A reader writes:
With all due respect, Kevin Drum is full of it when he claims there is no health benefit from drinking plenty of water. Drinking plenty of water helps prevent kidney stones.
A "chronic kidney stone sufferer" elaborates in vivid detail:
When you're dehydrated, the urine in your kidneys is concentrated and dark. That concentrated urine fosters the growth of small crystals that build up over time into kidney stones. Many people pass small kidney stones without even knowing it. It usually results in a dull back pain for a short time, some uncomfortable pressure in the abdominal and/or groin area that is often mistaken for gas pains, and sometimes brief burning and a small amount of blood during urination, which is frequently misdiagnosed as a bladder infection when it happens in women.
For some unlucky people (like me), one of the larger, very sharp little kidney stones will find its way into a ureter, then painfully tumble and slice its way to your bladder to finally pass, yet again painfully, out your urethra as you urinate. Did I mention painfully? This often takes several days to a week and usually has a vomit-inducing pain level that ranks right up there with having a baby. Ask anyone who has had both a baby and a kidney stone and see if they don't agree.
The only way to get the stone out faster is to super-hydrate yourself, but even that doesn't work for some people and they are forced to get the stone surgically removed if it's completely obstructing a ureter.
To get back to my original point, drinking an adequate amount of water can help you avoid kidney stones. What isn't clear is how much water qualifies as "adequate", but drinking extra doesn't hurt (unless you REALLY overdo it).
The Dish 