed all the hype I read on the internet about how lemon water could cure everything from kidney stones to cancer. But after doing it for about eight months, I started getting sharp pains in my lower back. My urine was cloudy. I was constantly feeling uncomfortable in my kidney region. When I finally made an appointment with a urologist, he asked me about my diet and burst out laughing when I told him about my lemon water consumption.

The reality is that lemon water actually helps prevent certain kinds of kidney stones from forming, but it's not as great as everyone says it is and can actually cause problems.

Here’s the real lowdown. Lemons do contain citrate, which can prevent kidney stones made of calcium oxalate. So, that’s true. However, too much lemon water can also cause too much oxalate in your body, which can, in turn, cause kidney stones. It can irritate your urinary tract. If you already have kidney disease, too much potassium in lemons can harm you. All that acid can damage your tooth enamel too.

Thanks to the Lost Frontier Handbook, which I learned from, as it teaches you how to survive when your food stores are out, there’s no electricity, and your medical emergency doesn’t answer, I learned different ways to keep your kidneys healthy using powerful natural remedies without following the latest fad diets. It’s literally helped me get rid of my kidney pain completely and learn which food really does cleanse your kidneys, as opposed to which food just sounds good online.

But now, I not only keep up with the latest trends in health but also realize that natural remedies can be just as damaging as their chemical counterparts. Such as recognizing the importance of moderation in healthy foods as well. That drinking clean water is far more important than putting lemon in everything. That eating healthy vegetables for the kidneys, such as celery and cucumbers, is important. That being careful about oxalate intake if one has a tendency towards kidney stones. That learning about natural remedies that actually work is important. And, of course, that lemon water is not a magic cure-all—it may help some people prevent certain types of stones, but it is not necessary for healthy kidneys.