The 4 types of kidney stones and their common symptoms

Defined as hard and small mineral deposits that develop inside your kidney, kidney stones are made up of acid salts and minerals. The causes of this disease are not well-defined, although risk factors include drinking very little amounts of water and having a diet rich in sodium, protein and oxalate (chocolate and green leafy foods for example). However, knowing the type of kidney stone you suffer from can help ascertain the cause.

Here are the common types of kidney stones.

Struvite stones

This type of kidney stone is usually a response to certain kind of infection, such as a urinary tract infection for example. Characterised by rapid growth and a large size, struvite stones can develop without any warning signs.

Calcium stones

These are the most common type and are caused by a diet rich in oxalate. Risk factors for calcium stones include a diet consisting of plenty of nuts, chocolates and certain fruits and vegetables; metabolic disorders, high doses of vitamin d and intestinal bypass surgery, all of which can increase the amounts of calcium or oxalate in your urine, indicating the development of kidney stones.

Cystine stones

Those individuals with a hereditary disorder that causes their kidneys to produce certain amino acids (cystinuria to be precise) in excess are most likely to get cystine stones.

Uric acid stones

These are common in those whose diets are lacking in water or those who suffer from the excess fluid loss. People with a high protein diet and those who suffer from gout are also at risk. Genetic factors play a major role as well in increasing your risk of getting uric acid stones.

Apart from these, there are other rarer types of kidney stones that can also arise depending on a combination of an individual's lifestyle and genetic make-up.

However, to determine whether you're suffering from any of the aforementioned types of kidney stones, you must first know its common symptoms, which are:

  excruciating pain in your sides, and back, especially below your ribs

  feelings of pain in the groin and the lower parts of your abdomen

  intense and fluctuating pain that comes and goes in waves

  pain while urinating

  urine that is red, brown or pink in colour
  urine that's cloudy or has a foul odour

  vomiting and nausea

  constant urge to urinate

  increased frequency of urination

  urinating in small amounts

  chills and fever in case of an infection

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Related Tip: 20-Year-Old Indians Experiencing Kidney Failure! 4 Killer Reasons.

4 Types of Kidney Stones and Their Common Symptoms

Stones in the urinary system are referred as 'Renal Calculi'. These kidney stones are not exactly stones, but are actually hard deposits of minerals that can form anywhere within the urinary tract - kidney or the bladder. There are many conventional forms of treatment available to eradicate a stone, but Homeopathy medicines offer a much more simpler and efficient way in taking care of the kidney stones. Let us have a look at how effective these are.

Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are known to form when the urine becomes too concentrated. The primary reason for such condition could be dehydration. Kidney stones are extremely painful. Pain can be felt in the lower back or, the lower abdomen. There can be a heaviness in the urinary tract often followed by bleeding. It also changes the color of the urine to a pinkish brown. The patient may also experience nausea and vomiting.

What causes kidney stones?
As stated earlier, lack of water can be a major reason for the formation of stones. The chances of kidney stone reoccurring in a person multiplies several times if a person is not in the habit of drinking water. There are also a few food products that are high in salt that may help in the formation of stones. In conventional medications, there is no foolproof method to dissolve the stone and it often involves surgery. The operation has to be followed by months of post-operative recuperation that can be physically daunting for the patient. Also, there are chances that the stones can reoccur at any point in time. This is where homeopathy differs drastically from the conventional methods.

How does homeopathy help in renal calculi?
The biggest advantage of using homeopathy is that it treats the body as the whole. The physician would understand the patient first before imparting the treatment. The latter s lifestyle, his food habits and his stress factors are discussed in detail to get the complete picture of the type of medications to give. The other biggest advantage of using homeopathy is that there is no surgery involved. They treat the symptoms by naturally dissolving the stones, and the chances of reoccurrence are next to nil. There are several homeopathic medicines for different types of stones. There are even differing types of medicinal products for left side kidney stone, and right side one. A type of medicine - Canthari, is widely used for treating kidney stones with a burning sensation. The homeopathy physician would be in a better position to diagnose once the causes are identified. However, care should be taken that the medicines should be taken only in the prescribed format and as per the guidance of the physician.

