Science Says Riding Big Thunder Mountain Can Help Pass Kidney Stones!

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big thunder

Credit: Disney

If you are an unlucky person who has suffered from a kidney stone, you understand how painful of an experience it can be to endure. Thankfully, scientists have confirmed that riding this Disney attraction does indeed help those suffering from a painful kidney stone to pass it!

I know you’re thinking this is a joke, but it’s not! This theory has actually been proven by studies done at Walt Disney World.

Big Thunder Mountain
Credit: Disney

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Picture this, you are at Disney World enjoying a family vacation, when it happens — you get a kidney stone. Do not fret! All you have to do is hop on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and you’ll reportedly leave that stone behind with the rock work on the attraction. According to a report by livescience.com, the 2016 study in which researchers set out to prove the Big Thunder MountainRailroad vs. kidney stone data was proven to be true.

The study titled ‘Validation of a Functional Pyelcalyceal Renal Model for the Evaluation of Renal Calculi Passage While Riding a Roller Coaster’, was published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. The study was conducted after several patients told their doctors they had experienced relief from their kidney stones after riding Big Thunder Mountain at Walt Disney World.

big thunder mountain
Credit: Disney

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Livescience.com gave the details of how to study was conducted on the attraction,

Studying this phenomenon required a bit of ingenuity from the researchers. To test the effects of riding a roller coaster with kidney stones, they created a 3D model of a kidney that could be taken along for the ride (concealed in a backpack, of course).

In the experiment, the researchers placed three real kidney stones and some urine in the model kidney. The kidney stones were different sizes: small (4.5 cubic millimeters), medium (13.5 cubic mm) and large (64.6 cubic mm).

The researchers took the model kidney on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster 20 times. They experimented with the position of the different sizes of kidney stones in different parts of their kidney model. On one ride, for example, the largest stone was placed in the upper part of the kidney; on another, the large stone was placed in the middle of the kidney. Ultimately, each stone was placed in each location of the kidney for at least one ride.

The research claimed that where you sit DOES matter when it comes to having an impact on passing a kidney stone. When the model was seated in the front car, it would only pass the stone 17% of the time. All other seating arrangements passed the stone 64% of the time.

Since the research was done at Walt Disney World, you can imagine that this practice would work Disneyland as well.

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This Disney fan and Youtuber attempted this at both Disney World and Disneyland! And while it did not work for him at Disneyland, it did work at Disney World!

Here is the Disneyland attempt:

Here is the Disney World attempt:

Never been on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? Here is how Disney describes the attraction for the Walt Disney World Resort:

Legend has it that soon after gold was first discovered here in the 1850s, eerie things began to happen. Trains would take off and race through tunnels—by themselves.

After you arrive at the legendary Big Thunder Mining Company, descend into an abandoned mine shaft and board your train. As you enter the cursed cavern, the engine speeds up along the rickety track. Dodge exploding dynamite and falling boulders as you swoop around turns, drop into canyons and dart through the mysterious ghost town of Tumbleweed.

Your rip-roaring adventure proves that some legends are true. You’re sure to have a real blast!

So the next time you think a kidney stone will ruin your Disney World/ Disneyland vacation, THINK AGAIN! All you have to do is take a few trips on the wildest ride in the wilderness!

What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments.

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