Kidney stones can be so painful. When a bloke has no insurance and is scared of surgery, what alternative treatments are there?
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M$16 Answers
Don't be confused about having a "calcium" stone. Dairy products have calcium, but they actually help prevent stones, because calcium binds with oxalate before it gets into the kidneys. People with the lowest dietary calcium intake have an increased risk of kidney stones.
Some herbal substances are promoted as helping prevent stones. You should know that there is insufficient published medical evidence to support the use of any herb or supplement in preventing stones.
I know they are painful, but the truth is, with out seeing a doctor and having the tests done, you can't know much about the severity of the stone. Sometimes they do require surgery. You should be comforted in knowing that kidney stone surgery is common and safe.
Good luck.
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M$Rather than cast about for remedies from Internet surfers, you should check with your local health agencies and find a public health nurse or doctor who can advise you on this. Many hospitals have a nurse on call to answer questions, and many insurance companies do also. I don't think they ask if you're a member to answer your questions.
Check your phone book, perhaps the blue pages for public health facilities in your city, county, or state, and look in the yellow and white pages to see if any of the hospitals list a nurse number to call for non-emergency queries. Do you have a community information source? For example, in North Texas (the Metroplex and surrounding cities) you can dial 211 and the operators will put you in touch with service providers who can offer suggestions or help with free or subsidized services for all sorts of things (not just health). Here's one source of this kind of information listed in our area, from the United Way: http://www.tarrantcounty211.org/
It may take some phone calls, but perhaps there are public health folks or reduced cost services available to you in your area that you aren't aware of.
Good luck in tackling this problem.
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M$
BTW: The reason for recommending the public health folks is so you can have someone give you an assessment of your health via a free or inexpensive public service. They often charge fees for services on a sliding scale, if any are called for, and may be much less expensive than regular health care providers.
To effectively prevent and cure kidneys stones, you need to understand how it formed. Two main causes are
- CALCIUM OXALATE STONE
Most cases of kidney stones are composed of calcium oxalate crystals. It is the binding of calcium and oxalate. People usually think to decrease calcium intake may lower the risk of forming calcium oxalate crystal. But they're wrong. Calcium can bind with oxalate in gastrointestinal tract. When calcium intake decrease, the large amount oxalate will be absorbed into the bloodstream and excreted via kidneys. But with proper of calcium intake, the absorption of oxalate in gastrointestinal will decrease greatly and excreted directly via intestine.
- URIC ACID
This is the condition where the urine is excessively acidic (low pH) . Certain foods may increase the uric acidic level, especial high protein foods.
Now about the prevention. The prevention are mostly targeted to decrease the food intake that contain high amount of oxalate and the food that can increase uric acid level.
1. DECREASE HIGH OXALATE FOOD INTAKE
Here is the list:
sorrel, rhubarb, buckwheat, star fruit (carambola), black pepper, green pepper, parsley, poppy seed, amaranth, spinach, chard, beets, cocoa, chocolate, most nuts, soybeans, most berries, New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides) and beans, black Indian tea, leaves of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), wheat germ, okra, sweet potatoes, grits, grapes, celery, red raspberries, fruit cake, strawberries, marmalade.
2. DECREASE FOOD THAT CAN INCREASE URIC ACIDIC LEVEL
Here is the list
sea salts, animal internal organ food products (such as liver), sweetbreads, anchovies, sardines, brains, meat extracts (e.g., Oxo, Bovril), herring, mackerel, scallops, game meats, and gravy.
And here are some good habit to do:
3. Drink a lot of water to ease the kidneys work.
4. Have proper calcium intake.
5. Decrease protein, nitrogen, sodium intake.
6. Avoid cola beverages.
7. Avoid taking vitamin C nor vitamin D in large amount.
8. Have enough vitamin A intake (apricots, broccoli, cantaloupes, carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes).
9. Don't sit all day long, but remain physically active by doing some activity like jumping.
And here are alternative treatment that may help:
10. Drugs that help to fight kidney stones:
thiazides, potassium citrate, magnesium citrate and allopurinol.
11. Eat lots of these foods that studies said can be helpful:
orange, lemon, carrot, blackcurrant, and cranberry.
12. Also these that believe may be helpful:
kidney beans, basil, celery, apple, grapes, pomegranate, watermelon, coconut water, vitamin B6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_stone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_oxalate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uric_acid
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/stonesadults/
http://www.fastkidneystonetreatment.com/
http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Kidney-Stones.html
http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/home-remedy/kidney-stones-remedy.html
http://www.jumpandbump.com/
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M$
@resq1250:
You heard some people said asparagus and coca cola can have a good impact on kidney stones treatment. But here some links counter the fact:
--- Coca drinks
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/937769/the_cola_kidney_stone_connection.html
http://hubpages.com/hub/National-Institutes-of-Health-Too-Much-Cola-Can-Cause-Kidney-Problems
--- Asparagus
http://ezinearticles.com/?Asparagus-and-Kidney-Stones&id=1306103
Yes, I do find some links that support asparagus and cola can benefit kidney stones treatment. But I suggest you NOT to try rather to risk your health.
