Your kidneys remove waste and fluid from your blood to make urine. Sometimes, when you have too much of certain wastes and not enough fluid in your blood, these wastes can build up and stick together in your kidneys. These clumps of waste are called kidney stones.

Causes and risk factors of kidney stones:

Anyone can get a kidney stone, but some people are more likely than others to have them. Men get kidney stones more often than women do. You may also be more likely to have kidney stones if:

• You have an earlier history of kidney stones.
• You have a family history of kidney stones.
• You drink less water.
• You are taking high protein, sodium, and sugar in your daily diet.
• You are overweight or obese.
• You have been operated for gastric bypass surgery or another abdominal surgery.
• You have any other kidney disease especially cystic kidney disease.
• You have high levels of cystine, oxalate, uric acid or calcium in your urine.
• You have swelling or irritation in your bowel or your joints.
• Certain medicines, such as diuretics (water pills) or calcium-based antacids can lead to the formation of kidney stones.

Symptoms of kidney stones:

A small kidney stone that moves easily through the urinary tract, do not cause any symptoms and can remain unnoticed.

A larger kidney stone can cause the following symptoms:

• Painful urinating
• Bloody  urine
• Sharp pain in your back or lower abdomen
• Nausea and vomiting
  

What are the treatments for kidney stones?

• The treatment for kidney stones is determined according to the size, formation /type of the stone, location of the stone and whether it is blocking urine or causing pain.
• You may need to have a urine test, blood test, x-ray, and/or CT scan. A contrast CT scan can be done If you are not allergic to contrast dye.
• For small kidney stones, only pain-relieving medicines and plenty of fluids can serve the purpose to flush out the stone. But if your kidney stone is large, or if it is blocking your urinary tract, additional treatment may be necessary.
• One treatment option is shock wave lithotripsy. This treatment uses shock waves to break up the kidney stones into small pieces. After the treatment, the small pieces of the kidney stone will pass through your urinary tract and out of your body with your urine. This treatment usually takes 45 minutes to one hour and maybe done under general anesthesia, which means you will be asleep and unable to feel pain.
• Another treatment option is ureteroscopy. This treatment is also done under general anesthesia. The doctor uses a long tool shaped like a tube to find and remove the stone or to find and break the stone into small pieces. If the stone is small, the doctor may be able to remove it. If it is large, it may need to be broken into pieces. In this case, a laser will be used to break the stone into pieces that are small enough to pass through your urinary tract.

In rare cases, a surgery called percutaneous nephrolithotomy is needed to remove a kidney stone. During the surgery, a tube will be inserted directly into your kidney to remove the stone. You will need to be in the hospital for two to three days to have and recover from this treatment

• The best way to prevent most kidney stones is to drink enough fluids every day. Most people should drink eight to 12 cups of fluid per day. If you have kidney disease and need to limit fluids, ask your doctor how much fluid you should have each day. Limiting sodium and animal protein (meat, eggs) in your diet may also help to prevent kidney stones. If your doctor can find out what your kidney stone is made of, he or she may be able to give you specific diet recommendations to help prevent future kidney stones.
• If you have a health condition that makes you more likely to have kidney stones, your doctor might tell you to take medicine to treat this condition.
• Never start or stop any treatment or diet without talking to your doctor first!

Types of kidney stones

• Calcium stones are the most common type of kidney stones. They are usually made of calcium and oxalate (a natural chemical found in most foods), but are sometimes made of calcium and phosphate.
• Uric acid stones form when your urine is often too acidic. Uric acid can form stones by itself or with calcium.
• Struvite stones can happen when you have certain types of urinary tract infections in which bacteria make ammonia that builds up in your urine. Struvite stones are made of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate.
• Cystine stones are made of a chemical that your body makes naturally, called cystine. Cystine stones are very rare and happen in people who have a genetic disorder that causes cystine to leak from the kidneys into the urine.
• The size of the Kidney stones can vary from a small grain to a larger pearl. They can stay in your kidneys or travel through your tubes that go from your kidneys to your bladder (ureters), and out of your body with your urine.  A kidney stone can also get stuck in your urinary tract and block urine from getting through. You may get severe pain When you pass a kidney stone or large kidney stone can block the flow of your urine.
• Homeopathic treatment for all types of kidney stones
• There are great homeopathic medicines that can flush the stones out without lithotripsy, ureteroscopy, or surgery. They have the power to expel, dissolve and crush all types of kidney stones
• Berberis Vulgaris, Hydrangia, benz.acid,lith. carb,Pareira brava, Sarsaprilla ,Lycopodium, Calcarea Carb are most common ones.