Kidney Stones: Causes, Prevention & Natural Support

Your kidneys remove waste and fluid from your blood to create urine. They play a vital role in the detoxification process of your body. If there is an over-consumption of certain waste products, chemicals, and toxic substances together with not enough fluid in your bloodstream, these waste products build up and stick together in your kidneys. These clumps of waste products are called kidney stones.

Some of the common causes of kidney stones include:

• Dehydration. Not drinking enough water each day can increase your risk of kidney stones. It is important to drink 8 – 10 glasses of filtered water per day. Drinking more than two cups of coffee per day, alcohol, and soft drinks can dehydrate the body.
• Diet and food. Eating a diet that’s high in animal protein, animal fat, sodium (salt), and sugar may increase your risk of some types of kidney stones. This is especially true with a high-sodium diet. Too much salt in your diet increases the amount of calcium your kidneys must filter and significantly increases your risk of kidney stones. Eliminating processed, packaged and fast foods will help to prevent kidney stones along with other positive lifestyle changes.
• Being obese. Having a high body mass index (BMI), large waist size, and excessive weight gain have been linked to an increased risk of kidney stones.
• Digestive diseases and surgery. Gastric bypass surgery, inflammatory bowel disease or chronic diarrhea can cause changes in the digestive process that affect your absorption of calcium and water, increasing the levels of stone-forming substances in your urine.
• Other medical conditions. Diseases and conditions that may increase your risk of kidney stones include renal tubular acidosis, cystinuria, hyperparathyroidism, certain medications and some urinary tract infections.
• Medications and over the counter supplements such as: calcium and vitamin C supplements can contribute to the formation of kidney stones.

Symptoms of Kidney Stones

If you have a very small kidney stone that moves easily through your urinary tract, you may not have any symptoms, and may never know that you had a kidney stone. If you have a larger kidney stone, you may notice any of the following symptoms:

• Pain while urinating.
• Blood in your urine.
• Sharp pain in your back or lower abdomen.
• Nausea and vomiting.

If you are suffering from the more severe symptoms, my advise is to seek Professional Help!

What are the Treatments for Kidney Stones?

In most cases with kidney stones, with lifestyle and dietary changes, they will either dissolve or pass naturally. Depending on the size of the stone, what it is made of, whether it is causing pain or whether it is blocking your urinary tract. To answer these questions and to diagnose what is the right treatment for you. You will need to ask your doctor about having a urine test, blood test, x-ray and/or CT scan. For a CT scans, sometimes the use of contrast dye assists in determining severity factors. The use of contrast dye can cause complications and don’t hesitate to tell your doctor before the CT scan if you don’t want to use the dye.

If your test results show that your kidney stone is small, making dietary changes, drinking more water, reducing alcohol intake will help to push the stone through your urinary tract. Below in this article are some natural health suggestions that may also help to dissolve the kidney stone.

If your kidney stone is large or if it is blocking your urinary tract, additional treatment may be necessary. One treatment option is shock wave lithotripsy. This treatment uses shock waves to break up the kidney stones into small pieces. After the treatment, the small pieces of the kidney stone will pass through your urinary tract and out of your body with your urine. This treatment usually takes 45 minutes to one hour and may be done under general anesthesia, which means you will be asleep and unable to feel pain.

Another treatment option is ureteroscopy. This treatment is also done under general anesthetic. The doctor uses a long tool shaped like a tube to find and remove the stone or to find and break the stone into small pieces. If the stone is small enough, the doctor may be able to remove it. If it is larger, it may need to be broken into pieces. In this case, a laser will be used to break the stone into pieces that are small enough to pass through your urinary tract.

In rare cases, a surgery called percutaneous nephrolithotomy is needed to remove a kidney stone. During the surgery, a tube will be inserted directly into your kidney to remove the stone. You will need to be in the hospital for two to three days to have and recover from this treatment.

Self-Help:

Changing lifestyle habits is certainly to best and initial step to dissolving your kidney stones. If you have serious concerns about the cause of your kidney stones, it is best to work hand in hand with a health professional of your choice. These are some beneficial lifestyle changes:

• Increase your consumption of filtered water to 8 – 10 glasses per day.
• Each morning squeeze one lemon in a glass and fill your glass with filtered warm water and drink it. This is great even if you don’t have kidney stones, for keeping your body in an alkalized state.
• Basil – add a teaspoon of chopped basil to your lemon drink. Basil contains compounds known to help stabilize uric acid levels, making it harder for kidney stones to form. Also, basil contains acetic acid, a chemical known to help dissolve stones.
• Extra virgin olive oil – once again you can add this to your morning lemon juice. Olive oil helps to ease the passage for the stones.
• Apple cider vinegar again contains citric acid that may help dissolve calcium deposits. One to two teaspoons added to a glass of filtered water may help dissolve kidney stones when consumed 2 – 3 times a day. This is most effective before meals.

Additional Support:

Making positive changes to your dietary habits will benefit you in many ways. A great step is eating a diet that will make your body more alkaline than acidic. This is a major step to preventing disease. Learn how in this article: How to Alkalize your Body for Optimal Health!

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