Women's Health

Flush Kidney Stones Away!

Kidney stones are caused by the formation of crystal like substances inside your kidney. When those crystal substances come together and grow, they form stones 

inside your body. These stones can be inside your kidney, or they can try to travel down the tubes which carry urine to your bladder. When these stones are too large to pass through the narrow tubes, severe pain results and sometimes a full blockage will occur as well.

There are four types of kidney stones which can develop, but one of those is caused by a rare hereditary disease. Of the other three though, the most common type of kidney stone seen in 80% of cases, is a calcium based stone.

The cases of kidney stones has increased over the last thirty years, but it's not quite known why. Some speculate that dietary changes play a major role in this increase, while others think it may be due to improvements in the ability to diagnose problems like this. Whatever the reason, there are things you can do to help prevent kidney stones, and sometimes the stones can be dissolved by natural means as well.

The risks of getting kidney stones is thought to be hereditary though. If someone in your family has a history of kidney stones, you're more likely to have the problems too. Anyone who has had kidney stones at least once though, has a greatly increased chance of getting them again. And anyone with a chronic kidney disease is also more at risk for getting recurring kidney stones.

Kidney stones are more common in men than women, and certain medications can make the risks higher. Dehydration however, is one major factor in the development of kidney stones, and that's actually what causes some medications to have this effect on people. If the medication dehydrates you, or you're dehydrated in general from not getting enough fluids each day, then kidney stones can form simply because there's not enough fluid to dilute the substances inside your body which make the stones form.

So the biggest, and completely natural way to prevent kidney stone formation is to simply drink enough water or other fluids. Drinking plenty of water helps keep the calcium deposits from being able to gather together into stones, so they'll be continuously flushed out of your system before problems can arise.

Since most kidney stones are calcium based though, you can help prevent the formation of these types of stones by drinking lemon water. Put a bit of real lemon juice in your tea each morning, or mix it into a glass of water, and drink it when you first get up each day. This small amount of lemon juice will help prevent stones from forming, and it will help dissolve any stones which have already started forming.

In fact, lemon juice is the number one home remedy for dissolving existing kidney stones. Some people mix two ounces of fresh lemon juice with two ounces of virgin olive oil, then drink that down. The pain caused by the kidney stones is usually gone in less than an hour, and the stones dissolve within 12-15 hours after that.

Not everyone can stomach the olive oil though. It makes them very nauseous. Drinking simple lemon juice by itself is usually enough in most cases though, so you can leave out the olive oil if need be.

This remedy usually works with just calcium based stones, and since it dissolves the stones, not everyone will feel the kidney stones pass. Some people feel as if their urine is gritty or sandy though, and this is because the dissolved pieces of the stones are being passed in your urine.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

If you ever experience kidney stone problems try drinking a lot more water. Why? Water will aid the flushing process of the stone from your body. Not only that, if you drink more water in general, you may even prevent the kidney stone problem.

When you don't drink enough water, germs and bacteria are able to linger inside your kidneys and create infections or stones. By drinking extra water though, your body is able to continuously flush those germs and bacteria from your system before they have time to start creating a kidney stone or infection.

Kidney stones are accumulations of waste materials from your body. Usually the stones are created by calcium deposit build up, but sometimes they can be created by too much protein or because you've had chronic urinary infections. These deposits can be kept from forming though, by keeping them diluted with extra water.

You don't have to drink plain water all day, but that is the best natural way to help prevent or treat kidney stone problems. Drink at least a half gallon of plain water each day if at all possible. You can add real lemon juice to the water if you'd like, and this will give you flavor plus it will provide your body with a way to help keep kidney stones from forming, because lemon juice dissolves kidney stones. Lemon juice is also a natural antiseptic, which means it can help prevent bacteria from multiplying into an infection within your kidneys.

You can also drink other types of teas and juices if you'd like, because these are sources of liquid and liquid is the primary thing your body needs to keep your kidneys healthy. Try to avoid drinks with excessive amounts of sugar though, because they create a large variety of additional health problems which will eventually lead to creating kidney problems too.

If you also drink caffeinated tea or coffee each day, you'll need to drink extra water. Caffeine dehydrates your body, and if you're dehydrated you'll be more prone to developing kidney stones.

Since about 80% of kidney stones are made up of calcium oxalate, some people avoid foods high in oxalate as a natural way to avoid chronic kidney stones and infections. Foods high in oxalate include different types of berries such as blueberries and strawberries, instant coffee, chocolate, and dark leafy green vegetables.

It was once believed that avoiding calcium rich foods was also a good idea to help reduce chronic kidney stone problems, but that belief is starting to change. Some research now suggests that calcium rich foods can actually help prevent the development of kidney stones, but excessive amounts of Vitamin D or Calcium taken through supplements might cause problems because standard supplements are not absorbed well by your body.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

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