The kidneys have the task of filtering all the fluids of the body and eliminating the waste produced by the metabolism that circulates in the blood and lymphatic fluids. Kidney stones form when minerals and uric acid crystallize and build up in the urinary tract. To expel them, the organism takes from a few days to a few weeks, depending on their size. Some, in fact, can reach dimensions such as to prevent their natural release and, in these cases, require medical intervention. If you suffer from kidney stones, you can resort to some solutions that will allow you to get rid of them safely.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Treating Kidney Stones
Step 1. Drink lots of water
What you can do to help expel kidney stones is to drink plenty of water. The effectiveness of this method has not been proven, but other benefits can be gained by increasing your fluid intake. Try to consume more water than you usually ingest on a daily basis, even if you are used to taking it in the right quantities. The recommended amount for kidney stones is 2-2.8 liters per day. Keep it handy at all times and drink it continuously. The more you consume, the more your urine will be diluted.
- This method can help you dissolve the salts that make up kidney stones and, consequently, expel them;
- It can also help you prevent the risk of a urinary tract infection, which gets higher when kidney stones form.
- Be careful not to drink too much water at one time.
Step 2. Use pain relievers
The most common symptom of kidney stones is pain. To relieve this, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or acetaminophen in small doses. NSAIDs include naproxen (Momendol), ibuprofen (Moment, Brufen) and aspirin. These active substances cause fewer adverse reactions than opioid pain relievers, so consider them before asking your doctor for a pain reliever.
- Always follow the dosage and instructions for taking. The standard dosage for ibuprofen is 400 to 800 mg every six hours; for paracetamol it is equivalent to 1000 mg every six hours; for naproxen it ranges from 220 to 440 mg every 12 hours. Choose one of these medications as needed if the pain is moderate or severe.
- Keep in mind that two NSAIDs should never be taken at the same time as they can impair kidney function.
- Your doctor may also prescribe a stronger pain reliever, such as opioids, or an antispasmodic, such as tamsulosin (Flomax), alfuzosin, nifedipine, doxazosin, and terazosin.
Step 3. Take the medications prescribed by your doctor
In some cases, the doctor may prescribe a diuretic to help the body break down the crystallized deposits that form in the urine and thus expel the kidney stones faster. Often, this phenomenon occurs when the composition of kidney stones is calcium based. In these cases, a thiazide diuretic can help reduce the calcium levels in the urine. In addition, as a long-term therapy to reduce the formation of calcium oxalate stones, it may be useful to increase the magnesium values in the body.
- Your doctor may also prescribe potassium citrate for you. It binds to calcium to prevent it from being excreted in the urine. In this way, it is possible to prevent an excessive accumulation of calcium in the kidneys and, therefore, the development of calcium stones.
- Your doctor may also prescribe an alpha blocker to help you relax the muscles in your urinary tract and make it easier and less painful to expel them.
- If the kidney stone is caused by an infection, you will likely need to take an antibiotic as well.
Step 4. See a urologist to treat larger stones
In some cases, the kidney stone may be too large to decompose naturally or it may obstruct the urinary tract. Therefore, the attending physician will advise you to see a urologist, who will likely resort to one of the following methods to break it:
- Shock wave lithotripsy: the urologist will use a special device that sends shock waves such as to shatter the stone and allow it to be expelled through the urine. This is not a surgical procedure, and is the most common treatment.
- Percutaneous nephrolithotomyThe urologist will make an incision on the back and use a fiber optic camera to locate the stone and remove it. This is an operation performed under general anesthesia and, therefore, it is necessary to be hospitalized for a few days.
- Ureteroscopy: the urologist will use a small camera, introducing it through the urethra. Once he finds the stone, he'll use a laser to break it down.
- Ureteral stent: The stent is a small hollow tube that can be used to allow urine to drain in case of large stones or to aid healing after surgery. It is temporarily inserted into the ureter. If left on for too long, there is a risk of stones forming on the stent.
Step 5. Learn about the cause of the kidney stone
Once the stone has broken down, your doctor may ask you to urinate through a filter to collect the debris. Once recovered, you can give them to the doctor to determine the cause that led to the formation of the kidney stone.
- After the stone is expelled, the doctor may decide to measure urine output over a 24-hour period. This way he will see how much urine you produce in a day. The risk of developing stones is higher if your body doesn't produce enough of them.
- If your doctor detects that the stones are composed of calcium oxalates, they will suggest dietary changes to prevent new ones from forming. You will need to reduce your sodium intake, but also your consumption of animal protein, and make sure you have adequate calcium. Additionally, you will need to be careful not to eat oxalate-rich foods, including spinach, rhubarb, nuts, and wheat bran.