Homeopathy is safe
Of all the important functionalities of homeopathy, the biggest is undoubtedly that it does not cause any side effects and are very effective. Since it treats the condition and symptoms from within, the chances of getting a stone in the urinary tracts are minuscule when using homeopathy medicine.

Kidney Stones - How Homeopathy Treatment Can Help You?

The pair of kidneys that human beings have, forms an important part in the excretory system. They perform specific and important functions. They excrete urine as well as help in eliminating the toxins, which accumulate in the body. Kidney stones occur when the minerals present in the urine without being discharged, keep on accumulating. This gives rise to an extremely painful and uncomfortable situation. Though sometimes the situation gets revoked all by itself, many a times it requires medical intervention. 

Some of the symptoms of kidney stones are: 
1.  Excruciating pain in the back
2.  Pain while urinating
3.  Tendencies to vomit
4.  Dizziness
5.  Fever 

However, there are several preventive measures which you can undertake in order to avert the situation. Some of them are:
1.  Drink lots of water
Kidney stone is one of those rare conditions that once occurred, always carry the latent threat of recurring again. Therefore, drinking water in large quantities becomes essential. The more you drink water, the more frequently you would urinate, thereby curbing the chances of the minerals settling in the kidneys.
2.  Avoid certain foods
Food like beets, spinach, those which are replete with calcium oxalate should be avoided in order to minimize chances of having kidney stones.
3.  Change your diet
If you are trying to avoid the eventuality of developing kidney stones, it is imperative that you change your diet a bit. It is recommended that you exclude animal protein as much as possible and assiduously avoid the intake of salt as much as possible.
4.  Take less calcium supplements
Calcium generally is considered a nemesis to your kidneys and is prescribed by doctors to be avoided. However recent research has thwarted this claim. Calcium does not pose a threat to kidneys. However calcium supplements definitely do and therefore, should be avoided.

All About Kidney Stones

Are you suffering from kidney stones and looking for an effective, natural treatment? You should choose homeopathy, as it works well in treating kidney stones. A kidney stone is a hard, crystalline, mineral development in your kidneys or urinary tract. The condition is called nephrolithisis. Kidney stones occur due to a reduction in your urine volume, and because of the presence of excess stone-forming substance in your urine. Homeopathic treatment of kidney stones does not involve any side effects, and various homeopathic medicines are used as a part of the treatment. Some of them are as follows:

Belladonna
This medicine is used when a sharp pain is experienced because of kidney stones.
A patient experiences strains and cramps along the ureter during the passage of calculus.
Fever and irritation are also likely.
Benzoic acid
Benzoic acid is prescribed in case of nephritic colic.
Offensive urinary symptoms are experienced. The urine is usually deep red with strong and foul odor.
The urine may alternatively be thick, and clear.
Argentinum nit
This homeopathic medicine is used for treating kidney stones, which develop because of kidney congestion.
Dull backache and ache in the bladder are experienced, along with dark urine, containing deposits of uric acid and blood.
A patient experiences an increased urge for urination, but a very small amount of urine is passed at once.
A burning sensation while passing urine is indicated along with swelling of the urethra.
Cantharis
This homeopathic medicine is used during the paroxysms of renal colic. Extreme pain and excitement are indicated.
The pain may be cutting in nature, and it shoots in various directions, affecting your limbs and different parts of the body.
There is an increased urge to urinate, and an aversion to fluids is developed by a patient in spite of feeling thirsty.
Berberis
This is another effective homeopathic remedy used for treating kidney stones, when the patient experiences a shooting pain radiating from a certain point and he or she becomes unable to move because of the pain.
Also there is a darting pain experienced in the ureter, extending down to your legs.
There is an indication of the development of little pinheads in the pelvis that starts growing down your bladder.
You must consult a licensed homeopathic practitioner before taking homeopathic medicines for the treatment of kidney stones. A doctor will suggest you the best homeopathic medicines based on the symptoms you experience and the severity of the condition.

Kidney Stones - Can Homeopathy Treat Them Effectively?

