What causes kidney stones?

Question

What is the best way to prevent these?

Answer 1

Hi VEgGurl

Here are some answers on KS.

Cause
Kidney stones are more common during the summer, possibly due to concentrated urine caused by increased sweating and insufficient fluid intake. In general, mild chronic dehydration can play a role in the development of kidney stones. Chronic stress can also play a role.

Kidney stones that are high in calcium may be a signal of hyperparathyroidism (excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone). In serious cases of kidney stones an ultrasound that fractionalizes and breaks down the stones may be advised. See your medical doctor for more information about this.
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Natural Cures

Aromatherapy: Hyssop and juniper essential oils can be helpful.

Ayurveda: Cumin, coriander, and fennel tea. Drink one cup three times a day.

Diet: Diet alone cannot get rid of the stones. Higher-than-normal levels of oxalate related to a diet high in oxalic containing foods, such as rhubarb, spinach, leafy vegetables, and coffee, can promote kidney stone formation. High levels of dietary refined carbohydrates can also cause kidney stones. Sugar stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, causing increased calcium excretion through the urine. Other dietary factors that cause increased calcium excretion in the urine and promote stone formation are increased intakes of coffee, colas, acid-forming diets (such as high protein and grains), insufficient water intake, and excessive salt consumption. Soft drinks containing phosphoric acid can also encourage the formation of kidney stones and should be completely eliminated.

The most important dietary actions are to increase your intake of pure filtered water, fiber, and green vegetables, and reduce refined sugar consumption. Foods that are helpful in decreasing kidney stone formation include cranberries, black cherries, rice bran, kombucha tea. In addition to avoiding sugar, also avoid or reduce your intake of salt, dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, nuts, chocolate, pepper, and animal proteins.

Herbs: Combine the tinctures of gravel root, cornsilk, wild yam, and blackhaw in equal parts and take one teaspoon of this mixture three times a day. Or drink one cup of an infusion of nettle three times a day. Other useful herbs include uva ursi, horsetail, and dandelion root.

Homeopathy: Berberis, and Sarsaparilla are both useful homeopathic remedies.

Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is the application of water, ice, steam and hot and cold temperatures to maintain and restore health. Treatments include full body immersion, steam baths, saunas, sitz baths, colonic irrigation and the application of hot and/or cold compresses. Hydrotherapy is effective for treating a wide range of conditions and can easily be used in the home as part of a self-care program. Many Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists and Day Spas use Hydrotherapy as part of treatment. I suggest several at-home hydrotherapy treatments.

Juice Therapy: The following juices can help stimulate the overall health of the urinary tract and potentially flush out the stones: lemon juice; carrot, beet, and cucumber juice with a dash of garlic and/or horseradish; and/or cranberry and watermelon juice.

Nutritional Supplementation: Helpful nutrients include: magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C (keep your total daily intake below 6 grams to avoid increasing oxalate formation), vitamin A, proteolytic enzymes (away from meals), raw kidney glandulars, fat-soluble chlorophyll, lipoic acid, and the amino acids glutamic acid, lysine, and methionine.

Alternative Professional Care
If your symptoms persist despite the above measures, seek the help of a qualified health professional. The following professional care therapies have all been shown to be useful for treating kidney stones: Acupuncture, Ayurveda, Detoxification Therapy, Reflexology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Ultrasound.


Best of health to you

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

A kidney stone is a hard mass developed from crystals that separate from the urine within the urinary tract. Normally, urine contains chemicals that prevent or inhibit the crystals from forming. These inhibitors do not seem to work for everyone, however, so some people form stones. If the crystals remain tiny enough, they will travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body in the urine without being noticed.

Kidney stones may contain various combinations of chemicals. The most common type of stone contains calcium in combination with either oxalate or phosphate. These chemicals are part of a person’s normal diet and make up important parts of the body, such as bones and muscles.
A less common type of stone is caused by infection in the urinary tract. This type of stone is called a struvite or infection stone. Another type of stone, uric acid stones, are a bit less common, and cystine stones are rare.
Urolithiasis is the medical term used to describe stones occurring in the urinary tract. Other frequently used terms are urinary tract stone disease and nephrolithiasis. Doctors also use terms that describe the location of the stone in the urinary tract. For example, a ureteral stone—or ureterolithiasis—is a kidney stone found in the ureter. To keep things simple, the general term kidney stones is used throughout this fact sheet.