- If the stones are composed of calcium phosphate, you will need to reduce your consumption of sodium and animal proteins. At the same time, you will need to eat foods rich in calcium.
- To prevent uric acid stones, it will be sufficient to reduce the intake of proteins of animal origin.
- Struvite stones can form in case of infections, for example of the urinary tract.
- Cystine stones are caused by a genetic disease, called cystinuria, characterized by abnormal transport in the kidneys of certain amino acids, including cystine. If you have cystinuria, you need to increase your fluid intake to prevent stone formation.
Part 2 of 3: Natural Remedies
Step 1. See your doctor
If you want to use plant-based products to fight kidney stones, talk to your doctor first. Some herbal remedies can interact with certain medications or aggravate other conditions. Let your doctor know what you intend to take so that they can rule out any risks.
Very few home or herbal remedies are verified by scientific studies. Most of the findings are anecdotal or based on personal experiences
Step 2. Check the label of each product you are considering
Make sure that any plant-based remedy you intend to use is on the list drawn up by the Ministry of Health: it includes plants of traditional use that can be treated by herbalists, as they are considered safe and reliable. In this way you will be sure that the use of substances and preparations inside the supplements is actually destined to produce the desired physiological effects.
Consult the "Discipline of the use of vegetable substances and preparations in food supplements" on the website of the Ministry of Health
Step 3. Make celery juice
Celery juice and seeds have antispasmodic, diuretic and pain relieving properties. In other words, they can help relieve pain, but also dissolve kidney stones.
- Use a juicer or blender to prepare it. Drink three to four glasses a day;
- You can also add celery seeds to some recipes to help break down stones.
Step 4. Use phyllanthus niruri
It is a plant that has been used in Brazil for years in the treatment of kidney stones and associated pain. There is no specific dosage, so follow the instructions on the package insert.
It is also seen in the form of a dietary supplement and you can find it in health food stores
Step 5. Try white willow bark
It is an extract that helps reduce inflammation and pain in a similar way to aspirin, but without the same side effects.
- You can take it as a drink by mixing 10-20 drops of liquid willow bark in a glass of water. Drink it 4-5 times a day;
- You can also buy it in 200mg capsules and take it 4 times a day.
Step 6. Use the devil's claw
It is used for the treatment of kidney problems, including stones, due to its pain-relieving properties. This natural remedy is commercially available in the form of 300 mg tablets. Always follow the instructions contained in the package.
There is no clinical evidence to support the effectiveness of this natural product, but it is quite a popular remedy
Step 7. Make a lemon and vinegar mixture
You can make a mixture of lemon and apple cider vinegar to help expel kidney stones. Combine 15ml of lemon juice, 350ml of water and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
Drink it every hour for pain relief
Part 3 of 3: Learn About Kidney Stones
Step 1. Learn to recognize the pain caused by kidney stones
Typically, kidney stones are very small and form without causing any symptoms. Symptoms begin when they become large enough to obstruct the kidneys or ureter (the tube that allows urine to pass from the kidneys to the bladder), or if an infection has developed. The main symptomatology is pain, which is usually:
- Severe, but usually intermittent;
- Lancinating or stabbing;
- Located in the back, usually along the hips, lower abdomen or groin. The painful site depends on where the stone formed in the urinary tract.
Step 2. Look out for more severe symptoms
Although pain is the most common and frequent symptom, there is a whole set of symptoms that can occur in the case of kidney stones. It depends on the size of the stone and the effects it has on the patient. If you have any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor immediately:
- Nausea;
- He retched;
- Sweating;
- Blood, cloudy, or foul-smelling urine
- Fever;
- Pain when urinating
- Severe pain in the back or lower abdomen that is hard to go away.
Step 3. Know the risks
Kidney stones are a very common medical condition that can affect anyone at any time. It affects about 5% of the population at least once in a lifetime, although estimates are growing. The risk is highest among white males between the ages of 40 and 70 and among white women between the ages of 50 and 70.
- Despite risk estimates, the number of kidney stone cases in young adults has doubled in the past 25 years. Although the causes are still unclear, scholars believe this condition is associated with obesity, weight problems or increased consumption of soft drinks.
- Other risk factors include the incidence of this condition within the family, nutrition, certain medication intake, daily consumption of more than 2 g of vitamin C, clinical history of kidney disease and genetics. White males are three times more likely to develop kidney stones than African Americans.
Step 4. Get diagnosed with kidney stones
When you go to the doctor, he will ask you how the symptoms appeared, check for them and prescribe urinalysis. The sample will be subjected to a laboratory test that will detect the values of minerals and other substances present in the urine. Before proceeding with the treatment, the doctor will have to confirm that you suffer from kidney stones and, therefore, rule out other diagnostic hypotheses.
