Kidney Stones

Kidney Stones

The medical term for kidney stones is Nephrolithiasis or Renal

Calculi. A kidney stone is a solid lump that can be as small as a grain of sand

and as large as a golf ball made up of crystals that separate from urine and build

up on the inner surfaces of the kidney. A kidney stone that does not pass on out

can block the urinary tract. This blockage will probably cause a lot of pain. If

medical attention is not received to identify the cause of the pain and remove

the blockage, the pain is likely to go away over a few days. This usually will

cause the sufferer to think that the problem is over with but it actually has not.

The problem that had actually happened was that the kidney that had been

blocked has now shut down. This kidney, if left untreated for just a few days,

can lead to a permanent loss of the kidney.

There are many potential causes of a kidney stone. They are formed

from any of the following, or even two of the following:

Ð'* a family genetic predisposition to form stone

Ð'* to local water or soil conditions

Ð'* intake of excess uric acid, certain medications, Vitamin C, or Vitamin D

Ð'* a diet of fruits and vegetables high in oxalate

Ð'* long term dehydration and its resulting concentration of urine

Ð'* urinary infection

Ð'* living in an area where high temperatures cause sweating and loss of fluids

Ð'* possibly, just leading a low physical activity lifestyle

Doctors and other physicians say that the best two ways to prevent

this disease from happening is to keep yourself well hydrated at all

times. This is best done by drinking 2 or 3 cups of water a day and to

only eat/drink a certain amount of the following foods:

Ð'* applesÐ'* asparagusÐ'* beerÐ'* beetsÐ'* berries, variousÐ'* black pepperÐ'* broccoli Ð'* cheeseÐ'* chocolateÐ'* cocoaÐ'* coffeeÐ'* cola drinksÐ'* collardsÐ'* figs Ð'* grapesÐ'* ice creamÐ'* milkÐ'* orangesÐ'* parsleyÐ'* peanut butterÐ'* pineapples Ð'* spinachÐ'* Swiss chardÐ'* rhubarbÐ'* teaÐ'* turnipsÐ'* vitamin CÐ'* yogurt

If the kidney stone is larger than 1/4 inch in diameter it will most likely

pass through the kidney without any medical