Kidney stones can be made of oxalates, uric acid and of course, calcium.
The physiology is sometimes difficult to understand and even to convey to a patient. When calcium is taken with foods that are high in oxalates, oxalic acid in the intestine combines with calcium to form insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that are eliminated in the stool. This form of oxalate cannot be absorbed into the body. When calcium is low in the diet, oxalic acid is soluble in the liquid portion of the contents of the intestine (called chyme) and is readily absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream. If oxalic acid is very high in the blood being filtered by the kidney, it may combine with calcium to form crystals that may block urine flow and cause severe pain.
These crystals cannot only cause problems with the kidneys. These crystals may also form in the bones, joints, blood vessels, lungs, and even the brain Oxalate crystals may cause damage to various tissues. The sharp crystals may cause damage due to their physical structure and may also increase inflammation.
The pain during the passage of a kidney stone is dreaded by those that have a predisposition to stones. It is extremely painful. Female patients compare it to childbearing. In many cases strong pain killers as morphine are needed.
I have used a hot compresses applied to the kidney region. I have asked a patient to sip hot chamomile tea. The idea is to promote diuresis ( urination) but only when the acute stage of pain has passed.
Remember those yellow flowers along roadsides called Dandelion. I utilize Taraxacum officinale ( Dandelion) in good quantities. One to two tablespoons of dandelion tincture in one liter of warm-hot water. Continue to drink. This is a very effective method. Sometimes the stone doesn't pass and requires surgical or some type of intervention by the urologist.
Many ask, can I take something to dissolve the stones. There are many natural remedies other than conventional ultrasound baths ( lithotrpsy) BUT i do not use those methods. Breaking a stone with herbs, if used, might pass smaller stones and those might lodge. I see many remedies on the Internet using Kidney Flushes. I would consult a health care practitioner familiar with those flushes. I do like detoxification but it cannot be done by everyone.
A member of the bedstraw family ( Rubiaceae) has been used with some success.
Rubia is a genus of the madder family Rubiaceae, which contains about 60 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and sub-shrubs A. The genus and its best known species are also known as Madder, Rubia tinctorum (also known as Common Madder . I have not used Common Madder, but I am sure I will get the opportunity. Herbalists whom have used Common Madder warn the patient about the unpleasant taste. Many prescribe 20 drops three times a day. The root does contain a red pigment, so patients should expect their urine to turn red. It was once used as a dye for the trousers, or pants of the French soldiers. If you do not warn the patient about the urine color change, they might think he/she is bleeding. I could not find how this herb works. Some have suggested that it causes spasmolysis of the ureter ( connects the kidney to the bladder) . This spasm would allow the stone to pass.
Until tomorrow…