And here I also want to make a correction on my answer item #12:
Grapes should be taken out from the list because grapes are in the list of hight oxalate food (#2).
I was about to give this a positive vote until parts 11 & 12 "believe may be helpful" what people 'believe' has absolutely nothing to do with prevention or cure! There is NO proven medical evidence that any of the last items are beneficial, just hearsay and have no place in any factual statement!
It is so important when giving advise that one sticks to the facts and NOT 'anecdotal' evidence of hearsay.
Ps can everyone please report the reply higher up for abuse and we can get it removed
Good critic siaynoq.
The items #12 aren't my personal opinions, they can be found in the sources I given. But because the I don't see they as proven medical facts, that's why I use the words "may be helpful".
When someone is ill, it is no wrong if they try something that may help even no medical proofs as long as there is no harm.
Another alternative method is the use of a laser threaded along that same path which is then used to vaporize the stone still inside the ureter.
A third alternative (called PNL for short) is to enter the kidney through a small hole made in the back and into the kidney through which the stone can be removed.
A new technique is call lithoclast. It uses air pressure to vibrate and break up the kidney stone. The the fragments are removed with forceps or flushed with water and then suctioned out.
You can also try alternative medicine, i mean Philippine healers, they are said to do non invasive surgery to human body, and could take kidney stones out. It's true and alot of people experienced it.
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M$There are several types of kidney stones. As I said, I have uric stones - which are developed by your body not being able to properly process uric acid. Some people have the same problem with calcium. The best option is to drink lots of water, and I always take pain medicine throughout the ordeal (as often as it allows). When I say drink a lot of water, I mean drink A LOT of water. As much as you can. And go to the restroom often.
If it gets to the point where you are vomiting from pain, GET TO A HOSPITAL. At that point, there is nothing you are going to be able to do for yourself. You have to leave it up to the doctors to help you. Two of my kidney stones could not pass on their own - they were simply too large to pass through the tubes to my bladder. When they are up high enough, surgery is not scary. If they are still in your kidneys, they will simply use sound wave "surgery". You feel a little vibration in your back as they aim high-frequency soundwaves at the stones and turn them into basically dust. It doesn't hurt, kind of feels like a weird back massage.
Don't have a fear of surgery though, I had to have that, too, on my fourth stone.
Hopefully, if you have calcium stones, there are some prevention methods you can employ, such as drinking cranberry juice.
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M$
This assumes that the stone(s) you have are calcium oxalate, the most common kidney stone. If they have a different composition, say, crystalline, then this may not help you. Drink a lot of soda? What about other carbonated beverages (seltzer, beer)? Soft drinks have long been suspected of leaching calcium from the bones of those who consume it, and the calcium has to go somewhere, probably leading to stone formation. There is also information out there that indicates carbonated beverages in general can leach calcium from bones (these drinks tend to be acidic in nature). Its amazing that one of the possible causes of kidney stones (drinking too much soda, and not enough water) may help dissolve them.The active ingredient in this case is phosphoric acid. There is lots of anecdotal evidence out there suggesting consumption of soft drinks with phosphoric acid will help dissolve kidney stones, the logic being that the acidic nature of the drink will dissolve the most common type of kidney stone, calcium oxalate. Therefore, we can make the same assumptions of the other home remedies out there, vinegar, cranberry juice, etc.. all acidic. This may help, but according to the link above, a good treatment is to drink more liquids, preferably water. Lastly, I'll say this, but it is purely anecdotal: Do you have hard water, or water with a lot of dissolved calcium? Does it leave a thick white scale on the tea kettle? Try drinking water from a softer source, with less dissolved solids. Its just an idea.
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M$1.Lithotripsy
crush stone by using high energy shock waves which are focused at the exact location of the stone.
this process is called as Lithotripsy.
lithotripsy usually allows the sufferer to return to their normal life. with the aid of medications to reduce the pain and nausea caused by passing the fragments, in just a few days.
2.ureteroscopy
sending instruments up through the urethra, the bladder, and into the ureter to grab the stone and pull it out.
3.use of a laser waves
Another alternative method is the use of a laser threaded along that same path which is then used to vaporize the stone still inside the urete
4.PNL method
A third alternative (called PNL for short) is to enter the kidney through a small hole made in the back and into the kidney through which the stone can be removed.