Gallstones and kidney stones are not related. They form in different areas of the body. Someone with a gallstone is not necessarily more likely to develop kidney stones.
Preventing Kidney Stones
A person who has had more than one kidney stone may be likely to form another; so, if possible, prevention is important. To help determine their cause, the doctor will order laboratory tests, including urine and blood tests. The doctor will also ask about the patient’s medical history, occupation, and eating habits. If a stone has been removed, or if the patient has passed a stone and saved it, a stone analysis by the laboratory may help the doctor in planning treatment.

The doctor may ask the patient to collect urine for 24 hours after a stone has passed or been removed. For a 24-hour urine collection, the patient is given a large container, which is to be refrigerated between trips to the bathroom. The collection is used to measure urine volume and levels of acidity, calcium, sodium, uric acid, oxalate, citrate, and creatinine—a product of muscle metabolism. The doctor will use this information to determine the cause of the stone. A second 24-hour urine collection may be needed to determine whether the prescribed treatment is working.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Not true. My sister has had some of those. She drinks a lot of tea and that is supposedly common for people who do. A kidney stone is a hard mass developed from crystals that separate from the urine and build up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. Normally, urine contains chemicals that prevent the crystals from forming. These inhibitors do not seem to work for everyone, however, so some people form stones. If the crystals remain tiny enough, they will travel through the urinary tract and pass out of the body in the urine without being noticed.

Answer 7

I couldn't just sit around and do nothing like my doctors suggested.

They didn't want me to do anything or to take herbs or herbal remedies, but I had to try something - they just wanted me to do dialysis!

This program allowed me to take control of my health. I went from Stage 4 to Stage 3 kidney disease.

It was easy to do and my BUN, creatinine and anemia are all in better ranges.

Reversing Your Kidney Disease?

Answer 8

Try real lemon or real lemon juice in your water - just enough for a little flavor, not to pucker your lips (not fake lemonaides...)

Also, drink enough fluids (not alcohol) to cause your urine to be clear. During the day you should drink enough to urinate naturally (without forcing it) every two to three hours. Real urination, not a little dribble. But don't do that at night, because you'll either get no sleep or wet the bed!!

Answer 9

Kidney stones are as a result of calcium buildup in the kidneys. The result are jagged little balls of the mineral that are painful to pass.

Answer 10

Kidney stones are made of salts and minerals in the urine that stick together to form small "pebbles." They can be as small as grains of sand or as large as golf balls. They may stay in your kidneys or travel out of your body through the urinary tract . The urinary tract is the system that makes urine and carries it out of your body. It includes your bladder and kidneys and the tubes that connect them ( ureters).

When a stone travels through a ureter, it may cause no pain. Or it may cause great pain and other symptoms.

See pictures of a kidney stone and a stone traveling through a ureter .

What causes kidney stones?
Kidney stones form when the normal balance of water, salts, minerals, and other things found in urine changes. This can happen if you do not get enough fluids ( dehydration) or if you eat foods high in oxalate, such as dark green vegetables.

Kidney stones may also be an inherited disease. If other people in your family have had them, you may have them too.

What are the symptoms?
Kidney stones often cause no pain while they are in the kidneys, but they can cause sudden, severe pain as they travel from the kidneys to the bladder.

Call a doctor right away if you think you have kidney stones. Watch for severe pain in your side, belly, or groin or for urine that looks pink or red. You may also feel sick to your stomach (nausea) and may vomit.

How are kidney stones diagnosed?
You may first find out that you have kidney stones when you see your doctor or go to an emergency room with pain in your belly or side. Your doctor will ask you questions about your pain and lifestyle. He or she will examine you and may do imaging tests such as X-rays to look at your kidneys and urinary tract.

You may need more tests if you have more than one stone or have a family history of stones. To find out the type of stones you have, your doctor may order a blood test and ask you to collect your urine for 24 hours. This can help your doctor find out if you are likely to have more stones in the future.

Kidney stones may not cause any pain. If this is the case, you may learn you have them when your doctor finds them during a test for another disease.

How are they treated?
For most stones, your doctor will suggest drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to help flush them out. You may also need to take pain medicine. You can do this at home.

If a stone is too large to pass on its own, or if it gets stuck in the urinary tract, you may need treatment. This happens in only 1 or 2 out of 10 people with kidney stones. 1

The most common medical treatment is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). This uses sound waves to break a kidney stone into small pieces. The bits can pass out of your body in your urine. Other times, a doctor will need to remove the stone or place a small metal tube in the ureter to keep it open while stones pass.

Will I have kidney stones again?
Once you have had kidney stones, you are likely to have more. You can help prevent them by drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. You may have to eat less of certain foods, such as dark green vegetables, chocolates, and nuts. Your doctor may also give you medicine that helps prevent stones from forming.