Kidney Stones Natural Remedies and Prevention

Kidney stones natural remedies have boomed in the last couple years because of the increase of cases of this urinary system condition. The reason for this is that more and more people aren’t getting enough intake of fluids which is one main risk factor of kidney stones or renal calculus.

What exactly are kidney stones?

Kidney stones are hard, crystalline mineral compound that could form inside the kidney or urinary tract. The proper medical term for having kidney stones is nephrolithiasis. The medical term for different types of kidney stones depends on the location of the stone. For example, if the kidney stone is in the urinary tract, the medical term will be urolithiasis. For kidney stones in the ureters we have ureterolithiasis.

One or numerous stones can be found all throughout the urinary tract at one single time. These kidney stones can form within the urinary tract if there is too much of a certain substance. The stones could take weeks to months to form inside the urinary system.

Facts to know about kidney stones:

  • The most common type of stone are calcium stones. This is very much common in men that are 20 to 30 years old.
  • In people with the medical condition called cystinuria, cystine stones can form. This condition is usually passed on genetically from family member to family member and affect both men and women.
  • Struvite stones are commonly found in women and have urinary tract infections. This type of stone can grow very large in size and could block in the urinary tract.

Risk Factors:

  • One of the main risk factors for formation of kidney stones is not getting enough fluid intake daily. If a person drinks less than 8 glasses a day they are at risk for forming kidney stones
  • A family history of kidney problems
  • Dietary factors – high intake of animal protein, excessive consumption of sugar, a high-salt diet, excessive vitamin D consumption, excessive intake of oxalate-containing foods (spinach), high intake of calcium
  • Most urinary stones develop at the age of 20 to 49 years old
  • Chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, gout, hyperparathyroidism and other renal diseases
  • Certain medications such as diuretics, protease inhibitor, andtriamterene, acyclovir and indinavir
  • Urinary tract stones are more common in men than in women
  • Uric acid kidney stones are more likely to form when a person has gout (increased levels of uric acid in the blood)
  • People who already had past stones in the urinary tract are more prone to get another stone formation sometime in the future
  • Depending on the areas where people live (industrialized countries are more prone to stones in the bladder)
  • Caucasians, Asians, Native Americans, Africans and African Americans are at higher risk at the formation of kidney stones

Symptoms of kidney stone formation: 

Symptoms could occur when the stones are moving down the ureter tubes where the urine goes through to empty out into the bladder. With a stone blocking the passage of urine, this is where symptoms may begin to be felt.

  • Excruciating and intermittent pain that radiates starting from the flank to the groin. Renal colic is describe to be the strongest pain sensations known
  • Urinary urgency
  • Restlessness
  • Hematuria (blood in the urine)
  • Sweating due to the discomfort of the pain and urgency
  • Nausea and vomiting

Diagnostic Exams for kidney stones:

Your healthcare provider will do some diagnostic tests to rule out if you really have kidney stones. The tests done could be one or more of the following:

  • Blood exams to check for electrolyte levels, uric acid, phosphorus and calcium
  • Function tests for the kidneys
  • Urinalysis (to view crystals and red blood cells in the urine)
  • Examination of the stone to determine what type of stone it is

(The blockage of the kidney stone could be seen through the following testsJ

  • Kidney ultrasound
  • Abdominal CT scan
  • Abdominal/kidney MRI
  • Intravenous pyelogram (IVP)
  • Abdominal x-rays
  • Retrograde pyelogram

The main goal of the treatment in this medical condition is to dissolve the kidney stone. Make sure that you have discussed the proper treatment with your medical doctor in which they will provide you with the right medication and surgical procedures it needed for stone removal remedy. Some cases of having stones in your urinary tract could be severe and kidney stones natural remedies might not be applicable in the treatment.

Proper Medical Management:

  • Analgesia– NSAIDS and opioids could be taken orally to manage the pain.

    Kidney stone prevention and remedies
    Kidney stone fragments of 1cm kidney stone blasted by lithotripsy (public domain-via Wikimedia Commons)
  • Expulsion therapy – this type of therapy uses medications to speed the unprompted passage of ureteral calculi. Alpha adrenergic blockers and calcium channel blockers are used in this therapy and could also be used along side lithotripsy.
  • Surgical Management – Surgery might be required for people that only have one functioning kidney, urinary tract infections and bilateral kidney stones. But since the mid 1980s, non-invasive procedures have been more popular in treating kidney stones.
  • Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) –This is a non-invasive procedure that could be done to remove kidney stones. ESWL uses a lithotriptor machine to give off externally applied, high-intensity pulses of ultrasonic energy to cause destruction of the stone over 30 to 60 minutes.