5.lithoclast
A new technique is call lithoclast. It uses air pressure to vibrate and break up the kidney stone. The the fragments are removed with forceps or flushed with water and then suctioned out.
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M$Following these instructions you will overcome the pain, the problem and will find improved general health and wellbeing. This regime is a totally natural method which works.
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M$
More absolute rubbish!!! Without ANY medical evidence to back it up
@siaynoq
First of all, if we would wait that curent health institutions collects enough evidence and recognize natural methods than many of us would be gone long time ago. Big pharmacies and insurance companies are working hard to keep status quo and not to kill their cash cow based on chemicals.
And as second, this method has been proven on thousands of people all over the world with fascinating results beyond any current mainstream medicine achievements.
According to that large sample one of the leading biophysicists in the world, Mr Alex Hankey, has made a full pilot study.
http://issuu.com/johny186/docs/pilot_study
The treatment, E Rejuvenation described in the case study, is the natural program completely based on relaxation which I shortly described in my answer.
Please take some time and read it.
It's great to hear from Chinese medicine point of view.
Most of them are talking what food to eat and not. But they forget about proper rest to help the body self healing process. You got my vote!
siaynoq, if you don't agree with this answer, it's okay. But I think you should not use the words "absolute rubbish" here. I don't see what johnyqi said is rubbish but I see it is as a piece of information. His answer may not work on some persons but it may work on others.
First of all you should know what is the title of this question:
"Kidney stones can be so painful. When a bloke has no insurance and is scared of surgery, what alternative treatments are there?"
Then try to look up the words "alternative treatment" in Wikipedia.com, it will suggest you to "Alternative medicine".
---quote---
In Western culture, alternative medicine is any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine",1 or "that which has not been shown consistently to be effective."2 It is often opposed to evidence based medicine and encompasses therapies with a historical or cultural, rather than a scientific, basis.
---/quote---
---quote---
"Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a broad domain of resources that encompasses health systems, modalities, and practices and their accompanying theories and beliefs, other than those intrinsic to the dominant health system of a particular society or culture in a given historical period. CAM includes such resources perceived by their users as associated with positive health outcomes. Boundaries within CAM and between the CAM domain and the domain of the dominant system are not always sharp or fixed."
---/quote---
sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_medicine
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M$
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Kidney Stone, or Renal Calculi can really be painful and their only effective treatment other than surgery, can be provided by Homeopathic Medicine system. Homeopathy has some miraculous cures for Renal Calculi. Although I have listed some of the most popular ones here, you must seek a Homeopathy Practitioner's advice before using them, because he will decide the doses, based on your age, stone type, pH value of blood & urine, your medical history, your food habits and a lot of other factors. Further, not every medicine is meant for everyone. So, it is your doctor who will decide what is best for you.
Argentum nit.
Belladonna
Benzoic acid
Berberis
Calcarea carb.
Cantharis
Chimaphila umb.
Hydrangea
Hydrastis
Ipomea nil.
Lachesis
Lithium carb.
Lycopodium
Nitric acid.
Nux vomica
Ocimum can
Pareira brava
Phosphorus
Sarsaparilla
Silicea
Tabacum
Apart from taking medicines, you must take care in your food habit and avoid eating any of the following things;
Avoid:
1. Spinach
2. Tomato
3. Black Grams
4. Dairy Products
5. Red Meat
6. Eggs (Not more than 3 per week)
7. Chicken (as less as possible)
8. Anything that is rich in iron and/or calcium and/or oxalates
9. Sodium
Recommended: Increase intake of water (avoid hard water). The more you drink water, the more you urinate and the more the stone is dissolved.
For more information, visit the following sites;
http://www.similima.com/pm112.html
http://health.hpathy.com/kidney-stone-symptoms-treatment-cure.asp
http://www.homeopathictreatment4u.com/renalstone.html
Note1: Some of the medicines like Belladonna, displayed in the list above are highly poisonous and overdose or incorrect power of usage may be fatal. Consult a Homeopathic doctor before use.
Disclaimer: This answer should not be used as a prescription for use of the above medicines. The administering of Homeopathic medicines depends upon lot many factors. The answer was just an attempt to tell that cure for Renal Calculi exists in Homeopathy. This is for those who want to avoid surgery.
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Other Non-Surgical Treatments:
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1. Laser Treatment: This is not a conventional surgery. This involves use of angiography. In this, 3 concentric pipes are inserted into the body to reach the affected kidney(s). The probe has a camera whose path can be traced on a monitor. The probe also has a laser gun which is used to break the kidney-stone in small particles. A jet of solution is pumped into the kidneys which is sucked through the innermost pipe, taking away the broken particles with it. This is almost a blood-less surgery with very low risk. This is also very effective treatment of Renal Calculi.
Obviously, you cannot do it at home.
