Kidney Stones

Kidney stone pain is so excruciating that women say it's worse than childbirth. In fact, it sends some 325,000 people to the hospital every year, thinking that they're at death's door.

But kidney stones are rarely life-threatening. In fact, they are a little disappointing when you get a glimpse of them. Many are so tiny that they're barely visible to the naked eye.

It's not entirely clear how kidney stones develop. But most scientists agree that the main culprit is oversaturated urine.

Consider this analogy: If you Onlineremedies a little salt into water, the salt dissolves with no difficulty. But if you keep adding salt, the water eventually becomes saturated-that is, it can't hold any more salt. If you continue adding salt to the already saturated water, the salt remains in solid form. It just can't dissolve, so it becomes crystallized. Kidney stones form by a similar process.

Your kidneys extract a waste product called urea from your blood and combine it with water to make urine. But if the urea content of your urine becomes too high, certain compounds in your urine can solidify into stones.

The vast majority of kidney stones, about 82 percent, form from calcium-usually calcium oxalate but sometimes calcium phosphate. Another 10 percent of stones are made from magnesium ammonium phosphate, also known as struvite. Seven percent of stones consist of uric acid, while 1 percent of stones contain the amino acid cystine. This chapter focuses on calcium stones because they are the most common.

You've probably passed kidney stones before without even knowing it. Most stones are so tiny that they navigate your kidneys with ease, then travel down the ureters­the tubes that connect your kidneys to your bladder-without a hitch. You never see them, and you certainly never feel them.

But a larger stone can get stuck in your kidneys and cause severe pain-renal colic, as doctors call it. The pain usually strikes at waist level on either side of your spine, which is where your kidneys sit. It typically comes and goes in waves, though it may be more constant. You may also feel nauseated.

As the stone slowly inches its way out of your kidney and down the ureter to your bladder, the pain moves from your back to your front and eventually into your groin. It finally goes away once the stone enters your bladder.

The whole process of passing the stone lasts anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours. Afterward, as urine carries the stone out of your body, you may feel some pain or burning on urination. You may also notice a small amount of blood in your urine, which should clear up within a day or two after you pass the stone.

Only the most stubborn stones require surgical removal. The vast majority vacate the premises on their own. You can take steps to hasten their departure and to discourage them from coming back. Here's what the experts recommend.

Best Choices

Nutrition

Make your stone swim. When you have a kidney stone, drink lots of water-at least one 10-0unce glass every hour. This may be difficult if you feel nauseated, but drink as much as you can. The fluid helps flush the stone out of your system.

Drink a toast to prevention. Some beverages do a better job of preventing stones than others, presumably because they keep stone-forming minerals dissolved in urine. The most protective drink is wine: Eight ounces a day reduces stone risk by 59 percent. By comparison, coffee cut risk by 10 percent; tea, by 8 percent; and water, by just 2 percent.

Of course, if you don't drink, don't start for the sake of preventing kidney stones. But if you do drink, know that one glass of wine a day may be enough to stop stones from forming.

Pour a glass of "lemon-aid." Citric acid, a compound found in lemons, also helps prevent stone formation, says Alan Gaby, M.D. "Some people fmd that drinking lots of lemonade helps keep stones from recurring," he notes.

Ax the oxalate. Most kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate. An enormous number of foods contain oxalate, but fortunately, only a small number appear to raise urinary oxalate levels enough to contribute to stone formation. If you've ever had a kidney stone, or if you're at risk, naturopathic doctors Silena Heron, N.D., and Eric Yarnell, N.D., of Sedona, Arizona, advise you to avoid spinach, beet greens, rhubarb, grapefruit, strawberries, wheat bran, nuts, and chocolate.

Ironically, coffee and tea are also high in oxalate. But as researchers found, these beverages actually discourage stone formation. There's a simple explanation, the researchers say: Very little of the oxalate in coffee and tea gets absorbed, so even less ends up in the kidneys.

Consume more calcium. Because most kidney stones are calcium oxalate, you may think that reducing your intake of the mineral would help prevent stone formation. In fact, studies have shown that in people on low-calcium diets, the concentration of oxalate in urine increases substantially. It seems that calcium helps keep oxalate dissolved in urine. So if you reduce your calcium intake, the oxalate in your body is more likely to trigger stones.

To increase your calcium intake, eat more leafy greens, broccoli, and tofu and other soy foods. Don't rely on dairy products, though. Because they're high in protein, they can actually raise your risk of kidney stones. And if you're taking a calcium supplement, save it to take with lunch or dinner.

