Kidney Stones

Kidney stones, also called renal calculi, are solid concretions (crystal aggregations) of dissolved minerals in urine; calculi typically form inside the kidneys or bladder. The terms nephrolithiasis and urolithiasis refer to the presence of calculi in the kidneys and urinary tract, respectively.

Types of Renal Calculi

There are five types of kidney stones:

1. Calcium phosphate stones

2. Calcium oxalate stones

3. Struvite stones – Magnesium ammonium phosphate

4. Uric acid stones – Result from a problem metabolizing purines (the chemical base of adenine, xanthine, theobromine [in chocolate] and uric acid). They may form in a condition such as gout.

5. Cystine stones – Rare- Result from a hereditary inability to reabsorb cystine. Most children’s stones are this type.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of kidney stones include:

• Colicky pain: “loin to groin”. Often described as “the worst pain […] ever experienced”.

• Hematuria: blood in the urine, due to minor damage to inside wall of kidney, ureter and/or urethra.
• Pyuria: pus (white blood cells) in the urine.
• Dysuria: burning on urination when passing stones (rare). More typical of infection.
• Oliguria: reduced urinary volume caused by obstruction of the bladder or urethra by stone, or extremely rarely, simultaneous obstruction of both ureters by a stone.
• Abdominal distension.
• Nausea/vomiting: embryological link with intestine – stimulates the vomiting center.
• Fever and chills.
• Hydronephrosis
• Postrenal azotemia: when kidney stone blocks ureter

Homoeopathic Approach to Kidney Stones

Homoeopathic remedies will give symptomatic relief to the patient, and when the stone size is small it will crush or break the stone, dissolve the stone gradually by acting on its chemical composition, will help push forward the stone in the urinary tract and further helps in easy passage of these stones, it cleanses the urinary tract, prevents inflammation and urinary infections caused by movement of existing stones and more than that prevents the reformation of renal stones. Homoeopathic remedies can offer complete cure for renal stones except in Stage Horn type Renal Stones (eg.) Struvite stones, when the stone size is large or the stone is impacted, or there are multiple stones, then the patient is better treated surgically. However, even after surgical removal of stones, homoeopathy still has a role to play in preventing its recurrence, and in treating secondary infections of the urinary tract arising after injury from the moving stone. Based on the classical approach of Homoeopathy a homoeopathic practitioner looks at the person holistically, that is mind, body and emotion together and not just at the symptoms of the illness.