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Kidney Stones: What It Is, Prevention, and Treatment

· Kidney stones
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Kidney stones are a hard collection of minerals and salts that form inside the kidney that considerably affects your urinary tracts. It develops when your body has absorbed substances that have crystallized in your urine. If this happens, you would need kidney stone treatment that varies from conservative treatment to surgery.

Fun Fact: Kidney stones are more than half common in men than women, and it usually develops between 25 to 40 years old.

6 Cause of Kidney Stones

  • Hereditary Condition
  • Excessive Salt Intake
  • Obesity
  • Not Drinking Enough Water
  • Drinking Sodas
  • Too Much Sweating

5 Tips for Kidney Stone Diet
If you previously had kidney stones and went through treatment, you are most likely to develop it again unless you actively work hard to prevent them. Here are some ways to reduce the risk of getting kidney stones.

  • Drink a lot of water, at least twelve glasses daily.
  • Avoiding food and beverages that are high in oxalates and phosphates. (e.g. chocolate, tea, peanuts, sweet potato, etc.)
  • Try not to drink alcohol.
  • Limit sodium intake. 
  • Consume an appropriate amount of calcium

Kidney Stones Treatment
CTs and MRIs are the two types of scans that can detect and diagnose kidney stones. Sometimes, other urologists used blood and urine tests to detect and identify infection. But the kinds of kidney stone treatment you have to undergo through depends on the size of your kidney stone:

  • Smaller Stones:

Besides taking prescribed medication, you will have to drink at least 2 to 3 litres of water daily.

  • Larger Stones:

You will have to undergo extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy. This procedure helps to break stones into fragments that can easily pass through your urine.

Looking for overactive bladder treatment? Check out, Dr Shirley Bang! She is a female urologist that specializes in treating kidney and overactive bladder.