Introduction:Kidney stones often occur when urine becomes too concentrated. Calcium oxalate, calcium and ammonium phosphate, uric acid, cystine and other substances (such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, lysine, arginine and ornithine) in the urine crystallize to form a hard mineral deposit called a kidney stone.
Causes:Geographical location causes kidney stones. Too little fluid intake, chronic urinary tract infections, misuse of certain medications, urinary tract blockage, limited activity for several weeks; certain genetic and metabolic diseases etc. cause kidney stone. High calcium food may increase the risk.
Symptoms:Blood in the urine, increased frequency of urination, nausea and vomiting, pain during urination, tenderness in the abdomen and kidney region, urinary infection, loss of appetite, blood in the urine, due to minor damage to inside wall of kidney, pus in the urine, burning on urination when passing stones (rare),fever and chills.
Treatment:Surgery is the most common treatment for kidney stones. There are four types of surgeries.They are Extracorporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (ESWL) , Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PNL) , Ureteroscopic Stone Removal , Open (incisional) Surgery. Medications called alpha brockers are used.Examples of alpha blocker medications include tamsulosin (Flomax®), alfuzosin (Uroxatral® ), terazosin (Hytrin®), and doxazosin (Cardura® .Certain pain mediacations prescribed by doctors are: combination of Aleve® , Advil®, or Motrin® plus Tylenol® for milder pain.Oral opiod analgesics, such as acetaminophen/codeine (Tylenol with Codeine® ), propoxyphene HCL (Darvon® ), hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin® ) and oxycodone/acetaminophen (Percocet® ) may be prescribed to minimize moderate pain associated with stones. Injectable medications such as morphine sulfate (Duramorph PF® ), hydromorphone (Dilaudid® ), and ketorolac HCL (Toradol® ) may be administered intravenously (IV) or intramuscularly (by injection) for severe pain.
Prevention:Preventive method include: drinking lots of water,add nutritional food in the diet,avoid late night food,avoid naturally carbonated and mineral waters eat foods that are rich in magnesium such as barley, bran, corn, buckwheat, rye, oats, brown rice, potatoes, and bananas, reduce animal protein in the diet,reduce foods rich in calcium such as milk and cheese,avoid salt, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol,cola beverages,large doses of vitamin C,chocolate and nuts,eat lots of fruits and vegetables and drink orange juice. Medication such as Thiazide, Sodium cellulose phosphate, Oral calcium supplements. Allopurinol, Polycitra K(potassium citrate), Thiola, D-penicil-lamine, Acetohy-droxamic acid (AHA), Toradol etc.prevent kidney stone.
Alternative Treatment:Alternative treatment include:Homeopathy,Naturopathy,Herbal medicine,Hydrotherapy etc. Most commonly used Homeopathic medicines are:Lycopodium,tabacccum,sarsaparilla,cantharis, Berberis vulgaris, Colocynthis,Ocimum, canum,Pennyroyal etc. Naturopathic treatment is another alternative treatment for kidney stones.Herbal medicine include:Bearberry,Cleavers,Corn silk,Crampbark,Gravel root,Kava kava, Khella, Seven barks, Stone root.Hydrotherapy include,castor oil pack,hot pack and hot vinegar pack.
