Kidney Stone Removal

Too much meat intake, swapping water for soft drinks and too little exercise are some of the common factors that lead to the development of kidney stones.

The term 'kidney stone' refers to hard deposits that develop in either kidneys. This hard mass is made up of calcium oxalate or uric acid crystals. The hardened material formed in kidneys is due to chemical imbalances in the urine. When the urine has too much uric acid, crystalline matter begins to form that isolate from the urine to form kidney stones.

Dehydration is many a time the culprit behind formation of kidney stones. Therefore drinking 8-9 glasses of water is very essential for people diagnosed with this medical condition. Sufficient water intake ensures a healthy urinary tract and often works to pass the stone.

Other than drinking plenty of water, one should include high fiber foods in the diet. Having a high fiber diet is a natural remedy to eliminate kidney stones. High oxalate foods such as chocolate, spinach and nuts need to be avoided. Alcoholic and caffeinated beverages like coffee and tea can cause dehydration, so it is best to avoid these drinks.

Concentrate more on eating fresh vegetables and fruits, instead of poultry products. Staying away from meat products would certainly help to alleviate kidney stone symptoms.

Having fruits high in water content such as grapes, watermelon and oranges are also recommended to get the stone moving. On the other hand, drinking unsweetened orange juice and lemonade helps to shrink the size of the stone. These fruit juices are good sources of citrates that stop calcium deposits from binding with the kidney stones.

If you want to reduce your risk of developing kidney stones, it is essential to avoid or substantially minimize intake of sugary products. Bakery products such as cakes, donuts and pastries are high in sugar and can trigger mineral imbalance in your body, leading to formation of stones.

Sugar on the product label is often listed under the aliases such as fructose and glucose. So, read the label carefully and avoid using products that contain these different forms of sugar. The habit of consuming processed food in excess should also be dropped as they are high in salt, which may lead to crystal formation.

To facilitate removal of trapped kidney stones, it is necessary to exercise everyday. So, ditch your sedentary lifestyle and get moving to flush off as well as prevent formation of stones.

Drinking herbal tea has proved to be very effective to pass out the kidney stones. These herbal beverages have been used for centuries to eliminate these uric acid deposits. They contain kidney cleansing herbs like hydrangea root, wild yam, plantain leaf, and cramp bark. 2-3 cups of herbal tea everyday is helpful to get rid of kidney stones.

When natural remedies do not help to relieve the patient's woes, surgical elimination of stone is recommended.

 This form of kidney stone surgery is done when the stone gets formed in the ureters. The human urinary system has two ureters, which are nothing but tubes that connect the kidneys to the urinary bladder. The urine produced by the kidneys is then transported through the ureters for excretion.

This procedure involves use of ureteroscope, which is a long thin hollow telescope that detects the presence of kidney stone in the urethra. In this procedure, the ureteroscope is pushed through the urethra, until it goes beyond the urinary bladder and reaches the ureter.

Upon finding the location of the kidney stone in the ureter, yet another device known as stone breaker or grasper is inserted through the ureteroscope. The grasper does the job of removing the stone, whereas the stone breaker is useful when the stone is big. It breaks the large stone into smaller pieces, which are then extracted through the grasper.

This procedure involves bombarding high energy waves on the kidney in which stone has formed. The purpose is to fragment the stone into small particles. These smaller stones are so small that they no longer remain stuck in the ureter and eventually moves out of the body.

These electricity produced shock waves can easily travel through water. That is why, the patient is asked to lie down in a water tank, in such a way that the lower body is completely submerged in the water. In one session, multiple strikes of shock waves are given, which is enough to break the stone into very minute particles.

This procedure is similar to ureteroscopy but there is a slight modification in performing this method. When the grasper or the stone breaker fail to dislodge the stones from the ureter, laser is passed through the ureteroscope to break the stones. The laser is bombarded multiple times on the target, which helps to break the stones into fragments.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.