We all have a relative or an acquaintance who has suffered from annoying and painful «kidney stones», it is for this reason that we are going to give you some practical and very effective advice.
The pain of expelling a kidney stone is said to be comparable to that of childbirth. Whether true or not, you’ll wish you were home and taking painkillers.
You can also put a hot water bottle over the area of pain to provide some relief. After that, it’s a waiting game.
The calculations can pass in a few hours, but sometimes it takes days. Fortunately, there are measures to speed up the process a bit.
What happen?
The pain in your back and side is so sharp that you feel like you’re going to throw up. The cause is a nugget of crystals that separate from the urine and accumulate on the interior surfaces of the kidney.
Now that little stone wants to come out via the urethra, the spaghetti-thin tube that empties the bladder. Most kidney stones are formed from calcium compounds.
Heredity, chronic dehydration, repeated urinary tract infections, and a sedentary lifestyle are thought to contribute to kidney stone formation.
Throw it
To drain the stone into the bladder, drink at least three liters of water a day. If you are ingesting enough water to do the job, your urine should be clear, colorless.
During an attack, drink as much dandelion tea as possible. It is a strong diuretic that stimulates blood circulation through the kidneys, which increases urine output and helps to expel the stone.
To make the tea, put 2 tablespoons of this dried herb in a cup of boiling water. Let the infusion steep for 15 minutes and then drink it.
Try to drink two or three cups of buchú tea a day. Like dandelion, this herb has diuretic properties that can help shed and prevent kidney stones.
Put a bag of buchú in a cup of boiling water and drink it three times a day before meals.
moving stone
It is common that when you have a kidney stone, the slightest movement is very painful, but if you can bear to walk, do it. Walking can shake the stone loose. Despite the inconvenience, you will be able to throw the stone faster if you stay active.
The power of prevention
Countless experts believe that the most important thing you can do to prevent kidney stones is the same thing you can do to pass them faster, which is drink enough fluids.
Those who are prone to kidney stones should drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. The more you drink, the more you dilute the substances that make up the stones. Stick to a low-salt diet to reduce the risk of forming new stones.
A good start is to limit your intake of fatty foods, canned soups, and other processed foods. Read the labels carefully. The goal is less than six grams of salt (2,400 mg sodium) a day.
Drink two glasses of 250 milliliters of cranberry juice every day. Research suggests that it may help reduce the amount of calcium in the urine. In a study of people with calcium stones, cranberry juice cut the amount of calcium in half.
If you don’t like cranberry juice, drink real orange or lemon juice, 200 milliliters at each meal. The citric acid that both contain will raise the level of citrate in your urine, which will help prevent new stones from forming.
Magnesium has been proven to prevent all types of kidney stones. Eat more foods rich in this mineral, such as dark green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, and shellfish. You can also take 300 mg. a day in the form of supplements.
Eliminate the coffee. Caffeine increases calcium in the urine, which increases the risk of stone formation.
Use a net to pick up the stone
Although it sounds very unpleasant, expert doctors recommend that during an acute attack you urinate through a piece of gauze, cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. The reason for this is to pick up the stone, if one happens, and take it to the doctor.
Then he can have the composition of the stone analyzed and based on that study he can give specific dietary advice on changes that will help prevent recurrence.
Will I call the doctor?
Most stones pass without a doctor’s help, but the first time you get one, it’s inevitable that you’ll call your doctor.
With pain like that, you’ll definitely want to report your symptoms, which include nausea and vomiting, bloody and cloudy urine, needing to urinate but not being able to, a burning sensation when urinating, or fever and chills (which may indicate infection).
Even if you’ve had kidney stones before, call your doctor if the pain is unbearable. If your case is severe, you may need prescription painkillers and hospital treatment.
Have you ever had a urinary tract infection?
Taken from Selections