Supplements

Reap big benefits from potassium and magnesium. At the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, California, Bruce Ettinger, M.D., gave 64 people with recurrent kidney stones either a supplement containing potassium and magnesium citrate or a placebo (a fake pill). After 3 years, the supplement takers had 85 percent fewer recurrences than the placebo takers.

For her patients, clinical nutritionist Shari lieberman, Ph.D., prescribes 200 milligrams of potassium and 500 milligrams of magnesium every day. Because of potential serious risks associated with potassium, take supplements only under your doctor's care.

Make a beeline for B6. In a study conducted in India, people with recurrent calcium oxalate stones took 10 milligrams of vitamin B6 every day. After 3 months, their urinary oxalate levels declined significantly, reducing their risk of future stone formation. If you want to try B6, Joseph Pizzomo Jr., N.D., recommends taking 25 milligrams a day.

Herbal Medicine

Go for the goldenrod. In Europe, goldenrod is widely used to treat and prevent kidney stones, according to Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., Sc.D., distinguished professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural pharmacy) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The herb works so well that it has received the endorsement of Commission E, the German expert panel that evaluates the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines.

To treat kidney stones, Dr. Tyler recommends adding 2 teaspoons of the dried above-ground parts of the herb to 1 1/2 pint of water. Bring the water to a boil, then let it stand for 2 minutes before straining out the plant material. Drink up to two cupfuls of tea a day.

Sample other healing herbs. Naturopaths sometimes prescribe the herb saw palmetto as a treatment for kidney stones. It is believed to help relax the ureter, allowing stones to pass more easily. See your naturopath about dosage information.

Over-The-Counter Drugs

Put out your pain. Anyone of the popular over-the-counter pain relievers-aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen-can help ease your discomfort until your stone passes.

Other Good Choices

Chinese Medicine

Try Chinese herbs. To help kidney stones pass, Efrem Korngold, O.M.D., L.Ac., prescribes a number of herbs, including licorice root, astragalus root, peony root, rehmannia root, and lonicera flowers. To help stones dissolve, he prescribes the herbs lysimachia, ligodium, andrographis, and pseudoginseng, along with powdered amber.

Take a poke at pain. At Yang-Ming Medical College in Taiwan, some people with kidney stones were given pain relievers, while others received acupuncture. Both treatments worked equally well in relieving pain, but acupuncture produced fewer side effects.

If you want to use acupressure instead, apply steady, penetrating finger pressure at each of the following points for 3 minutes during a kidney stone attack.

• Gallbladder 25, located on the outer tip of your lowest rib, on the same side as your stone
• Spleen 6, located four finger-widths above your inner anklebone on the back inner border of your shinbone
• Bladder 60, located on the outside of your leg, in the hollow between your anklebone and Achilles tendon

Ayurvedic Medicine

Let your dosha determine your treatment. An Ayurvedic physician creates a prescription that's tailored to your individual dosha, or constitutional type. Generally, treatment involves eating certain foods (squash, cilantro, honey, cucumber, grapes, watermelon, rice, and coconut milk) while avoiding others (beans, milk, spinach, tomatoes, eggplant, and onions). It also features Ayurvedic herbs and a type of massage known as panchakarma.

Naturopathy

Treat stones with heat. Naturopaths recommend soaking in tolerably hot baths or applying hot compresses to the painful area until your stone passes. The warmth is relaxing, and it helps lessen the anxiety brought on by a kidney stone.

Madical Measures

Once your pain subsides, try urinating into a strainer so that you can catch your stone. Then take it to your doctor for analysis. If your pain is due to kidney stones, chances are that a calcium oxalate stone is to blame. But if it's another type of stone, you may need additional professional treatment. Your doctor should also check you for kidney obstructions and urinary tract infections.

If your stone seems to be stuck-that is, if your pain doesn't steadily move south toward your bladder-don't hesitate to head for the nearest hospital emergency room. Assuming your pain is due to kidney stones, emergency treatment usually involves fluids and powerful pain relievers. The doctor will likely wait a while to see if the stone passes on its own. About 85 percent eventually do. The rest must be surgically removed to prevent kidney damage.

These days, invasive surgery has largely given way to lithotripsy, which involves pulverizing kidney stones into powder using ultrasound shock waves.

Red Flags

If your kidney stone attack is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, consult your doctor without delay.

• Intense back or abdominal pain that doesn't improve after 1 hour
• Bleeding on urination
• Vomiting
• Fever and chills