2. Management with diuretic Foods, Herbs and Essential Oils: There are some herbs, essential oils and foods that promote urination. This helps dissolve the stone and remove it through urine. Here are some;
http://www.nutrasanus.com/diuretic.html/
http://www.nutralegacy.com/blog/general-healthcare/top-10-diuretic-foods-everyone-should-remember/
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/rosemary.htm
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/patchouli.htm
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-wintergreen-essential-oil.html
Note: Essential Oils should be used under guidance and supervision of experts.
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Hope they help. Thanks
Misc. Sources
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M$
1. Water Therapy or proper hydration : by far the mainstay of treatment and prevention of kidney stones. If there is an increase in fluid intake, this can decrease the chance of stone forming because of the increase urinary output. Kidney stones that measures 5 millimeters has 90% chance of passing through the urinary tract with just hydration therapy.
2. Diet modification can also decrease the chance of developing kidney stones. The diet should be low in animal protein, sodium, and oxalate can reduce of stones forming. Chocolate, tea, spinach, asparagus, and nuts are examples of food rich in oxalate. Fiber-rich food are encouraged.
If ever you want to modify your diet it would be best to consult your urologist first so that you will be properly advised.
3. Medication like Allopurinal can decrease uric stone formation so many doctors prescribed this for kidney stones.
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M$The person I live with just went through dissolving a kidney stone, he did all the research, it is a pretty simple concept, you just need to dissolve the stone with acidic drinks, while not taking in the already mentioned foods that are high in oxilates which cause stone. He drank a combo of orange juice, lemon and cranberry, for a straight week and has dissolved the stone and feels no pain anymore. 100% cranberry is a little pricey about $6-10 but really is one of the best things you can take. Drinking lots of soda is not advised however as it works the same as the other more healthy acidic drinks. Make sure you continue to take in a normal amount of calcium. If you do this you can dissolve the stone completely or at least enough to pass it without pain, it is a good idea to catch the stone with a strainer and save it until you can get it to a doctor to be analyzed, there are three different types of stones and if you can find out which one it is you will be better prepared to prevent them in the future, there is something in your diet that is out of balance that is causing these stones yo need to make the correction in your diet so you can prevent future stones.
Best of luck to you and it is a real shame that you are forced to do this without a doctors advice....just be glad it isn't a worse medical condition....see this as a wake up call to get your health in perfect order...as all of us with out healthcare really need to do.
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M$
I believe in the healing powers of alternative medicines like that of Chinese and Indians but for coco-cola, I'm totally against it because my doctor told me to avoid sodas/acidic drinks when you have a UTI or kidney infection/stones. So these are my suggestions. Ask your doctor for a pain reliever so you can manage your pain. Drink plenty of clean water. It's best to have the purified drinking water. Avoid salty and fatty foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables. And there's one product I've tried and it really worked. The Intra from Lifestyles. I think I have been mentioning this product though I am not a distributor of this. But I just want to share to you what I know and that it really helps me. It will make you urinate often like you only have very few minutes interval. It cleanses your body and heals your damaged cells. See the product from here: http://lifestyles.net/index.html .
See also these helpful sites:
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/6-21-2006-99942.asp
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/15/49.cfm
http://www.ehow.com/way_5732138_natural-herbal-remedies-kidney-treatment.html
*When you are taking any medicine be it herbal or synthetic, it's always best to still drink plenty of water in order to hasten the removal/excretion of your wastes. Water is the carrier of all our bodily wastes.
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M$(1) Drink a mixture of 2 oz of olive oil with 2 oz of lemon juice.
OR
(2) Drink a mixture of 2 oz of apple cider vinegar with a full glass of luke warm water. The next day drink the olive oil and lemon juice mixture. The following day drink the mixture of the apple cider vinegar and water.
(3) Eating apples, grapes, pomegranates, watermelon, celery, and alfalfa (alfalfa can be purchased in pill form at health stores.)can help dissolve the stones.
Hopefully you'll find something that will help, but if not, please consult your physician.
www.earthclinic.com/CURES/kidney_stones.html
www.home-remedies-for-you.com/remedy/Kidney-Stones
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M$
For other alternative remedies, kindly see the link below:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/kidney-stones-alternative-treatments-which-one-is-right-for-you.html
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M$
Phosphoric acid the carbonation in soft drinks. And the claims about the kidney flush is so much snake oil. Not helpful.
If any of these 'alternative' therapy's work do you not think the registered health authorities and the medical insurance company's would insist on them being used?
It is in the best interest of the medical insurance company's and health services to find the most cost effective treatment, why do you think they do NOT use these so called cures?
Because they do NOT WORK!!!!!
Is there any scientific evidence to back the claim "These remedy is guaranteed to work within 2 hours"?
