Kidney stones or renal calculi are a solid crystalline mineral deposits that develops in the kidney or urinary tract. It is also known as nephrolithiasis or urolithaisis. Kidney stone are the most painful and prevalent urological disorder of the urinary system.
During last few years the prevelance of kidney stones has drastically increased all over the world.
In India 12% of the people is estimated to have urinary stones and out of which 50 % of people may end up with loss of kidney or some kind of renal damage. In northern part of India the prevalance of this problem is more compared to other part of country.
About 3- 20% of the overall population of the world has tendency to form one kidney stone during the life time of 70 years.
What Causes Kidney stones
Kidney stones are formed with the collection of minerals commonly detected in urine. They have variety of causes and it is not always possible to pinpoint a cause in every individual. Kidney stone formation may be due to food habits, age, gender, genetics and climate.
Others than this
Being overweight
lack of physical activities
Not drinking adequate amount of water
Repeated urinary tract infections.
Excessive consumption of nutritional supplements.
Too much consumption of aerated beverages.
Drugs like aspirin ,some antibiotics and anti epileptic medicine may also cause Kidney stones.
Family history of Kidney stone also increases the risk og developing them.
Types of Kidney stones
These stones manifest in various types such as calcium stone ( associated with calcium oxalate or calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate), struvite stones ( linked to urinary tract infections), uric acid stones ( formed in acidic urine, often found in individuals with conditions like gout or high purine and cystine stone ( rare and caused by a genetic disorder leading to excessive cystine excretion).
95.20 % Oxalate component
71.40 % Phosphate component
52.30% Uric acid component
14.30 % carbonate component
According to the site of stone these renal calculi are of four types
38% times the stones are formed in the kidneys. These stones are known as Renal Calculi
44 % times the stones are found in ureter of the person and are called Ureteric calculi.
8 % of the times it is found in bilateral kidney.
10% of the times it is found in the seminal vesicle and are known as Vesicle calculi.
Symptoms of Kidney stone
Some kidney stones are very small and does not produce any symptoms . However Kidney stone starts to hurt when it causes obstruction. Also the severity of symptoms depend on the size of stone. The larger the stone , the more noticeable are the symptoms .
The symptoms could be one or more of the following:
- severe pain on either side of your lower back
- more vague pain or stomach ache that doesn’t go away
- blood in the urine
- nausea or vomiting
- fever and chills
- urine that smells bad or looks cloudy
Precautions
Drinking enough fluid will help keep your urine less concentrated with waste products. Darker urine is more concentrated, so your urine should appear very light yellow to clear if you are well hydrated. Most of the fluid you drink should be water. Amount of water you should drink depends upon the nature of your work. If you are working more outside then you should drink more water.
Include more fruits and vegetables in your diet, this makes the blood alkaline which helps in lowering the acidic content in urine and prevents stone formation.
You can reduce excess salt ,spices , tea and coffee in your diet. More salt and spices makes the urine more acidic and there are more chances of stone formation . The food that contains high salt and spices are pickles, papad, packaged foods, processed foods, caned soups and sports drink.
If you are overweight then to try to get to a normal weight. A proper balanced diet and regular exercise helps in weight reduction. Don’t just go for a high protein diet as it may harm your kidneys.
The biggest mistake most of us make is that we hold the natural urge to urinate. Holding the urge to pass urine is responsible to for repeated urinary tract infections which may lead to kidney stones formation.
Some herbs such as Punarnava, Gokshur, Triphala are as helpful in preventing stones. However always consult an Ayurvedic physician before starting these herbal remedies.
Treatments
With the advanced technology there are many options of treatment for kidney stones. However Ayurvedic treatment are very good solution to the problem of Kidney stones. These treatments are very easy and safe as it does not require surgery. Ayurvedic treatments helps in passage of stone through the urine.
But if the size of stone is too large and is blocking the flow of urine then one must go for other options like shock wave lithotripsy a noninvasive procedure that uses high-energy sound waves to blast the stones into fragments that are more easily passed out in the urine.
Also if the stone too big then surgical removal is the last option.
Conclusion
With increase in the number of people having Kidney stones precautions must be taken by incorporating the diet and lifestyle changes. Drinking more fluids, avoiding certain foods in diet and exercising daily will help in preventing the formation of stone. However if stone if formed and detected early then ayurvedic treatment for kidney stones are best choice. It the size is too big then other options are also avaialable.
This Article is written by Dr. Ashutosh Tiwari B.A.M.S, PGDCR Director of Risha’s Health And Ayurvedaa Solutions.He is having more than 20 years of experience in field of Ayurvedic medicine.