Kidney stones can be as small as grains of sand or even larger than a pearl. Their formation is the result of an excess of minerals and other deposits in the kidneys. Stones can get stuck in the ureters, bladder, or urethra, passing through them in a notoriously painful way, especially when they block the flow of urine. In many cases the doctor will be able to send the patient home with the advice to consume an extra amount of fluids until the stones are expelled. Larger stones can be pulverized using medical technology, which breaks them into small pieces so that the body system is able to expel them on its own. Read this guide to learn how to dissolve kidney stones.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Treating Stones with Medical Procedures
Step 1. Seek medical help
If you are having a hard time expelling even the smallest stones on your own, your doctor will be able to prescribe a type of drug called an alpha blocker, which relaxes the muscles in the ureter to facilitate easier stone expulsion. For smaller kidney stones this should be a sufficient solution, but for larger ones additional help may be needed.
If you have uric acid kidney stones, a potassium citrate cycle may be helpful in getting them to dissolve on their own
Step 2. Use extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL)
This procedure uses sound waves to break up large stones, making them easier to expel. As this could be a painful procedure, patients usually undergo anesthesia; the pulverization process of the stones will last about 30-45 minutes. While it is an effective treatment, it can cause bruising and pain when the small pieces of stones are finally expelled.
Step 3. Find out if the stone can be removed with a ureteroscopy
Stones that are too large to break with shock wave therapy, but too small to require surgery, can be removed with an instrument that is inserted into the ureter. After locating the kidney stone, it is broken down using small tools. Because the procedure may be painful, local or general anesthesia is usually required.
Step 4. Use the percutaneous nephrolithotomy technique
For larger kidney stones, which cannot be broken into small pieces using shock waves, surgery may be required. A small incision made in the patient's back will allow the insertion of a tiny instrument to remove the stone (or stones). The surgery will require the patient to stay in the hospital for one night.
Step 5. Find out if thyroid care is needed
In some cases, calcium stones can be caused by hyperparathyroidism, a dysfunction that occurs when the thyroid glands produce too much parathyroid hormone. This can happen when a small tumor grows on a thyroid gland, or when a different disease causes the thyroid to overproduce parathyroid hormone. After determining the cause of hyperparathyroidism, your doctor will recommend the correct treatment needed to resolve the problem.
Method 2 of 3: Treating Stones with Homemade Methods
Step 1. Drink several glasses of water (250ml each) every day
Whatever the type of your stones, if they are less than 5 mm they will normally be expelled independently, without the need for medical intervention. If you feel the stone but the pain is not severe enough to require medication, your doctor will likely recommend that you drink 2-3 liters of water a day until it is expelled. drain the stone out of the body.
- Make it a goal to drink enough water to produce clear urine. Clear urine indicates that your body is very well hydrated.
- Beverages that are free of caffeine, sugar, and alcohol, such as fruit juices, green tea, and ginger ale, help you stay hydrated. Instead, avoid sodas that contain caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sugar, or alcohol while you're trying to clear the stone.
Step 2. Try to reduce the calculation by changing your diet
Because stones are caused by the accumulation of certain minerals, reducing your intake of those foods that contain them will help shrink them. This is especially effective if your stones are calcium or uric acid.
- If your calculations are calcium, reduce your intake of the following foods, as they may make the situation worse: salty foods, dairy products, oysters, tofu, and fatty foods. In case your stones are oxalate, you should avoid rhubarb, grapes, spinach, sweet potatoes, coffee and chocolate.
- If you have uric acid stones, reduce the following foods that contain it: animal organs such as liver and kidneys, anchovies, sardines, beans, mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower, brewer's yeast, and alcohol.
Step 3. Drink lemon-based sodas every day
It doesn't matter if you drink lemonade, lemon juice or simply water with a few slices of lemon: in any case, the acid contained in the drink will help the kidney stones dissolve.
Step 4. Try herbal remedies
Although none of these natural cures are scientifically proven remedies for removing kidney stones, many have found that taking certain herbs, especially in the form of herbal teas, can help reduce stones, and consequently expel them. To cure an average kidney stone, you can try taking the following herbs:
- Herbal tea made from birch leaves, known for promoting the removal of waste from the urinary system.
- Black tea which, being a diuretic, increases urine flow.
- Nettle leaves, also diuretic, can help the stones flow out of the body.
- Dandelion root is said to be an effective kidney tonic.
- Apple cider vinegar is said to help dissolve stones. You can take 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar daily, or mix it with water.
- Avoid using shamrock, which can cause calcium oxalate stones to worsen.
Method 3 of 3: Deciding Which Treatment Is Best
Step 1. Determine if you really have a kidney stone
Although kidney stones do not produce symptoms in all patients, even the smallest stone can cause considerable pain. If you have had kidney stones in your life before, you may be reasonably sure that they have returned. However, since the symptoms of kidney stones are the same as in many other conditions, it is always a good idea to receive a diagnosis that will allow you to treat them correctly. Here are the most common symptoms caused by kidney stones:
- Severe pain in the flank and lower back, often extending to the abdomen and groin.
- Pain that comes and goes in waves, and that is present when urinating.
- Foul-smelling, cloudy, pink or brown urine.
- Nausea and vomit.
Step 2. See your doctor to use imaging technology for an exam
Noticing the symptoms of a kidney stone, an X-ray, CT scan, or ultrasound (depending on what your doctor recommends) may be the best way to decide if and how to treat it. Imaging technology can reveal the size, shape, and number of stones your body is facing.
- If your stone is less than 5mm your doctor will probably recommend that you treat it with home methods to help it pass.
- If you have a larger stone, or if they are numerous, you will be prescribed a drug or recommended a different medical treatment to pulverize it to allow it to pass and expel.
Step 3. Find out what type your kidney stone is
Different kidney stones produce the same symptoms, but they can be caused by many different conditions. Knowing what causes your kidney stones to form will help you reduce their size and prevent them from forming in the future. Your doctor may take a blood or urine test to find out what type. After ejecting a stone, he may also decide to send it to an analytical laboratory to determine its composition. Let's see a list of different types of kidney stones:
- Calcium calculations: it is the most common type of stones, caused by a high level of calcium combined with another substance, such as oxalate or uric acid.
- Uric acid stones: they are formed when the urine contains too much acid.
- Struvite stones: can form as a result of a urinary tract infection.
- Stones of cystine: this type of stone is caused by a rare genetic pathology.
Advice
- Drink plenty of water every day to help expel kidney stones. After that, don't forget to keep hydrating properly every day to prevent new ones from forming.
- In the long run, be cautious with your cranberry juice intake. In the short term it is useful to favor the expulsion of a stone or in the treatment of acute bacterial cystitis, but it has been shown that, being rich in oxalic acid, over time it can be the cause of the formation of stones.
- Reduce the risk of other stones by drinking green or black tea daily. Research has shown that both reduce the chances of developing kidney stones.
