{"id":1637,"date":"2018-08-20T11:10:28","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T09:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mediquo.com\/?p=1637"},"modified":"2020-11-04T12:55:25","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T11:55:25","slug":"kidney-stones-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/en\/general-medicine\/kidney-stones-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Kidney stones: how to avoid them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to ride a roller coaster, preferably in the last car, to fix your kidney stones. At least that&#8217;s what <\/span><b>David Wartinger<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan, United States recommends. The truth is that this scientist did an experiment with an artificial kidney and found that the movements of fast falls and closed turns of the roller coaster would help patients to expel those stones from the kidneys that cause so much pain. This test was motivated by the experiences of various patients returning from Florida, a mecca of amusement parks, freed from kidney stones. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But let&#8217;s be realistic, and let&#8217;s look at the most viable options to defeat kidney stones.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>What are kidney stones?<\/h4>\n<p><b>Kidney stones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (as they are popularly known) are bits of rock-like solid material that form in one or both kidneys when there are <\/span><b>high levels of minerals in the urine<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These stones can be the size of a grain of salt to a chickpea, and can vary in shape and color (yellowish or brown). A tiny stone can easily pass through the urinary tract, but when it is larger, it usually gets stuck in the urinary tract, obstructing the flow of urine and causing pain and bleeding. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>function of the kidneys is to eliminate excess fluid and waste from the blood through the urinary tract, in the form of urine<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This yellowish liquid contains substances such as calcium, oxalate, phosphate, carbonate, cystine and uric acid, which, in large quantities, can crystallize and form kidney stones.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>The types of stones are:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Calcium stones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: are the most common and are formed when the body can not get rid of excess calcium.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Stones of uric acid<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: can be formed when the urine contains too much acid. Eating too much fish, shellfish and meats, especially the viscera, can increase uric acid in the urine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Struvite stones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: can be formed after having a urinary infection.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Cystine stones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: are the least common.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the third most frequent urological disease, and although it is not serious, we must pay attention. In Spain, 5% of the population suffer from it and it is up to 6 times more common in men than women. It can appear after age 20, but it is between age 40 and 60 when you have to take more care. Occasionally, even babies and children may have small stones in the kidney. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4>How do I know if I have kidney stones?<\/h4>\n<p><b>The most common symptoms are<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pain when urinating.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blood in the urine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Severe pain in the back, lower abdomen or groin.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Constant need to pee.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impossibility to urinate or to do it in small amount.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urine cloudy or smelly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nausea and vomiting.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fever.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> pain can appear and disappear and its duration can vary<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but it is necessary to treat it, since in the long term the stones can damage the kidney.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To know for sure if you have kidney stones, the doctor will examine you, ask about your family history, and perform a blood and an imaging test (ultrasound or tomography) to determine where the stones are lodged. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In most cases, it is not necessary to perform any treatment since the stones will eliminate themselves through the urine (taking a lot of water and some antispasmodic medicine and doing exercises), but if they have a diameter greater than 4 mm and Since several days have passed, the <\/span><b>doctor is likely to take other measures such as<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extracorporeal shock wave<\/span><b> lithotripsy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: the stone is disintegrated in smaller pieces from the outside through shock or sound waves, and after 3 months they are eliminated by themselves. It works in 90% of cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Percutaneous nephrolithotomy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This procedure is used when stones obstruct the flow of urine. An endoscope is inserted through a cut in the skin to destroy the stone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Ureteroscopy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: not used very often, usually in cases of stones located in the lower third of the ureter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Medications<\/b><span>: some stones may be dissolved by taking medication.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>To prevent kidney stones, experts recommend:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drink 2 liters of water per day of weak mineralization.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perform daily exercise.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid overweight and obesity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limit the consumption of salt and soft drinks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do not abuse the consumption of animal proteins such as meats, eggs, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eat more legumes and cereals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And to get rid of them, you can also try to take a ride on a roller coaster. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>*Content validated by the mediQuo medical team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You need to ride a roller coaster, preferably in the last car, to fix your kidney stones. At least that&#8217;s what David Wartinger, professor emeritus at the University of Michigan, United States recommends. The truth is that this scientist did an experiment with an artificial kidney and found that the movements of fast falls and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/en\/general-medicine\/kidney-stones-how-to-avoid-them\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[906],"tags":[839,1517,1513,1519,1515],"class_list":["post-1637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-medicine","tag-health","tag-kidney","tag-kidney-stones","tag-lithotripsy","tag-stones"],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":1637,"es":1355},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1639,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1637\/revisions\/1639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mediquo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}