Don’t let Kidney stones of the past become your future! If you have suffered from kidney stones, you’re already aware of the excruciating pain and all the suffering it puts you through. I’m sure none of you want to go through that gruesome pain that has been said to be as nerve-racking as the pain experienced during child-birth. Thinking of it makes me shiver, but then there are people who actually go through it, not once but at times, over and again! Is it necessary to suffer all the pain and anguish, when it can definitely be taken care of? Just a few precautions, the right kind of diet, medication as prescribed by your urologist and a healthy lifestyle will ensure a healthy body and mind!



Here’s just a little bit of information about kidney stones. It’s always good to have the know-how of a disease you’ve suffered and are likely to go through again, if you’re not careful enough. That’s right! It has been proved through clinical studies and researches that 70% of Kidney stone patients are likely victims of recurrence of the same. Kidney stones are formed when the kidneys (bean shaped organs, located just below the rib cage at the back) are unable to optimally perform their function of purifying the blood of unnecessary fluids and minerals and dispose of them through the medium of urine. What happens is that there might be a high content of minerals such as calcium, oxalate, sodium, potassium and uric acid in the blood, which the urine is unable to dissolve and pass through. In such a scenario the medical condition of Kidney stones arises. These minerals when saturated, clump together and begin to deposit in the form of crystals. These crystals lodge themselves within the kidneys or the ureter or even the bladder. In most cases the crystals, being tiny, in their early stage of formation, pass out while urinating. The problem arises when the crystal does not pass out and continues to grow in size. A Kidney stone if not taken care on time can grow to be as big as a golf ball. Can you even imagine a golf ball stuck in the narrow ureter? Imagine the pain, the agony!

And the pain is only half the problem. Even small stones can cause urinary tract infections, block urine flow, and possibly cause kidney damage.

Hey!, don’t you despair! Kidney stones have a cure, several cures at that- from open surgery to mere medication to Ureteroscopy and lithotripsy. But isn’t it enough to go through it just once?! Do take steps to ensure that Kidney stones are out of your life once and for all. That can be done by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and taking care of a few things.

* Drink lots of water, at least 12 glasses a day.

* Plan and change your diet according to the advice of your urologist or a certified dietician. Such a diet plan would be based on the type of kidney stones you had- calcium, sodium, uric acid or any other.

* Inactivity has been known to be one reason behind the recurrence of kidney stones. Make sure you follow a regular exercise routine or at least make an effort to move around, if only with in the house.

* Make Lemonade a regular part of your daily intake of fluids. It makes up for the lack of citrate in the urine which is a pre-requisite for avoiding and getting rid of kidney stones.

* Avoid calcium supplements in case of calcium kidney stones

* Avoid eating too much of meat or fish in case of sodium kidney stones.

* Avoid oxalate rich food such as spinach in case of oxalate kidney stones.

* Several medical conditions are known to be the cause behind the recurrence of kidney stones. Try to stay as healthy as possible.

* Avoid apple and grapefruit juice and go for more of cranberry juice.

* Eat fruits and vegetables liberally.

Just keep all the above points in mind and you’ll never have to worry every time you need to answer nature’s call. Forget the days when every visit to the washroom was one of devastating pain. No more missing functions and events because of those side pains that left you almost paralyzed. Let kidney stones be a thing of the past. Bask in the glory of a kidney stone-free, healthy