What are the functions of the kidney? 

The kidneys filter waste and excess fluid from the blood. As kidneys fail, the waste accumulates in the body. The two most important enzymes, which kidney makes are erythropoietin & renin. Erythropoietin are made by the kidneys if there is less oxygen in the blood. It tells the bone marrow to make more red blood cells. So this means there will be more oxygen carried in the blood.

Renin is made by the kidney if there is low blood pressure, low volume of blood, or too low salts in the blood Renin make the blood vessels smaller and tells the adrenal gland to make aldosterone. It also makes a person feel thirsty and all of this makes the blood pressure go up. Since Kidney plays a very important role in the overall functioning of the body, it s very important to take care of its health. 

Let s have a look on various kind of kidney disease including the one which are chronic:

Kidney stones
Kidney Infections
Glomerulonephritis
Congenital Kidney disease
Diabetic Nephropathy
Hypertensive Nephropathy
Cancer 

Now what is Chronic Kidney Disease?
Chronic kidney disease include conditions that damage your kidneys and decrease their ability to keep healthy by doing the jobs listed, if it gets worse, wastes can build to high levels in the blood and make person sick.
Chronic kidney disease is caused by diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders.

What causes chronic kidney disease?
The two main causes of chronic kidney disease are diabetes & high blood pressure which are responsible for up to two third of the cases. Other conditions that affect the kidney are:
1. A group of diseases that cause inflammation and damage to the kidney s filtering unit.
2. Inherited disease such as poly cystic kidney disease.
3. Malformation that occur as a baby develop in mother s womb.
4. Lupus and other disease that affect the body s immune system.
5. Repeated urinary infections.

What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease?
1. Feel more tired and have less energy
2. Have trouble concentrating
3. Poor appetite
4. Trouble sleeping
5. Muscle cramping at night
6. Swollen feet and ankles
7. Puffiness around the eyes especially in the morning
8. Dry itchy skin
9. Need to urinate more often, especially at night. 
In case of the similar symptoms one needs to get it diagnosed and connect with the physician for good care and treatment. Stay Healthy!

Chronic Kidney Disease - 9 Symptoms that Can Help You Detect it 

Treatment for Kidney stones varies depending on the size and type of the stone or the symptoms caused by it. In case of small stones, medication and simple changes in lifestyle can be enough to treat it, but surgeries and extensive treatments are required if symptoms are severe. 

Following are treatment options for kidney stones:

Small stones with minimal symptoms 
1. Drinking water
Drinking around 3 liters of water a day will regulate your urinary system and can effectively eliminate small stones. Unless your doctor advices otherwise, drinking ample amount of fluids, usually water, is one of the commonest way to get rid of small kidney stones. 

2. Pain relievers
There might be a considerable amount of pain and discomfort associated with passing the stone through urine. Your doctor may recommend pain killers like Ibuprofen, Naproxen sodium or acetaminophen. 

3. Medical therapy
In order to eliminate the kidney stone, your doctor may administer medical therapy. Medication like alpha blocker helps in passing the kidney stone with least pain and more quickly. It relaxes the muscles in the ureter and makes the process relatively easy. 

Large stones with severe symptoms
 
1. Using sound waves to break up stones 
In this technique, a procedure called Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), is employed. ESWL uses the help of sound waves to create vibrations which breaks the stones in smaller pieces. This procedure takes about an hour and can cause mild pain and discomfort. Your doctor may administer sedatives to reduce your sensitivity. ESWL has side effects like blood in urine or bruising in the abdomen. 

2. Surgical removal of kidney stones 
Surgical removal of stones is done with the help of a procedure called nephrolithotomy. It uses small telescopes and other instruments which are inserted in your back through a small incision. It is generally done in case of large stones and when ESWL fails. 

3. Ureteric Calculi (Using a scope to remove stones) 
A thin illuminated tube called ureteroscope is used to remove a comparatively smaller stone in the kidney or ureter. The ureteroscope is equipped with a tiny camera which determines the location of the stone which is then broken into pieces with the help of other instruments. It may require general or regional anesthesia.

Treatments For Kidney Stones

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