Kidney Stones - Reasons and Management

‘Beware of the people who can endure the pain of kidney stone. They can survive anything.’ That sounds funny but is actually not. The pain due to renal stones or kidney stones can be really excruciating.

The bean-shaped organs or the kidneys have been designed to remove waste fluid from your blood. Urine is formed in the kidneys through a filtration of blood. When there is too much of specific wastes and not enough fluid in your blood that can be excreted, these wastes can build up and stick together in your kidneys and these clumps of waste can form kidney stones.

The kidney stone disease is also known as Urolithiasis.  At some point in their lifetimes, 1% to 15% of people in the world are affected by kidney stones in their lives. The factors responsible for formation of kidney stones include:

• The genes that make you!
  40% of people who have kidney stones have a positive family history for kidney stones. People with the genetic trait promoting formation of kidney stones start developing kidney stones at an early age only. The hereditary causes of kidney stones include hypercalciuria i.e. presence of excessive amount of calcium in urine, hypociraturia or presence of too little citrate in urine, primary hyperoxaluria or presence of too much oxalate in urine. Cystinuria or a rare inherited disease causes the kidneys to excrete too much of Cystine in urine. When this concentration of Cystine increases, Cystine stones develop.
   
• Obesity is notorious, so are kidney stones!
  Being overly overweight almost doubles the chances of kidney stones. This is because obesity is associated with insulin resistance which results in compensatory hyperinsulinemia and metabolic derangements that in turn can cause formation of kidney stones.
   
• Can I know your menu, please!
  What are you fond of? Chocolates, colas, nuts! All of these in high amounts can contribute to kidney stones. Nuts are rich in oxalates and colas are rich in phosphates. The other foods when eaten in high amounts and causing kidney stones include beets, spinach, rhubarb, and milk tea. If you are suffering from kidney stones, you must have already got the instructions to limit these foods.
   
• Na/ No to excessive ‘Na’ (sodium)!
  Intake of high sodium diet can trigger kidney stones because it increases the amount of calcium in your diet. People who are prone to kidney stones with past or family history of kidney stones should limit their intake of sodium.
   
• Pardon, where did you get your calcium from!
  Taking your calcium from artificial calcium and not from plant-based calcium makes you prone to kidney stones. The artificial calcium is not digested and absorbed by your digestive tract and is more likely to form clumps in kidneys which further result in formation of kidney stones unlike plant-based calcium. Plant-based calcium can be obtained from Bonboost Tablets.
   
• How could you think of avoiding water!
  Dehydration from low fluid intake is a major reason for stone formation. When kidneys get less fluid, the stone formation can occur due to concentration of unwanted waste.
   
• Crohn’s disease can cause kidney stones!
  Since Crohn’s disease is associated with hyperoxaluria and malabsorption of magnesium, it can result in formation of kidney stones.
   
• Are the sugars and animal proteins too high in diet!
  Eating too much of animal protein can boost the level of uric acid and can lead to kidney stones.  Animal protein is mostly taken from foods such as red meat, poultry, eggs, seafood.
  Sugars including honey, refined sugars, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, oxalate, grapefruit juice and apple juice also increase the risk of formation of kidney stones. 

The hallmark of a stone that obstructs ureter or renal pelvis is excruciating pain that radiates from the flank to groin or to the inner thigh. However, some stones may not move at all and may remain silent for a long time. The pain of kidney stones or renal colic is accompanied with urinary urgency, restlessness, blood in urine, sweating, nausea, and vomiting. When stones are smaller than 5mm, they have 90% chances of passing without further intervention.  Stones larger than that require help to be broken and to pass out. Even smaller stones may require help of herbs. Herbs can also prevent recurrence of kidney stones and can flush them out with your urine. Consumption of specific herbs with lots of water makes you avoid surgery which is painful and expensive. People who have a family history of kidney stones should take these herbs regularly to avoid the formation of stones and keep their kidney health in shape.

Herbs from the treasure of Ayurveda are there in Nephrogold Tablets and Daily Detox Tea that help in maintaining kidney functions, breaking and expelling kidney stones and reducing their recurrence.

• Nephrogold Tablets:
  Apart from curcumin, more than 15 herbs such a punarnava, gokhru, Varuna are there in these tablets. They promote healthy urinary flow, rejuvenate kidneys, maintain volume of body fluids and hence help in regulating blood pressure. These herbs are also effective in flushing waste and lowering accumulation of waste that can lead to formation of kidney stones. Urinary infections can also be controlled with Nephrogold tablets. Please consume 4-5 litres of water with these tablets daily to flush out the stones quickly.
• Daily Detox Tea:
  Wow, if a tasty herbal curcumin tea can flush and prevent kidney stones, why not sip it daily.  With the essential herbs like lemon fruit and Ashwagandha in it making for a tasty blend; let your kidneys relax with this concoction!

Stop wasting time! Make life difficult for the stones inside your kidney. Crush them with herbs!