Kidney stones can require surgery and come in four types: calcium, struvite, uric acid, and cystine. Drinking plenty of water, avoiding calcium-fortified juice, and limiting caffeine intake can help prevent them. Medication may be necessary for some types.
Kidney stones are small to large stones, some the size of golf balls and some smaller than peas, that develop in the kidneys and may require surgery if they are too large to pass on on their own. Stones are of four types: calcium, struvite, uric acid and cystine. Calcium stones can result from too much calcium in the diet, struvite from kidney infections, and too much magnesium, and uric acid stones form when urine has higher than normal acid content. Cystine stones may not be easy to prevent, as they are typically caused by an inherited disease. They are rare and can be treated with medication and stone removal as needed.
There are several main ways to prevent kidney stones of the first three types. The simplest and most effective way is to drink plenty of water every day. Many doctors recommend consuming about 12 glasses a day.
You can use juice if you’re tired of water, but don’t use calcium-fortified juice if you’re prone to calcium stones. A glass or two of cranberry juice sweetened with other juices can be helpful as it can help reduce bladder and kidney infections. It acts as a natural diuretic, helping your body get rid of urine more quickly. Fewer kidney infections mean less chance of developing struvite stones.
To further reduce the infection, try to empty your bladder completely when you urinate. It may help to wait a minute after you finish urinating and try again. Also, make sure you use the bathroom every few hours during the day, instead of holding him.
You should limit your intake of caffeinated beverages, which may cause you to lose too much fluid, too quickly. Combinations of a couple of cups of tea a day and ice cream have a tendency to put people more at risk for developing kidney stones. You may want to avoid all caffeine if you get stones often, but some people find that even reducing their caffeine intake to a cup or two of coffee, diet soda, or tea can prevent stones from forming.
Despite changes in bathroom habits, caffeine intake, and water intake, some people may still need to take medications to prevent kidney stones from forming. This is especially true if you have cystine, struvite or calcium stones that go unresolved by changing your habits. Even if you take medications, it can be helpful to follow the above recommendations to reduce your chances of dealing with the pain associated with passing a kidney stone.
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