For mild cases you could look to prevent the formation of these stones and your doctor also allows it, here is a list of kidney stones natural remedies:

  1. Basil juice and honey. This is one great and safe herbal remedies for the further formation of kidney stones. Since basil has a strengthening effect on the kidneys, get a teaspoon of basil juice and honey and take this every day for 6 months. This treatment is known to remove stones from the urinary tract.
  2. Kidney beans. This is regarded as one very effective kidney stones natural remedies. You must remove the beans from inside the pods first. Then you must slice the pods and put around 60 grams of this in 4 liters of hot water. Boil this slowly for 6 hours. Afterwards, strain this thoroughly and allow cooling for around 8 hours. Pour this fluid through another piece of muslin without stirring it. Drink this liquid every 2 hours throughout the day for a day and then take it several times a week. This remedy will not work if it is more than 24 hours old.
  3. Apple. This kidney stones natural treatment is quite useful. Make sure to eat or drink apple juice that is ripe and fresh.
  4. Pomegranate for kidney stonePomegranate. This treatment is natural kidney stone removal remedy. You can take seeds of both sweet and sour pomegranates. Get a tablespoon of the seeds and grind it into a fine paste. Try taking it along with a cup of horse gram or “kulthi” to help dissolve the gravel in the kidneys. Get 2 table spoons of horse gram for the cup of soup.
  5. Grapes. One yummy and effective kidney stones natural remedies. Since grapes have a natural diuretic effect becacuse of high contents of water and potassium salt. This fruit could help stimulate the kidney function to flush it out.
  6. Celery. This vegetable is taken to prevent future stone formation in both the kidneys and gallbladder.
  7. Watermelon. An excellent kidney stones natural remedy out there. Watermelons contain the highest concentration of water among all the other fruits. It also contains potassium salts.
    Blumea balsamifera for kidney stones
    By Francisco Manuel Blanco (O.S.A.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
  8. Sambong or Blumea Balsamifera. This herbal plant is popular in Philippines, Africa, India because it is used to dissolve kidney stones and hypertension. This plant is known to be a diuretic which tends to increase rate or urination. You can try and boil sambong leaves in water and it could be taken as a hot or cold drink. Try drinking a warm cup of water with sambong leaves 3x a day. In some countries, sambong tablets are also available.
  9. Increase intake of water. Drinking liberal amounts of water daily to flush out those kidney stones, 3-4 liters a day. This is the most effective natural remedy for UTI.
  10. Increase intake of citrate-rich fluids. Increase fluids rich in citrate such as lemonade and orange juice so urine output will be increased to 2 liters per day.

How to prevent future kidney stones? 

  1. Maintain drinking plenty of fluids all throughout the day, at least 8 glasses of water daily is the best remedy.
  2. Increase the intake of citrate-rich foods such as orange juice and lemonade so that urine output could increase
  3. Eat less meat because animal proteins may increase the incidence of kidney stones. Limit your diet to 4 ounces of meat per serving.
  4. Limit intake of carbonated drinks including grapefruit juice. Studies have shown an increased rate in formation of kidney stones.
  5. Increase dietary intake of potassium and magnesium because they lower the incidence of developing kidney stones.
  6. Limit the intake of sodium and calcium. But make sure to maintain a daily intake of calcium at least 1,000-1,200 mg and sodium less than 2,300 mg daily.
  7. Maintain a balanced diet all throughout your life. (Talk to your nutritionist about the proper diet plan for prevention of kidney stones)
  8. Avoid these foods: strawberry, pomelo, chocolates, coffee, sweetened teas, nuts
  9. Limit sodium intake (Foods with high levels of sodium: fast food, processed frozen foods, canned goods and instant noodles)
  10. Drink fresh buko juice or coconut water has been proven very effective for cleansing the kidney.

    Coconut water for kidney health
    By Benjaminong at en.wikipedia CC-BY-SA-2.5, from Wikimedia Commons
  11. Take vitamin C but don’t take more than 1,000 mg per day.
  12. Limit oxalate intake: strawberry, dark chocolate, brewed tea, spinach, nuts, wheat bran and rhubarb.
  13. *Most importantly, talk to your healthcare professional about taking supplements such as pyridoxine and magnesium to reduce oxalate (a mineral salt found in kidney stones).

The mentioned natural treatments above are the top treatments that could be done at home to prevent and remove further stone formation in the urinary tract. With the proper advice from your healthcare professional, try out these kidney stones natural remedies for faster relief from this medical condition.

You can now discover ways to dissolve your kidney stones without having to go through the hassle of expensive pills, crazy exercises, possible surgeries and also no to electronic gadgets that may harm you more. Learn about the correct and safest methods to remove those stones from your kidneys and be pain free. Click on the link below and invest in a very helpful piece of vital information you can have at hand.

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