14 Natural Remedies for Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are caused by the build-up of crystal-forming minerals in the urine that can eventually form into solid masses. These minerals include the likes of calclium, oxalate, uric acid and others. When this becomes more than the urine can dilute, the substances can combine to form kidney stones.

There are actually a number of different types of kidney stones and depending on the type of substance that caused the stone to form, the symptoms might be quite different. Most kidney stones are formed from calcium oxalate and thus can also be known as calcium stones. Oxalate is a substance that occurs naturally in food and is also created by the liver. It is found in higher quantities in certain foods, including fruits, vegetables and some nuts and chocolates.

Struvite stones are made in response to an infection, often things like urinary tract infections. These grow quickly and become particularly large. Uric acid stones are most common in those who don’t drink enough fluids and particularly those who eat a high protein diet and/or have gout. Cysteine stones come from hereditary disorders that cause the kidneys to create too much of specific amino acids.

In all cases, kidney stones can exist without causing any symptoms for some time but then are likely to cause much more notable and severe pain when they progress and particularly when attempting to pass them. At this point you might notice pain at the side and back (where the kidneys are located), radiating pain to the lower abdomen, pain during urination, discoloured urine, urgency and chills.

So, what can you do to encourage the body to heal? How can you pass kidney stones with minimal pain and discomfort? This post will take a look at some of the best known remedies to help you treat the discomfort and dispel with the stones as quickly as possible…

1.  Water

The most important way to treat kidney stones yourself is to drink lots of water. Water is crucial for treating nearly any kind of illness and for your health generally. In the case of kidney stones in particular though, it can help you to flush your system and encourage the stones to pass more quickly. It can also bring a temperature down and prevent dehydration and it might even help you to dilute the minerals that make up the kidney stones enough to shrink them and make them easier to pass.

No matter which other home remedies from this list you use, make sure that you are drinking large amounts of water regularly!