Kidney Stone Causes, Signs, Symptoms and Treatments

What Are Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are a build up of crystallized calcium in the ureter. The stones are solid concentrations of these minerals, and form from dissolved urinary minerals in the kidneys. When these minerals do not naturally flush themselves out through urination, they begin to bind together, resulting in the formation of a kidney stone.

Do you have a kidney stone? Read this report about the natural cure for kidney stones.

What's the Cause of Kidney Stones?

Your body has two kidneys. Their function is to process and clean your blood, filter wastes and excess water which goes down to the bladder and creates urine for your body to dispose of. Normally, excess minerals are flushed out painlessly and are unnoticeable. However, certain substances such as magnesium, prevent the minerals from binding together and forming stones. A lack or absence of these substances can result in the formation kidney stones.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Kidney Stones?

Smaller kidney stones generally have no signs or symptoms, as they may be able to pass through the urinary tract without much difficulty. Larger kidney stones, however, can cause agonizing symptoms such as the following:

• Kidney Pain


• Abdominal Pain


• Groin Pain


• Nausea


• Vomiting


• Blood in Urine


• Cloudy, Smelly Urine


• Intense Burning While Urinating

These symptoms will continue as long as one or more kidney stones are present.

Treatments for Kidney Stones

Wait for the Kidney Stone to Pass
After consulting with your doctor, if the determination is that you have a small kidney stone that may be able to pass, your doctor will prescribe you medication. This is likely be a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen. If the kidney stone is larger, you're likely to be in severe pain and prescribed something stronger such as Vicodin (Hydrocodone).

You'll be told to wait for the stone to pass and drink plenty of fluids to break down and flush out the stone. If the stone is too large to pass, or does not pass in a certain time frame, other methods to remove the kidney stone may be required.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL)
ESWL is a non invasive treatment which utilizes shock waves that are strong enough to pass through the body and break up the stone. This treatment has become the most commonly used method to remove kidney stones that are too large to pass.

Uretoroscopy
This method involves the use of a very long, thing telescopic tube by inserting it into the urethra and into the urinary tract in an attempt to break up the minerals. This method is mostly used for kidney stones that had partially passed, but are trapped somewhere in the urinary tract.

Natural Cure for Kidney Stones
Using two items that you can buy at the grocery store, a safe, all natural method has been developed and proven to break up kidney stones. This is much less painless and is not invasive. Read more about this treatment for kidney stones here.